For acoustic musician Mickey Abraham, Michael Jackson comes closest to healing the world through music. He gets chills when the late singer belts about world peace and love because he believes in its sincerity. Maintaining that sense of innocence and authenticity is the driving force in Abraham’s career as music from almost every genre imaginable colors his tastes and stylistic influences. 
 
As mandolin player for local group Belle and the Band, the groove and melodies of theme songs catch his ear, whether it’s the background jingles in video games, the tunes twinkling through amusement park rides, or the opening themes for television shows “Matlock” and “Full House.” In fact, Abraham fulfilled a childhood dream when the band recently won a Suncoast Emmy Award for their song “Local Routes.” 

“It came out of nowhere and that’s given me a newfound confidence,” says Abraham, who is currently gearing up for a collaborative show with pianist Mason Margut on July 20. “To win something like that reminds me I’m doing the right thing in my life.” 
 
Abraham began taking piano lessons before discovering the guitar at a young age. His parents stoked his passion for bluegrass as they introduced him to folk music on guitar and banjo. Family gatherings often transformed into sing-alongs, and Abraham would sit for hours practicing tunes until he mastered them. 
 
In high school he was turned onto grunge and rock music in the vein of Pearl Jam and Nirvana, but circled back to bluegrass while working at Gordon’s String Music on Monroe Street in college. Though guitar remains his first love, he picked a mandolin off the wall at the shop and soon found an entirely new groove. 
 
“The mandolin sounds like a fluttering butterfly or a pleasant bell,” describes Abraham. “And two mandolins together sound like two butterflies hanging out,” he adds with a touch of whimsy. 

He credits Gordon for teaching him everything about bluegrass, accompanying him to festivals and playing many gigs at The Warehouse. Abraham’s personal style is often termed as “newgrass,” which boils down to music played on acoustic instruments like mandolins, fiddles, banjos, guitars, and basses. He holds the history of bluegrass in high regard however, and treasures the traditions that Gordon passed along to him. 
 
“Gordon was my mentor in the acoustic music scene,” says Abraham. “He taught me hundreds of tunes, introduced me to a ton of people, and I felt like I was part of a family immediately. He’s a Tallahassee bluegrass legend.” 
 
Though Abraham graduated from Florida State with a degree in creative writing, he immediately discovered his own passion for teaching music. Learning from instructional videos, he would practice with his friends’ bands, teaching them guitar lines and sharing new information. He says nothing felt more right, and 20 years later still exudes just as much excitement as he did during his very first lesson. 

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