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ABRA Cadabra is an ABBA cover band.

Photo courtesy Moon Coin Productions

Timeless ABBA cover band touring again

By Jim Gordon and Leeta Liepins

Published 2:16 PST, Fri December 9, 2022

Last Updated: 4:20 PST, Fri December 9, 2022

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ABRA Cadabra, produced by Vancouver-based Moon Coin Productions, has been touring globally for almost two decades. The talented and energetic band has reached audiences of all ages and cultures with the timeless music of ABBA.

The Our City Tonight Team sat down with Jonas Falle (Björn) and Jeanette O’Keefe (Anni-Frid) who are the co-founders, creators, and producers of ABRA Cadabra.

Our City Tonight (OCT): You’re just back from a big Canadian tour. How does it feel to be back performing live?

Jonas Falle (JF): Obviously having the last couple of years off was a difficult process, but now being back we have such gratitude. It’s been great to see people in the audience connecting through dancing, smiling, and crying and just being so joyous to connect with people and enjoy the music.

OCT: Along with (bands) like The Beatles and Queen, the music of ABBA truly is timeless. You must see that generational thing happening when you are performing live.

Jeanette O’Keeffe (JO): One of the most awesome things about doing the show is seeing the multiple ages and cultures coming together to celebrate music. We see children with their parents and their grandparents, and often three generations are singing along to the same songs. You don’t see that very often.

OCT: Jonas, talk about your group putting this together almost 20 years ago—clearly, you guys love what you do.

JF: Absolutely. We are huge fans of ABBA and that’s why we started it. We celebrate the music with the fans. When we come on stage, we don’t feel like we’re impersonating. We are performing the music as fans, so we get to celebrate every night with the people too, and that’s why it never gets boring for us. Every show is like our first and like our last. It’s all about just getting out there and bringing joy to people, which is so fulfilling for us.

OCT: You are all very good at what you do, and you’ve got a great band. You sing well and you sound great, so it’s not a novelty thing with your band. There’s some great highlights in your career like performing in front of the king and queen of Malaysia a couple of times. This is a good example of the music proving that it transcends cultures and ethnicity.

JO: People love the music and it is such happy and positive music. It just puts everybody in a good mood.

OCT: You’ve got some big shows coming up including a (local) gig for New Year’s Eve.

JF: The event is at the River Rock Show Theatre on New Year’s Eve and it’s going to be a great dance party. We’re going to have a lot of fun and ring in the New Year. We’re all very excited about it.

OCT: (And) your daughter is also in the music industry?

JO: My daughter is a brilliant music producer, songwriter, singer, and guitar player, and you can find out more about her @nettsongs on Instagram.

For more information and tour/show dates for ABRA Cadabra, visit mooncoinproductions.com or follow @mooncoinlive on Instagram.

For the full video interview, visit richmondsentinel.ca/videos.

Jim Gordon and Leeta Liepins are contributing writers to the Richmond Sentinel.