Reviews

Bluegrass Unlimited, January 2004

“Andrew Acosta – Time and Place” review

How convenient that the word “time” appears in the title. I’m sure the intent was to indicate time in the traditional sense, as in time remembered or time inhabited. But “time” can also be taken as a repeating suffix for the musical forms that populate the album’s 12 mandolin/guitar duets and solo guitar performances. Think old-time and ragtime and goodtime. Think of the kind of musical landscapes created by such artists as Leon Redbone, Hot Tuna, David Bromberg, or the Red Clay Ramblers – light ... fun ... social. That’s the territory that Andrew Acosta is working. Parlor music (“ Bull Run”), polka music (“Tomorrow”), jugband (“The Loving Side”), and blues and country and folk: the colorings come from all over the roots map.

The “place” of the title, however, is more concrete. These are, in all but one case, concisely drawn originals, both vocal and instrumental, taken from Acosta’s life in the area of northern Virginia near Washington, D.C. It is much an autobiographical tour, and along the way we’re treated to songs about the subway route he takes to work (“Orange Line”), praise for and directions to the hardware store he shops (“Down At Brown’s”), a couple of instrumentals with local titles (“Rocky Run” and “Lincoln Ave. Rag”), and a calypso-tinged love song to his wife and town (“East Falls Church Girl”).

The result is an album that is relaxed and human and personal and which leaves you with a sense of goodwill and a desire to play it again.

Bluegrass Unlimited, March 2001

“Andrew Acosta and the New Old-Time Pickers” review

Here is an appealing group of pickers based in Falls Church, Va., who have created their own special blending of bluegrass and old-time country music. The group’s leader, Andrew Acosta, is an adept musician featured on vocals, guitar, mandolin, and washboard. The presence of fiddler Roy “Speedy” Tolliver significantly enlivens the proceedings. Two of the thirteen selections, “Staring At The Moon” and “Leave A Light on,” are from the pen of Acosta. Other more familiar renderings include Jimmy Martin’s “Hold Whatcha Got,” “Back Up And Push,” “Lonesome Feeling,” “Down Yonder,” and a medley of “Ragtime Annie” and “Golden Slippers.” Two particular highlights are the band’s forceful interpretation of the Wayne Raney/Delmore Brothers classic “Blues Stay Away From Me,” and a whimsical Charley Jordan piece, “Keep It Clean.” Andrew Acosta and the New Old-Time Pickers have amassed a satisfying package of musical performances that manage to defy any definitive classification.

The Washington Post, Friday, December 29, 2000

“Andrew Acosta and the New Old Time Pickers” review

There’s nothing really new about what Andrew Acosta and the New Old Time Pickers perform, which should suit fans of traditional string bands just fine. Since this music was never “broke,” Acosta has found no reason to fix it.

Sure, he’s added some fresh tunes to the mix, but nothing that doesn’t seem perfectly compatible with the old-timey and bluegrass classics reprised here. So while minted in the digital age, the Pickers’s music sounds like a throwback to the days of lacquered 78s. All that’s missing is a lot of surface noise.

Acosta has the right attributes for the role of string band frontman – a grainy voice and a relaxed delivery. He’s a fine instrumentalist to boot, smoothly juggling guitar and mandolin duties when he isn’t beating out rhythms on a washboard. There are times when his vocals bring to mind John Hartford, but there’s nothing forced or studied about Acosta’s approach to rural music. He seems to be having too much fun to take it all that seriously.

And the same can be said for Acosta’s bandmates, especially fiddler Roy “Speedy” Tolliver, whose seasoned hands are chiefly responsible for bringing “Chicken Reel,” “Orange Blossom Special,” and “ Liberty” to life. The rest of the band – banjoist Pat McCauley, guitarist Rosser Clark and bassist Harold Richmond – also deserve credit for charging this album with plenty of spirit and soul – the unmistakably old-fashioned kind.