“Forever and a Day...The disc is a polished showcase for the group's cosmopolitan, Mediterranean sound. It's anchored by Spoto's lively, lilting and sometimes poignant melodies and accented by soaring and saucy bow work by violinist Etelka Nyilasi.” Elizabeth Yates – Entertainment Reporter, The Brantford Expositor |
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| “In Forever and a Day, The Acoustics take you somewhere
else -- the Mediterranean, an outdoor cafe, an old town square, the
sound track of a European movie. The Hamilton band, together since
the late '90s, rubs circles onto the glass of its distinctive instrumental
sound, continuing to perfect it and give it clarity. You can hear different
flavours -- Gypsy Kings and world/roots -- but the dynamic of the players,
especially Alfonso Spoto on accordion, Etelka Nyilasi on violin and
Enzo Spoto on guitar, is all their own. I especially liked Cuban Nights, Lost In a Dream and Urban Gypsy.” Jeff Mahoney – Entertainment Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator |
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| A Thousand Yesterdays — "If you
find yourself hankering after some sophisticated urban World/Roots
dance music or some Latin-beat cafe tunes, you will want to make a
future date to hear The Acoustics “. Linda Geary - Entertainment Reporter, The Brantford Expositor |
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| "The Acoustics have a wonderful
old European sounding vibe with sultry accordion and flourishes of
Spanish guitar. Mark McNeil - Entertainment Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator |
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| "Evoking Prague cafes and cobbled
streets with their old European sound. They put a twist on tradition
with their new sophomore CD". Rob Faulkner - Entertainment Reporter, The Hamilton Spectator |
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| "Mix Gypsy with Klezmer, add spoonfuls
of Latino and waltzes for flavouring, pinches of Tango and Greek for
taste and you get an instrumental recording filled with a love for
all types of music and the joy it brings. This album truly represents
what this country is really all about" Jim Marino - Host / Producer, Freewheeling Folk Show CFMU 93.3 FM Radio, Hamilton, ON. |
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| I love the CD's and glad to have them. I am over playing
them. I completely love A Thousand Yesterdays CD. The other, Salsa
Dip (awesome), Chicaraca (awesome & my most favorite), Forever
and a Day, of course Lost in a Dream, Hot and Humid, Urban Gypsy, Sweet
Farewell. All on this CD are great as well. Your music on a whole is
pretty much uplifting and upbeat and draws me in and makes me feel
the soul of it. You all play so well together. Margo G., Hamilton, ON |
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| You are all such talented musicians,
and the sound! That mixture of French, Spanish, Hungarian, central
European, eastern European sounds are so intriguing. I just love it!!
I just hope I don’t wear out the CD’s. I play them so much. Mary Gundzik, Hamilton, ON |
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| I love your music and I keep telling everyone about it.
I missed the Valentine's Concert as I was working but I will be at the
upcoming show for sure. I will definitely bring some friends with me.
Looking forward to hearing you live! Janet Long, Hamilton ON |
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| We are so impressed not only with the
music but with the professionalism of the artwork for the cover. It
was fascinating to read how each of the pieces came to be written,
some lovely gay tunes and others hauntingly sad. When we listened
to the piece called Il Giardino we could visualise a beautiful garden. Jack & Brigit Ramsden, Durban, South Africa |
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| Just wanted to take the time to say how much I enjoyed
your show at the Freeway cafe tonight! You are an awesome bunch of folks
and unbelievably talented. Anyway, keep up the great work folks, and
I'll be singing your praises to anyone I come in contact with. DeAnn Malyik, Hamilton, ON |
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| Today, on CBC Radio Two, I heard your
piece entitled "Tango 401." It is GREAT!!!! Loved every
second of it. Mr. Kim Hill, Fredericton, New Brunswick |
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| Thx for the note...enjoying the CD very much....You owe
the CBC a note of gratitude for playing Il Giardino a couple of weeks
ago. I know what I like, so I looked you guys up and ordered it. David Stones, Toronto, ON |
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| We were really impressed with the energy and musicianship
of your group; it was a great concert! Steve Coulson, Cable 14 Mobile Producer, Hamilton, ON |
| I just wanted to write and tell the band how much I
enjoy your music and your art! Your music is wonderful and everyone
I have shared it with is in love with it!I can't wait for a new CD! Marlies Sargent (Location Unknown) |
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| I was very pleased to buy the CD. It had gotten some
air play on various CBC radio shows and I liked what I heard. I compliment
you on your accordion playing, composing and arranging. The pieces
are wonderfully sentimental and romantic. Keep playing. Phillip Applebaum, Oak Park, Michigan |
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| It's my second copy. My husband and I bought a copy
after dancing to your music at that church in Burlington, and we love
it. The second copy is for my mom in California. Will there be another
CD soon? Val Daigen, Kitchener, ON |
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| Just picked up your CD "A Thousand Yesterdays" today.
Had a hard time finding it but HMV came across. Just fabulous, you
guys make great music. Have a great night at the Cafe Theatre. All
the best for 2005 and feel free to let me know when your next release
comes out. Love to see you guys perform live, how about the "Lighthouse
Theatre" in Port Dover. Brian. Simmons, Port Dover, ON |
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| I have received your debut CD today, I might be the
first person in The Netherlands to have a copy and I'm mighty proud.
My cousin Maggie Ciere ordered it and sent it to me as a Xmas gift
after I tipped her off earlier this year when I read about you guys
in "the Zine". The album's fantastic, the vibe is excellent and it combines several types of old European music such as Klezmer, Rumanian , Hungarian and Chech gypsy-music but I also hear Sicilian traditional music in there as well. It brings the urge upon me to move around the house in a happy daze, thanks guys for creating that effect !! Let me know when you decide to tour around Europe so I can come and meet you and see you play! Happy Holidays to all of you and your loved ones. Kind regards, Robert F. Laarman, The Netherlands |
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| Alfonso, we like the music. We became aware of it through
the CBC (Here and Now show). Our son is a musician with a small garage
band so we are happy to be able to support Canadian artists. And your
music was very persuasive. Dick Budel, Oshawa, ON |
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| Your cd is so beautiful - I play it often so I can
get your songs in my head - I play a 5 row Beltuna chromatic and I’m
starting to transcribe my favorites on your cd so I can add them to
my repertoire - a while back I heard a cd on CBC done by Trio Norte
- I sent for it and was sadly disappointed - it was "mainstream" and
boring with way too much violin - yours is a joy with lots of accordion
and a real Italian feel to it - I hope you'll come out with another
- thank you – Shirley Jacobs, Eureka, Montana |
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| I wanted to let you know that we got up and listened
to the whole interview last weekend (CBC – Fresh Air). Jeff Goodes
is a great interviewer and you came across beautifully. Tango
401 still blows me away - I love it! Cynthia Andrews, Ancaster, ON |
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| Hello! I enjoyed your music on Fresh Air on April 24. I
would like to acquire your CD titled "A Thousand Yesterdays." Unfortunately,
I have been unable to connect with your web site for some reason but
CBC gave me your email address. Please let me know where
I can obtain your CD. I live in Sudbury. Oiva Saarinen, Sudbury, ON |
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| First of all, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to excerpts
of your music on CBC, and would love to purchase some of your music
- CD. Please let me know how or where I can purchase it. Your music
is absolutely refreshing and uplifting. Thank you. Irena Cernius, London, ON |
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| Spent many wonderful years in Welland and the sounds
of Italian and Hungarian music brought me back to that time. Enjoyed
your interview on the CBC and am buying your CD today ... Good Luck
... who knows, maybe one day you can come north to put on a concert
... say in North Bay or Sudbury. Thanks again for making Canada such a wonderful place with your culture your music and your stories. Wayne Lebelle, North Bay, ON |
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Home/News Welcome/Bios Upcoming Shows Recordings Friends Press Kit Contact
Harbinger, one of the new tunes on their upcoming CD, is definitely a sign that
The Acoustics have changed their sound and direction. Breaking away from their traditional world instrumental style of recording “A Thousand Yesterdays” and
“Forever and a Day”, their next CD (still to be named) will feature 8 vocal tracks
and 6 instrumental tracks. Clearly Harbinger is a great example of this new
beginning. Harbinger has been described by Amy King at Grant Avenue Studio as “Led Zeppelin meets The Acoustics!
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The Acoustics are coming up for air! We are almost done with the new CD. Had
a great time at Grant Avenue Studio (Hamilton ON.) on the weekend. Recorded 6 more tunes and can't wait to share them with everyone. Gearing up to book some shows and have some fun performing again!!
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"Heart Burn a Go Go" one track on their next CD will feature some brass highlights. First time the band has considered brass (trumpet, saxophone, trombone). Alfonso says the tune is an exciting fast pace Latin dance piece that just craved some brass.The band can’t wait to put it out there. The Acoustics are headed back to the studio in a few weeks it lay down the tune.
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The Acoustics are in the recording studio working on their 3rd studio CD, with a new style with vocals. Their previous two CD's have featured all world instrumentals sounds. Now they will be featuring folk/rock vocals written by Enzo Spoto. New CD should be ready in June/July, 2012.
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Just taking a break from our October 2011 recording session at Grant Avenue Studio, Hamilton, ON., with the awesome Amy King on the board. Recording our 3rd studio CD, and are scheduled to go back to the studio in March.
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We've been very busy of late and updates to this blog are long overdue. We
are recording our third album with the Grant Avenue Studio folks and it's coming
along. Well over half of the tracks will be songs with words; music and lyrics composed mostly by Enzo and Al. This is quite a departure from the usual sound
of
the ACOUSTICS but change is good and it keeps the creative juices flowing.
The 12th annual Design Hope compilation CD that supports the Hamilton
Out of the Cold program, has selected an original song written by Enzo and
performed by the band.
The disk should hit the streets by the end of November,
just in time for Christmas. Don't forget to pick up a copy
when it's available. It's
for a very worthy cause and the producers, engineers, administrators, creative
talent and musicians have all worked long hours to make it happen.
Also exciting news is the inclusion of our CD "Forever and a Day" in the iTunes
catalogue. Single songs can now be downloaded and enjoyed for only 99 cents
each.
"A Thousand Yesterdays" should be available soon. Last but certainly
not least is the upcoming wedding of Andrew Eckart, our so talented man on the stand up bass. He and Jillian have set up a home in Toronto where their law
careers have
taken them. All the best to you both.
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Farewell to one of the original members of the band, Brian Ropcean, who has left
to pursue other opportunities. We thank him for his many talented contributions
to our music over the years and
wish him all the best in his new endeavors. Welcome Richard Hone, who brings to the group an infused blues and rock sensibility. His chops will deeply texture the Acoustics' sound and provide a
perfect accompaniment for the latest vocal compositions by Enzo Spoto that
have recently received critical acclaim. We hope you can catch our performances
on the Festival circuit this summer, and if you do, please drop us a line and let us know what you think of our new direction.
Our most recent Sunday afternoon
concert at the Station House in Brantford had
a serendipitous moment when the 3:00pm freight train to T.O. wailed past just as
the Chase was being performed. If you haven't heard this song yet, it is an old
style fiddler's tune, evoking desperation and escape from capture. With the
addition of the train's roar, it became a reality.
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We had a terrific night at Image Studios Gallery 205 last night. Good vibes like
that
keep us doing what we do and loving what we do. We can't thank Martyn
and all of the gallery crowd enough for your support and friendship.
Much
appreciated are the FB comments and accolades as well. We live in amazing
times!
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A composer can hear music in the most mundane of daily occurrances. Traffic
snarls, driving rain storms, spring birdsong: these are often the muse for new
songs. Consequently, whole albums are inspired by the human condition. Love
and hate were likely the impetus for
the earliest poems at the dawn of musical
creativity and if Enzo's fledgling CD "Walk Don't Run"
is an indicator, it's in
keeping with that tradition. So far it is sounding really good! There isn't an actual release date as of yet, but some finished tracks have been leaking into live performances.
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We're pumped to learn that Villa Italia will be sponsoring our summertime performance on the big stage at Festival of Friends. This is going to be the
inaugural year at the Ancaster Fairgrounds for this famous festival, and we feel
honoured to be in the line-up. We'll keep you posted on our time slot.
To the folks at Villa Italia who do so much good for our seniors and the local
entertainment scene, we are forever grateful. Now, if we can only get past March
lions and April fools, all is looking up!
------------------------------
Lots of interesting things have been coming along in the last few weeks. A live
performance at Cream Tangerine
Gallery and Cafe in Toronto has us all pumped,
as do
several local appearances. Our dear friend Tibor Nyilasi
is having a retrospective of his work at The Gallery on the Bay, and we will be the musical accompaniment. Check out the upcoming shows for times and locales.
------------------------------
Looking forward to the Artbar show this Saturday, September
25 at 15 Colbourne Street, Ham. Two new tunes will be premiered that
we were working on over the summer "Heartburn a Go Go" and "Shadow Lands."
Hope you like them!
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It
occurred to me, as we were performing for the crowds at The Station Coffee
House and Gallery on Sunday, just how lucky Brantford is to have such
a terrific venue and for The Station to have such terrific patrons. Thanks
to all of you for coming out to see us play and to buy our CDs. Pics
of the performance
------------------------------
Check
out our interview with Lauren Baron of the Brant News, published
Thursday June 24.
