Hamish Napier Keyboards, whistles, flutes, vocals
Patsy Reid Fiddle
Finlay MacDonald Bagpipes, whistles
Ewan Robertson Guitar
James Lindsay Double bass
Fraser Stone Drums, percussion
Speyside composer and folk multi-instrumentalist Hamish Napier performs The Railway - the much-anticipated follow-up album to his critically-acclaimed debut album The River.
The Herald said this of his recent sold-out Celtic Connections performance at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall's Strathclyde Suite: "Epic…this music has taken the audience back to the past it celebrates and warmly recreates" ****
Returning once again to his hometown of Grantown-on-Spey, Napier’s collection of new compositions and songs was specially commissioned by the new Grantown East: Highland Heritage & Cultural Centre. Derelict since the Beeching cuts in the late 60s, Grantown East railway station has now been lovingly restored to its former glory. Napier's soundtrack captures the sounds, atmosphere and culture surrounding the old Speyside Line, the whisky line that served many of the world famous local whisky distilleries and its people. In the course of his research for the new album, Napier conducted interviews with railway men and women, in particular Jimmy Gray (93, a driver from Aviemore).