Review: Spaghetti Gazetti

I believe that at least once a week everyone should listen to some new music they haven't heard before, just to keep us in touch with the abundance of infinity and this weekend I got to do it twice ... so a double dose of infinity for me! Here's the other CD I listened to earlier today...

Findlay Napier & the Bar Room Mountaineers

When Harry Met Charlie

The Haymaker Recording Company

A three track CD containing two versions of the title track When Harry Met Charlie, one slightly more acoustic, a delightful story of romantic musings with a twist, as we gradually discover that the would-have-been lovers are in the recollection of an old lady, remembering a holiday romance and a lover long gone.

A slightly disturbing but powerful theme, that the emotions and sensations of the distant romance of our youth will stay just as invigerating and alive in the memory vaults of old age, as they were in the reality of all those years before. Emotions played out again in our lonesome dreams, passing the hours before the completion of our lives.

The chorus is catchy and if this song is an example of Findlay Napier's storytelling craft, then I for one will seek out more.

Napier and his band reject being subscribed to a genre, but in a written review one has to make some musical references. The sound is indie-folk, when listening and not knowing anything about Findlay Napier's background I was trying to work out whether his sung accent was Irish or Scottish, I guessed correctly at Scottish though I couldn't help but hear strains of the Saw Doctors in there somewhere. Their influences are cited as including classic folk influences as well as "a more versatile selection of artists like Ben Folds and Toim Waits".

The middle track, Out All Night, is a slowly evolving, dark observation of an urban street scene at night time, slow and bassy, Dick Gaughan meets drum and bass.

Findlay Napier is one to look out for. When Harry Met Charlie deserves to become a classic, I have a feeling it will be running through my head for some time to come.

Pete Millington
Spaghetti Gazetti

Direct link to the Spaghetti Gazetti review...

4 Star Review of Harry Met Charlie EP

This review of the Harry Met Charlie EP was in today's Daily Record.

Daily Record, Saturday, May 16th 2009
Findlay Napier and the Bar Room Mountaineers
When Harry Met Charlie
"Darlings of Celtic Connections under the moniker 'Back of the Moon', Findlay's newest outfit offer up a delicatly crafted limited-edition storysong with frisky piano trickling through, soft, folky harmonies. 4 Stars"

You can purchase your limited edition of the Harry Met Charlie EP here...

Harry Met Charlie EP

Harry Met Charlie the EP is here! You can buy an individually numbered copy from our myspace or when we're playing live.

We have a lot of gigs coming up including a few dates supporting the Peatbog Faeries.

Scottish Album of the Year

A review by Shay Clark for the Irish American Times on the 4th March 2009

Scottish Album of the Year

Out All Night – Findlay Napier and the Bar Room Mountaineers

The Celtic Classic Festival in Bethlehem, PA, was almost rained out last year, and God help me, but I don’t remember who put this album in my hand and asked me to listen to it. But to whomever it was, I am eternally grateful.

Apart from a couple of fine traditional arrangements, it is the songwriting and voice of Findlay Napier that makes this album special. Some may call it contemporary, but it is a beautiful amalgam of Scottish soul, funk and folk. Findlay’s voice is as warm and comfortable as a well-worn leather jacket.

Out All Night is an awesome album.

I originally posted this on Qype

At the time of writing the Central has just closed down. In the wee small hours of Monday the 2nd February, as the final night party for Celtic Connections raged in a back room, members of staff were finally alerted to the fact that the Hotel was to finally shut it’s doors.

Guests who had bookings for Monday night were turned away by police and the front doors which had remained open twenty four hours a day seven days a week were locked shut.

Admittedly the hotel was in no shape for custom. The fire exits were blocked and, as the city council had not been paid, all their rubbish was festering in a couple of basement rooms. The rooms were unkempt with paper hanging from the walls and the main corridors had not seen the loving caress of a hoover for a few weeks.

The freaky, supposedly haunted, corridor on floor seven was left unlocked, unlit and uncared for. The suicide room with the crazy drawings on the wall remains intact.

While the people made their way to work around 7am members of a certain French Canadian folk band climbed up a ladder from Floor 7 onto the roof of the hotel and had a snowball fight.

However badly the staff treated us, however bad the beer, no matter how smelly the room or how peeled the wallpaper, even if they ignored such simple rules as fire regulations and basic hygine, I think I will miss the central hotel and it’s nice to know that it’s last night went with a bang!

Celtic Connections 2009

The first, I hope , of many posts for this band.

We've had amazing time at Celtic Connections this year. We re-launched the album on the last weekend and played two great gigs. The Classic Grand gig was a riot and I would like to thank all the people who sang along like lunatics... one of you even made me loose the words to George!

I will not name and shame you but the crazy dancers at the club led by 'The Blue Bandanna' really were a picture... does anyone have footage or photos... we'd love them for the site.

New Blog!!!

Welcome to the new Bar Room Mountaineers blog, a place for random posts, and musings from the band!