Black Velvet Ceilidh Trio

If you’re looking for a superb wedding Ceilidh, Barn Dance, an Irish Ceili – or even an American Hoedown, this is the band for you! Black Velvet Ceilidh Trio brings together some of the best folk musicians and dance callers in Bristol and the South West to provide a brilliant music and dance experience that is not only uplifting but also great fun! It is the perfect finale for a wedding, anniversary, family party or corporate event. A Barn Dance or Ceilidh is a great ice-breaker at a wedding. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never danced before. The band brings a specialist dance caller, who walks you through each dance and calls out the moves after the music strikes up. It’s so easy that everyone can join in, from kids and teenagers to Grannies and Grandpas. You’ll soon have everyone laughing and dancing together. A Scottish ceilidh is not complete without “The Dashing White Sergeant” and “Strip The Willow”, while “The Siege of Ennis” and “The Bridge of Athlone” are essential at an Irish Ceili, along with all the favourite Irish songs. If you decide on a Wild West themed event, the band can offer you an excellent night of square-dancing, hoedown style. The line-up includes accordion, guitar and fiddle, and draws from an ever-growing repertoire of English, Irish, Scottish and American jigs and reels which are guaranteed to get toes tapping and fill the dance floor in no time. The band includes an excellent dance caller, with plenty of amusing dances to suit both novices who have never danced before and seasoned ceilidh pros! Black Velvet Band is led by virtuoso fiddle player Mike Evans. Mike opened the very first Glastonbury Festival in 1970 with the iconic rock band “Stackridge,” and the band went on to record the album “Man In The Bowler Hat” with George Martin in 1974. Later, he gained a 1st-class honours degree in music at Bath University, and then spent 8 years leading the Pump Room Trio in Bath and also led the Georgian Festival Orchestra. Over the course of a long and varied musical career, Mike has explored fiddle music in all its forms – from folk dance tunes in Scottish or Irish style to American Bluegrass, also including Gypsy Swing Jazz, European Klezmer - and even Norwegian Hardanger fiddle! Other band members are also seasoned professional musicians, all veterans of the festival circuit, performing with well-regarded Folk bands such as “Spiro”, and “Brand of Fire”.