Jiggered Ceilidh Band were back at Seamill Hydro for another wedding- this time it was the Phil and Kirsty (the brains behind 51Media: Web Design).
Some highlights from the evening:
-the best man and his sidekick provided a wee sketch for the bride and groom as "Mr Bean and Teddy" (the impression started off well but by the end it had drifted into a Father Ted accent!!)
-everyone enjoyed the really well cooked fish and chips during the break (yum)
-we were asked for more business cards last night than we have for ages!
Posted at 9:18 on 22nd July 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were playing at Seamill Hydro, Ayrshire last night (we're back there next week!!). We were playing for Peter and Lynne's wedding- the evening reception kicked off with a solo from the bride...she'd penned a song for her husband inpsired by Pachelbel's Cannon. This was the first time we've ever had that! A unique experience and I think Peter (whose name means "the rock") was well impressed!
We met a few familiar faces at this ceilidh....expecting a few more on Wednesday when we return to Seamill for our next wedding of a busy summer for Jiggered!
Posted at 13:40 on 18th July 2010 by
Last night, Jiggered Ceilidh Band were playing in Borthwick Castle, near Edinburgh. It was a celebration of a wedding that had already happened in America recently and a chance for friends and family to watch the DVD of the ceremony and enjoy an evening of ceilidh music.
We were playing in the "Minstrel's Gallery" which was a unique experience (as you'll see from some of the photos on our Flickr page. We were situated in a sort of balcony high above the guests! The trip up the spiral staircase with all the drum kit and sound stuff wasn't much fun- and we were running up and down the stairs to demonstrate bits of the dances to some ceilidh first-timers. We got plenty of exercise throughout the night!
It was an interesting night- our first Jiggered event which also had some sword-fighting!
Posted at 10:26 on 17th July 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were playing at St Andrew's University Upper/Lower College Halls on Friday night for Kirsten and Dave's wedding. It was a bit of a drive to get there but we arrived ahead of schedule. This was just as well since access to the stage was via a fire-exit style metal staircase up the side of the building. With Ewan (conveniently!) unable to do any heavy lifting following his kidney transplant, the rest of us humphed the gear up and got set up for the reception starting (we even had time for a quick bag of chips before kicking off the music.
The night was very relaxed but everyone was still really keen to get up for the ceilidh dances. We had a great time- although on the way home (5 minutes into my own 7th wedding anniversary) I did get a speeding ticket. Grrr.
Posted at 7:21 on 11th July 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were ceilidhing again last night (we're in the middle of a spell of 5 ceilidhs in 9 days). This time it was a School Leaver's Ball (Prom). It was for Glasgow school "Hutchy" held in the marquee at Carnbooth House Hotel.
The students enjoyed a meal, hynosist show, ceilidh and then DJ. It was an action-packed night and we loved coming on to perform a short but action-packed set, cramming loads of dancing into the hour we had to play.
It's back to Strathclyde tomorrow for a ceilidh in the Barony Hall.
Posted at 9:07 on 26th June 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were playing again last night. This time it was Katie and Paul's wedding, in the beautiful George Hotel in Edinburgh. The couple were really relaxed and the evening was a really enjoyable (Paul told us at the end "...every time I hear you guys you sound better....that's not to say you were rubbish first time!").
Jiggered play at loads of weddings throughout the year and we're often asked if we can suggest good DJs, photographers etc....We don't really know any DJs but if you need a photographer, you won't go far wrong with Alan Davidson or Andi Watson!
In other Jiggered news, Susan became a Chartered Engineer yesterday...another string to our fiddler's bow!
Posted at 19:02 on 20th June 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band are insanely busy just now (mostly with weddings). We are in the middle of a spell of 9 days when we will play 5 times! We love doing ceilidhs but with the World Cup on just now we're keeping an eye on the footy scores as they come in during the evening!
Last night's ceilidh was for Debbie and Scott's wedding in Craigielaw Golf Club (a beautiful venue- certainly the nicest Golf Club we've ever played at!). Debbie was at uni almost 10 years ago with us and it was lovely to be able to play at the wedding of our good friend. The crowd was brilliant- it was an excellent night.
[In other news, Algeria 0, England 0. Ya beauty!]
Posted at 14:13 on 19th June 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were playing last night at a wedding in Dundee. That meant we missed England's first match of the 2010 World Cup [I was toying with various possible titles for this blog but the best I could come up with was "Green Day (American Idiot)" to sum up the goalie's howler from the match between England and USA].
We played for Jen and Ainslie Chinembiri's wedding reception. It was a fantastic mix of Scotland and Zimbabwe in the guests, music, outfits. The wedding was in the beautiful garden of Smithy Croft with marquees. Thankfully it was a beautiful day. We enjoyed watching the African guests teaching the Scottish guests how dancing should be done!
Posted at 13:08 on 13th June 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were playing for Alison's 40th in Dollar on Saturday.
I learned a few things:
-the right salad buffet can satistfy even a carnivore like me
-Dollar's a picturesque wee town
-despite rumours to the contrary, enthusiastic English ceilidhers can make for a great crowd
-Jiggered sound just right (even without an accordian)
-it is possible for you to stand in a way that's uncomfortable for you but even worse for the person you're talking with (!)
Posted at 18:10 on 30th May 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were playing in Edzell last night. It was quite a trek to get there but it was a beautiful day and driving in the sunshine was actually quite enjoyable! We played at Glenesk Hotel for Liane and Coo's wedding. The music went down well (and we were asked to do TWO Hooligan's Jigs)!
Ben was filling in (pardon the pun) for Ewan who had a kidney transplant on Friday which seems to have been a success. His mum donated one of her kidneys and Mrs C and Ewan are recovering well!
Posted at 12:35 on 16th May 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were back in wedding action last night. We had travelled up the West coast to Crear, which is a fantastic venue. It's set in spectacular rural surroundings and the acoustics were beautiful.
The wedding was for Martin and Mhairi of Paper Igloo. Their guests really enjoyed the night- there was loads of really enthusiastic dancing (including a particularly wild "Cumberland Basket" at the request of the groom).
The bacon rolls and ice cream were a highlight for me too!
Posted at 8:48 on 2nd May 2010 by
First of all, Jiggered Ceilidh Band would like to wish all their fans and former/future clients a Happy Valentine's Day: that includes all our friends across Scotland, in England (including our numerous London fans) and across the world!
Last night we re-visited Norton House Hotel, near Edinburgh. We arrived as expected at 7.20pm- plenty of time to set up and sound check while the hotel turned the room round for an 8pm start. However, (and this is certainly a first...) the room was completely empty: the dinner was over, all the guests were getting drinks in the bar and the tables were already rearranged ready for the ceilidh starting. Wow. Very organised.
The bride, Joni, had asked that we learn Seal's Kiss From a Rose for her first dance with her new husband. How many ceilidh bands could accommodate such a request?? The bride loved our version of the song and even asked if we could record it sometime for them. Watch this space!
Posted at 11:24 on 14th February 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were playing at Glenskirlie House for only the second time last night. It's a really nice venue- the castle next door is impressive but so is the House itself. So it was the perfect setting for Vicki and Steve's wedding. They had asked that we play Deacon Blue's Cover from the Sky for their 1st dance so we learnt it for them and it went down well.
It was also good fun having some friendly heckling from a couple of members of rival band Strings Attached. Dave and Alistair were both there, so we had to be on top of our game. Our Ewan is still out of action with his kidney problems so Andi ably filled in on drums.
Posted at 7:51 on 31st January 2010 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were playing at Craighalbert again- this time for Joy and Mike's wedding. We have been playing regularly here during 2009- and have one more gig left! Hogmanay at Craighalbert will be Jiggered's last of 2009. Looking forward to that one too.
Joy and Mike looked like they had a great time.They were ideal clients, very appreciative and relaxed on their big day. We wish them well for their marriage.
I was checking my phone after each dance to make sure that my wife, Elaine, hadn't gone into labour as she is expecting our third child and is now 3 days overdue....
Posted at 14:07 on 6th December 2009 by
Jiggered Ceildh Band were back in Edinburgh for another Rose-related wedding. This time it was Tim getting hitched and we've nearly completed the whole set- no pressure Abbie ;).
The wedding reception was held in the stunning City Chambers, on Edinburgh's Royal Mile. The room where the reception was is one of the most impressive we've played in- and great for a ceilidh.
It was great catching up with former Jiggered members, friends, past clients and the quote of the evening was "...I really wasn't up for dancing tonight bit then I saw it was you guys and was so pleased- you're my favourite band!"
Only 3 more ceilidhs to go in 2009; another wedding, a Christmas ceilidh and a Hogmanay ceilidh.
Posted at 7:36 on 29th November 2009 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band are just back home after their latest ceilidh adventure. This time we were playing at a wedding in Tarves (up past Aberdeen). Felicity and Christophe were getting married and wanted Jiggered to play at the wedding service as well as the evening reception.
The wedding was in Tarves Church of Scotland. We had been asked to play Comptine D'un Autre ete: l'apres midi (the theme tune from French film Amelie, composed by Yann Tiersen) for the bride's entry and Jeff Buckley's Hallelujah at the end.
In the evening we played a short ceilidh at Melvin Hall and all guests (French and Scottish) were loving the Jiggered experience! We wish Felicity and Christophe all the best!
*Thanks to Jenny who provided the band with dinner, bed and breakfast!!*
Posted at 13:34 on 22nd November 2009 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were playing in Lenzie this weekend at a fundraiser for Stepps Hockey Club. The event was a sellout and the hall was packed with energetic ceilidhers. Jiggered were booked for 2 one-and-a-half sets but the second was cut a bit short to allow the raffle to take place (top prize was a signed Chris Patterson shirt) and also to let everyone get tucked into the excellent buffet (mmmm....pakora, onion rings, pizza, sausage rolls!).
It was also a first for Jiggered, when a potential client arrived to hear us and liked our sound so much that they paid £100 in cash as a deposit to snap us up for their wedding next May!
2010 is really filling up quickly so if you want Jiggered, then you need to book up early!
Posted at 9:08 on 15th November 2009 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were back in action this weekend. We were playing at Craighalbert. We're due to play here twice in December 2009 so the we're getting to know the venue and crowd pretty well!!
The lighting was a bit unorthodox at the event (hence the enormous shadow of Ewan in the picture), but it was a great evening to celebrate 40 years of marriage for Danny and Margaret. Other highlights included a cracking buffet [great curries followed by custard], a poem recited by a 91-year old gentleman, some cheeky ceilidhers laughing at me when I banged my head off the aforementioned lighting rig, catching up with a weel-kent-face-fae-Crosshouse...
Thanks again, for a great night at Craighalbert. Looking forward to Joy's wedding and Hogmany!!
Posted at 19:37 on 8th November 2009 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band recently played a 40th anniversary for a couple called Linda and Duncan. The event was held in Broxburn in the local secondary school: Broxburn Academy. Many of the guests were from New Life Christian Fellowship, and seemed to really enjoy the music and songs.
On the recommendation of our client we nipped out for chips at halftime to Aldo's chip shop, just round the corner. The chips were great...even Jenny and Susan who had to eat them in the boot of my car (for reasons that won't be clear to most folk reading this) loved them!
Another great part of this ceilidh was the fact that it coincided with the clocks going back! So even though it was a 10pm finish, that was effectively a 9pm finish....so a nice early night- woohoo!
Posted at 7:10 on 25th October 2009 by
Jiggered Ceilidh Band were hired to play at the recent Smith/Crozier wedding at Glasgow University's "1A The Square". This was the first time we'd played in this part of Glasgow University...it's really nice with the usual grandeur of the ancient university but in a slightly more intimate setting.
The bride and groom had discovered us on the website and loved our demo tracks. In particular, they really liked our version of Loch Lomond so we made sure to play that for them.
We wish Mr and Mrs Smith all the best in their marriage!
Posted at 6:14 on 18th October 2009 by
