Mirage began in 1984 and almost instantly began performing for a variety of occasions and clients. It started when two separate bands broke up and musicians from each band forming to play the remaining gigs on the schedules of those bands. Some of the dates were at Angelo's Italian Restaurant in Wilmington, NC and Angelo Ciradella (owner) would let us practice in the banquet room to be ready in time for those gigs. You could say we hit the ground running and have been doing so ever since. We are proud of doing this for over 25 years and Mirage have become one of North Carolina's longest lived bands.

The music scene was pretty good back then. Most restaurants and lounges featured live music several nights a week and it wasn't unusual to be booked 5 nights a week in the same place without having to break down and set up. There were also lots of company parties, social functions and good paying private events to do and it was actually possible to make a steady living if you led a frugal lifestyle.


We wanted to try to do something a little different from the slick showy beach bands and leaned more on the nitty gritty soul and R & B sounds of Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Booker T and the Mgs, Joe Turner et.al.. This type of old soul was, and still is, very popular with most beach music fans and lovers of rock and roll too. As time went by Mirage, like a lot of things, have adapted ourselves to changes and continued to present the band in an honest and sincere format. These days we play more of what you might call a “roots” beach music sound that leans on the old soul, and R & B music we all know very well. We still do a good amount of classic guitar oriented rock and roll because of it's appeal to our fans and we try to pick songs that other bands don't do as much to keep fresh and varied.

Mirage has always tried to stay a little bit different in that aspect, and we still do.

Also, from day one we wanted to “work close” with our customers and emphasize personal service! It has paid off well for Mirage. Our lists of satisfied customers and organizations represent a wide range of interests, requirements and tastes. We have presented ourselves to millionaires and beach bums. We have talked with corporation presidents and stressed “Father of the Bride”. We have cooperated with festival committees and the “guy cooking the pig.” You name it, we have probably dealt with it!


As far as playing all these years (25 years and counting), what can I say. We all still like to get up on stage, crank out some good tunes, and try to make people dance, smile, laugh, beat their feet and have a good time. Call it “group roots therapy.” It's a feeling our listeners can relate to well as we have found. We're still love playing private parties, outdoor events, social organizations, and wherever people meet and want to have fun! We also love to play nightclubs whose patrons like to have a good band come in and crank out some beach, R & B and selected classic rock and roll for their customers who still know how to shag, rock, shake and shimmy and love to have a good time.


We book engagements directly saving you money by eliminating booking agents and other middlemen. Our current lineup of professional entertainers/musicians remain flexible because of the great talent we have. We have been entertaining folks for over 25 years accenting good music, good times and we still emphasize personal service for all occasions. We would be pleased to discuss your needs and budgets for your upcoming event. Please feel free to call one of us for a no cost or obligation consultation. Thank you.