Mik Kaminski Interview
(ELO Violinist )

Mik Kaminski is the violinist for ELO (Electric Light Orchestra). He's putting together, as a solo project, a new group and album titled "Violinski". Plans have him in Musicland Studios, Munich, Germany to begin work on his second album with tentative concerts scheduled in England and Sweden early next year.

Q. Why'd you have to do a solo album?
A. I had a lot of ambition. I went to jazz college with 3 members of the group, about 10 years ago. We were in a band called "Cow" then. We're close friends and I always wanted to do it.

Q. Do you think you're influencing young musicians to pick up the violin rather than the guitar?
A. That's hard to say. The violin in ELO is used more as a classical instrument rather than rock.

Q. Back in 1974, John Lennon said he'd seen the next Beatles, and it was ELO. How do you feel about that statement?
A. He probably meant that if the Beatles were around today, that is how they would've sounded. Musically, there are similarities that crop up, and people keep referring to it.

Q. How is your role as a violinist different in "Violinski" than in ELO?
A. The violin is used more as a lead instrument.

Q. How'd you survive the tough times?
A. I swept floors, made sandwiches, and worked in a casino as a croupier.

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