ELO AND ELOll STARS - BEATLES, BLUES & BLUE VIOLIN

Thursday, 27 May 2010

One of the most famous violin players in rock music is coming to play an intimate local concert at The Severn Centre in Highley, Bridgnorth in September.
ELO spent a staggering 225 weeks in the singles charts and 393 weeks in the album charts, worldwide sales were in excess of 100 million records.

And violin player Mik Kaminski (he of blue violin fame), was the violinist during much of ELO’s heyday. He joined the band shortly after Roy Wood left to form Wizzard, and when Jeff Lynne became ELO’s frontman. Mik continued with ELO Part2 and is still with the new incarnation of ELO/ELOll, The Orchestra which still tours the world today.

But it is with his spin off project with fellow Orchestra colleague Phil Bates and Eleanor Rigby Experience vocalist Tina McBain that he comes to the Severn Centre on Friday 3rd September 2010. The Beatles, Blues & Blue Violin Project has fast become one of the most interesting new shows currently on the acoustic music scene.
Phil Bates said ‘We have so far undertaken 4 short UK tours with Beatles, Blues & Blue Violin and the response has been tremendous with many sell out shows. We seem to have captured a niche market somewhere between a top class acoustic show and the popular tribute market. Of course BBBV is not a tribute band, but we do many of covers and reworkings of classic Beatles, blues and ELO stuff.
I really do like the whole ethos of just stripping down to two vocals and two instruments. Playing smaller intimate venues can sometimes be more exciting than playing the larger theatres and stadiums. There is nowhere to hide, you can see the whites of people’s eyes in the audience.

The show will do exactly what it says in the title and explore some new arrangements of Beatles songs, especially where the Beatles and the Blues meet. The concerts will also include a smattering ELO material, naturally. Mik and I get to work on arrangements whilst touring with the full band project, but I am delighted that we have Tina McBain with us in the line up. Tina is a vocalist of huge talent and has a stage presence that wreaks charisma. She came to us with a fine pedigree from the folk and acoustic circuit and was the front for the much acclaimed Eleanor Rigby Experience, a project that involved myself, Clive Bunker (ex Jethro Tull), Maartin Allcock (ex Tull and Fairport). When we were putting this project together, Tina was the first name we thought of, she just fits in perfectly.

Mik Kaminski said ‘I have been playing this blue violin for well over 30 years with ELO, ELOll and all its incarnations, and have played the largest stadiums in the world, but I am so much look forward to the twice a year tours with The Beatles, Blues and Blue Violin project, playing smaller intimate venues. Phil Bates is a guitarist and vocalist of the highest quality as well as being my friend he is one of the most creative arrangers of music I have worked with. So we are looking forward to seeing friends old and new at the Severn Centre show, which will appeal to fans of the blues, The Beatles, ELO and all its incarnations, and of course people who just love great musicianship. There will be support for the show from Groucutt and Haynes.
The Severn Centre is a lovely intimate venue and you are advised to book early. . The show starts at 7.30pm, tickets are priced from £13.00 and are available from The Severn Centre, 01746 860000. Tickets will also be on sale from Monday 31st May at the Bridgnorth Tourist Information Centre: 01746 763257