VIOLENT STORM - Mick Away From Yngwie Page 2
by Martin Popoff

"I read music, and was classically trained in conservatories and stuff, so that polishes it a bit attitude-wise, musicianship-wise," explains Cervino. "I did a solo album of basically classical music on bass guitar. Bach, Mozart and all that also prepared me for this other stuff. After working on Bach's runs, and then you listen to Yngwie's runs, they're difficult, but they're not that difficult. You listen to that type of thing, and go 'How can anybody do this?' But all these preparations over the years have prepared me for Yngwie."

Yngwie's famous self-sufficiency reaches into Mick's world. Sez Cervino, "The thing with Yngwie is, having played with him for five years now, Yngwie records his own bass lines on his own album, because he's an amazing bass player. So rather than teach me the parts, he records them himself and does exactly what he wants and saves money." So it is in the live arena that Cervino enters the picture. Does Yngwie ever write as a guitarist might write, i.e. a bit strange for a bassist?

"Well, he does have moments like that," says Mick, "but I don't criticize it because it really fits his music. If I wanted to write the bass lines, they would probably be slightly different, but not that much. Because it's appropriate for what he writes. On my Violent Storm album, I do it the way I do it, not let anybody else influence me. But I like his bass lines - with Yngwie it's usually busy, and I like that (laughs). But obviously I want to have a bit of control over what I do, so that's why I formed Violent Storm. Because playing with Yngwie is great, but I need to write songs and I need to play bass on an album."

Comments Cervino on the Yngwie Malmsteen live show (the tour is drawing big crowds, and the band emphatically delivers), "We're trying out different songs and trying to keep the set list a bit different at each night. It's fun to play different songs. It's always energetic and it's also loud (laughs). It's a great bunch of musicians. Everybody in the band is excellent."

The Violent Storm album should be out in Japan as you read this, with European and American deals still pending. See www.mickcervino.com for more right now, and www.violentstorm.net for more, er, a little later.