ELO hits Mr. Blue Sky and more: The Orchestra plays Fort Myers with SW FL Symphony

Electric Light Orchestra fans know him as “the guy on the blue violin.” And Mik Kaminski’s been rocking that blue electric violin onstage for five decades now ― both as a member of ELO and later spin-off bands ELO Part II and The Orchestra.

He no longer plays the exact instrument he used on ELO symphonic-rock hits like “Mr. Blue Sky,” “Livin’ Thing” and “Evil Woman.” But you better believe he’ll bring another blue violin this weekend when The Orchestra plays two shows with Southwest Florida Symphony.

“I’m just known for it now, honestly,” Kaminski says.

The British violinist is the only The Orchestra member who also played in the original ELO with singer/songwriter/mastermind Jeff Lynne. Kaminski joined the band in 1973 and played on most of the band’s ‘70s hits.

The other The Orchestra members include former members of Electric Light Orchestra Part II, the band created by two former ELO musicians in the late ‘80s. Kaminski was also a member.

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Together, The Orchestra will faithfully recreate the sound of ELO’s best-loved hits onstage in Southwest Florida ― all with the added power and emotional weight of a symphony behind them.

“It really expands everything,” says Kaminski, 71, of Yorkshire, England. “It gives it a different dimension.”

The Orchestra and Southwest Florida Symphony perform Saturday, May 6, in Fort Myers and Sunday, May 7, in Port Charlotte. Here’s what else Kaminski had to say about ELO, “Mr. Blue Sky” and why he plays a blue violin:

Did ELO play a lot of concerts with orchestras?

Not really, Kaminski says.

“ELO never played with a full symphony orchestra,” he says. “We recorded with one, but we never actually played live with one.”

Rock bands just didn’t play with live orchestras in the ‘70s, he says. “I think the logistics would just be too much to cope with really, back then. … To get a full orchestra with a band and open amps and everything else, it would’ve been a tricky job.”

Technology has advanced in the last few decades, though.

“Technology kind of figured it out,” he says. “It’s still not easy, but it’s a lot easier than it would’ve been back then.”

What was it like being in Electric Light Orchestra with Jeff Lynne?

Kaminski joined ELO in 1973, just three years after the band formed in 1970. They hadn’t even started bringing orchestras into the studio yet.

“Honestly," he says, "on the first album I played on, it was just myself and one cello player."

But Lynne used studio magic to expand the sound of that small string section and make everything sound bigger, he says. “It was a challenge, but we got some pretty good sounds out of that, really. ... Jeff was in charge and he knew what he wanted.”

Kaminski says he didn’t work too closely with Lynne, the band and orchestras in the studio. They’d go in and record their parts separately, and it was usually just Kaminski and two cello players in the studio.

“We’d put those parts down on our own," he says. "It would have been too much chaos if he was asking us to record all at the same time.”

How does Kaminski feel about 'Mr. Blue Sky'?

ELO’s best-known hit is probably the much-loved rock epic "Mr. Blue Sky." The song has appeared in TV commercials, movies and other places.

“You go in the supermarket, sometimes, and it’s played in there, too. You can’t get away from it!” Kaminski says and chuckles. “But it’s one of our favorite songs to play now.”

No one knew “Mr. Blue Sky” would be such an enduring hit, he says. “When you actually record it, you never know how well something will turn out. So it was sort of a pleasant surprise when it was so well-received.”

That’s why it’s so fun to play live.

“I think the audience reaction takes it to a different level, really,” he says. “The opening chords start, everybody gets up dancing and starts singing along.”

How close does The Orchestra get to the sound of original ELO songs?

"I think we get pretty close,” Kaminski says. “I mean, we’ve got three very strong singers.”

Sure, there’s no replacing Lynne’s distinctive voice. But Kaminski says the band’s singers can more than handle the songs.

“Eric Troyer, he was a session musician with John Lennon and Bonnie Tyler and Meatloaf and Billy Joel,” he says. “He’s a pretty cool singer.

“And there’s Parthenon Huxley and a guy called Glen Burtnik, who’s done every Beatles song you can imagine (he played Paul McCartney in the Broadway show “Beatlemania”). Between them, they certainly get the vocals right.”

Why did Kaminski start playing a blue violin, anyway?

It was completely by accident, he says.

“Back in the ‘70s, we had a tour manager called Bernie Boyle,” Kaminski says. “And he said, ‘You’ve got to get an electric violin.’ We just had a pickup on an acoustic violin to start with. So he said, ‘I’ll sort it out.’”

Boyle went shopping for an electric violin one day and found the choices limited at the store.

“He said, ‘I need an electric violin,’” Kaminski recalls. “And they said, ‘We’ve only got a blue one.’ (Laughs). And he said, ‘That’ll do.’”

Now, of course, everyone knows Kaminski as the guy with the blue violin. There’s even an ELO Part II song called “Blue Violin.”

Kaminski doesn't plays that original violin anymore. But whatever he plays, he makes sure it’s his signature color.

“It’s still blue,” he says. “I’m still getting them painted blue.”

Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. For news tips or other entertainment-related matters, call him at 239-335-0368 (for tickets to shows, call the venue) or email him at crunnells@gannett.com. You can also connect with him on Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), Twitter (@charlesrunnells) and Instagram (@crunnells1).

If you go

What: The Orchestra and Southwest Florida Symphony

When and where: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall in south Fort Myers; and 4 p.m. Sunday, May 7, at Charlotte Performing Arts Center in Punta Gorda

Tickets: $27-$108 in south Fort Myers, $39-$51 in Punta Gorda

Information: For tickets and more information, call 418-1500 or visit swflso.org.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: ELO show: The Orchestra plays Fort Myers, Port Charlotte with symphony