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Mick Cervino was chosen by Yngwie to fulfil bass on the later stages on the WTEAW tour, he has since been kept on for the Attack and G3 tour.

How did you hook up with Yngwie to perform bass on the later stages of the War To End All Wars tour?
I contacted Yngwie's management and offered my services, then sent him a recording playing the WTEAW tour set list, and was happily accepted.

What form did rehearsals take?
The band was to learn the songs at their respective homes before full rehearsals began, then we all met at the rehearsal studio for just a few days and, very, very loudly, went through the set plus other songs we played just for fun. There was an instant musical chemistry as a band, and Yngwie was even more amazing than I had anticipated.

Where did the rehearsals take place?
At Yngwie's studio in Miami.

Did you know any of the band members prior to joining the band?
I had met Dougie a couple of years back.

Did you have any input into the set list?
No.

Where you a fan of Yngwie's music prior to getting the gig?
Yes! Of course! And I am an even bigger fan now than ever.

What was your favourite song to play?
All of them. I enjoy every second of every song.

What is your fondest and worst memory of the WTEAW tour?
The fondest, on a personal level was the kind and professional way in which Yngwie and his organization treated me, they made me feel very welcome and proud to be part of their team. The worst has to be the atmosphere around the world at that time after the September 11th events.

Have you been contacted to play on the Attack world tour? If so do you know how long it will run and where you will be playing?
I believe Yngwie's official web site will soon be announcing the details of the tour, including the line up.

Prior to playing with Yngwie you played with Ritchie Blackmore in Blackmore's Night. How did you find 'The Man In Black'?
I found he was just the way I thought he would be, extremely talented, very demanding, very meticulous, playfull, moody, great soccer player, very classy, generous, a bit paranoid at times, and a bit of a b.....let's say..."difficult" other times. He is very lovable.

Blackmore's Night music is quite a departure to the full on metal attack of Yngwies. Does this call for a change in the way you approach the bass guitar?
Yes. BN music was extremely delicate, the function of the bass was definitely not as prominent as it is on Yngwie's, though it was most enjoyable. You have to adapt to what the style of music and the songs call for. I do identify fully with Yngwie's style of playing the bass, performing his songs is for me one of the greatest plasures in life.

Do you think Blackmore will ever do a rock project again?
For a while I thought he might, but I really think he's very happy doing what he is doing now. The thing is... with Ritchie you never know. The moment you assume he is or he is not going to do something, he catches you off guard and does the opposite or comes up with something you haven't even thought of. I guess we'll have to wait and see...

What age did you furst start to play bass and who where your influences?
I was about 15. My early influences were Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Glenn Hughes, Greg Lake, Chris Squire. Later on it was Bach, Chopin and Mozart, amazing bass players these last three.

What gear do you use?
For bass clinics or bass solo performances I use Warwick basses (4 string Thumb Bolt-On and Fortress One), a Warwick CL combo, an old GK 400B amp, and a Warwick 15" spk cabinet.

For the last tour with Yngwie I used my Warwick basses and an Ampeg SVT classic amp with an Ampeg 8x10 speaker cabinet. Towards the end of the tour I tried one of Yngwie's Marshall heads with the Ampeg cabinet and I was in heaven, so I might try that again in the future.

Do you have any other projects on the go?
Yes. Too many to mention right now. I'll be announcing them on my web site as they develop. www.mickcervino.com

What would you liketo achieve in your career that you haven't as yet?
I achieved two of my main goals in life: playing with Blackmore and playing with Yngwie. Some of the projects I was just refering to are part of what I want to accomplish in the future, but.... because of strict supersticious reasons, I won't discuss them yet.

Any parting messages for the readers of YJMGA?
I appreciate your impeccable musical taste, all the best and hope to see you on the next tour.

THANK YOU MICK FOR YOUR TIME.

Official website
www.mickcervino.com

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