The Invasion
Hey Ontario, Blast Toronto here to let you know that we have been invaded. This may be a small invasion but it will grow.
I am talking about three Blues musicians from the island of Malta. Yes there are the blues even on a peaceful island in the Mediterranean.
Let me introduce you to Ben Bailey on Guitar and vocals.
We have Patrick Camilleri on the Drums.
Holding down the fort is Antoine Tonna on Bass.
These three men together are Vinyl Paradise and they told me how excited they are to be playing in Ontario.
I went to, of all places, Gabby’s in the Junction. Where are they were going to place these musicians in the restaurant? I soon found out that there is a back patio and plenty of room to put on a quality show. I will personally look into this. It would be great to have another live music venue in the Junction.
The Show
Working on being international blues stars they opened the show with the song- “Amsterdam”. Just one question: Can you get the blues in Amsterdam? Well with the first little fiery guitar solo, Ben let us know there was more in this well.
They switched up the tempo on the second song. The bottom end was very heavy, and it made you just want to slap it hard. It had that kind of strut that wakes up something in you.
This band has been around for ten years and is currently working on their second recording. It should be out later this year.
Since they are working with a limited number of original songs, you know they are going to throw in a few covers, but which ones?
The first cover was the classic- “Stormy Monday”. The way they played felt just like a New York Joint. You can pick your teeth with a New York joint.
As I was weathering this storm, I looked around and really was digging this location for a show. The band played up against a red shed with their video playing on a hanging TV. Not only did this feel like a backyard party but it felt like we were watching a true garage band playing their hearts out in the comforts of home. The beer was flowing and this band seems to love Molson Canadian.
As we delved deeper into their set, the different styles of blues were truly represented here. They played in the style of Rocking Blues, Shuffling Blues, Pop, slow and smoky and even had some danceable moments. I could hear SRV, Allman Brothers, Jeff Healey and Jimi Hendrix.
One of the highlights is when they played a completely re-imagined version of Parchment Farm. They made it more modern and electrified it into a funkified version. By the end, my wife screamed out that it was a 20 out of ten song! I did not disagree.
The band also treated us to their brand-new songs that they have not released just yet. From the songs that they chose, their next album is going to be killer. In fact, they swore us all to secrecy, that one of the songs will contain the word, Ontario. You did not read it here, just saying.
They did cover two Stevie Ray Vaughan songs, “Couldn’t stand the weather” and “Pride and Joy” They also included the standard, “I’m Tore Down”. This was a much faster and heavier version than the original.
When they said they were finishing with one last song someone yelled out 0 out of Ten! It seems this band was truly being scrutinized by the loyal fans of the blues. Well, they did a killer encore with the mega-monster, “Voodoo Chile” by Hendrix and the infamous guitar behind the back kind of playing.
The next day they headed off to the Orangeville Blues and jazz festival. I hope Orangeville will be ready to get smoked out by this Mediterranean band. You can catch a bit of what they sound like if you hit this link to our Instagram account. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZSEYRsRI58/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Don’t get the blues if you missed this band this time. They told Blast that they will be back in September. Blast Toronto will definitely be back with them and probably rate them a 10 out of 10 for their enthusiasm for Canada and the talent that they bring with them.
This is Vinyl Paradise-
Here is a link to their accounts:
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