VINYL PARADISE

Vinyl Paradise is a Maltese blues/blues-rock trio made up of Ben Bailey (guitar/vocals), Patrick Camilleri (drums) and Antoine Tonna (bass). Their collective love for the blues and knowledge of its conventions and techniques has resulted in the band delivering their own masterful take on the genre to audiences right across Malta. The three have had years of musical focus to develop their unique style, first meeting in the band The Creepers - another blues band focused on replicating the sound of ‘vintage American blues’ - and later forming the trio Vinyl Paradise in January 2017. Their style mixes together blues, funk, rock n’ roll, and soul, with arrangements featuring solid grooves on the bass and drums which lay the foundation for deft guitar-work and 60s-soul-inspired vocals.
These elements are immediately recognisable in their original work, as well as any covers in their set, which are always reworked to satisfy these criteria. Vinyl Paradise takes inspiration from the likes of the “3 Kings”, Cream, Gary Clark Jr, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer, Jimi Hendrix, amongst others.
This year (2023), the band have written and recorded a great deal of music, with their EP “Live at Winehouse” being the first collection of work to release. It features 5 original tracks performed live on camera, with the intention being to showcase the trio’s writing, performing, and recording prowess. The second collection of work - their debut full-length album - is recorded, and to be released in the near future.

The Band:
Ben Bailey (Guitars and Vocals): Born and raised in a household that always had Clapton, J.J. Cale, CCR, and other greats blasting out of the windows, Ben’s natural ear for blues and roots music was under development from day one. With that foundation, it’s clear why his guitar playing, singing, and songwriting developed and matured at the speed they did, gaining him his reputation as an outstanding musician, writer and performer. Today, his love for and dedication to his work has made him a mainstay with Malta’s most prominent acts, being selected as guitarist to Ira Losco, Matthew James, and many more, being sought after for his stylistic contributions to their work and unwavering professionalism.

Antoine Tonna (Bass): Antoine grew up in the Maltese music scene. He studied at the Johann Strauss School of music Malta and he has been playing in bands for the past 25 years. His deep passion for driving the rhythm section groove and ability to play perfectly “in-the-pocket” - on both the electric and double bass - have cemented him as the go-to bassist for anyone who wants an immediate injection of soul and bounce to their music.

Patrick Camilleri (Drums): Patrick is the first Maltese drummer to go to London to study at Drumtech, where he was tutored under the supervision of international artists the likes of Darryn Farrugia (one of Australia’s most accomplished drummers) and Brazilian percussionist Bosco De Oliviera, who has performed at major international jazz festivals (Nice, Vienna, Montreux, North Sea, Montreux-Detroit), as well as at Glastonbury, Reading, Womad and festivals and major venues around the world. Patrick’s experience as a blues drummer in Malta has given him second- to-none feel and technique in all the grooves associated with blues and blues-rock; none more important than the shuffle. This ability has established him as Malta’s very own “King of the shuffle”, and his involvement in Vinyl Paradise puts this talent on display in every performance.