Biography

The MeanStreet Riders rock music group were formed from a group of songwriters that both ride and have ridden motorcycles their entire lives and write music about their love of the open road its culture and the freedom it brings. Members of the band include Shannon Wallace guitars/vocals, Dowlin Mayfield guitars/vocals, Greg Torres keyboards/vocals, Eric Lampley bass/vocals,Kevin LaCour drums/vocals.

The Riders were formed in the fall of 2008 when they were riding their motorcycles through the southern United States on their way through the Ga/Tenn mountains to ride one of the most challenging and dangerous roads in the world Highway 129 " Deals Gap" or as its also known “The Dragon”. The “ Dragon " is a 11 mile stretch of road with 318 curves on the Tennesee /North Carolina border on US highway 129 and is considered a motorcycle legend for riders around the world.

The Mean Street Riders debut LP due in the summer of 2011 and stretches across a wide gamet of Americana and speaks to a culture that sees life, liberty and freedom being challenged more and more everyday in this ever growing rapidly changing world.
From the title track "High on the Hog" which is about comaradary, deep rooted friendship and not being caught up in the status quo to the ballad “ Rolling On” which was based on the travels of Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper on their ride filming the movie “Easy Rider” and deals with also getting away from the day to day pressures and the pursuit to simply be free and ride with the wind in your hair like they did so long ago. The song “Ive had a good ride” is based on a return to Sturgis Rally , the Badlands and riding through the South Dakota hills. In addition to the reunion with old friends theme the songs chorus also references real life teachings and not believing everything you hear or read with the line “ don’t read all the writing on the wall”. It also invites you to take life “all in” and enjoy the good times but also take an inner look at the end of the day or your life and ask yourself have you
“ Had a Good Ride”? The song "Where I Was born" is rich in riders harmonies and is the story about a father sharing a ride with his two sons' across rural America.

The rest of the LP is nestled deep in Americana rock, with country overtones and arrangements about family, friends, relationships, roads , trips, towns and how the American dream about freedom and how the pursuit of it seems to be continually challenged and shaped by the media, corporations and government bureaucracy.

The incredible growth of the motorcycle community in the past few years is the result of millions of people in the world wanting their freedom back and hitting the road to discover some great times good friends and maybe…. themselves again. The MeanStreet Riders not only speak to those people but people in all walks of life in more than just words and invite them to go somewhere they haven’t been before and discover this great country and world before it might be too late.

Remember Life’s too short for traffic so Rock N Roll on the open Road

MSR