Lorne Riley Jr of Chapleau makes international news when his band Mileage 51 releases new album 'Stone Unturned'

Chapleau's own Lorne Riley Jr. made international news recently when his band Mileage 51 released its new album "Stone Unturned" across the United Kingdom, as well as on Facebook.

Mileage 51 is a Dubai-based band proudly rooted in the rock and blues stylings from the US the and UK. In their debut album, Stone Unturned, the expat foursome presents a collection of original songs that echo the classic retro sounds which form the bedrock of today’s music. Stone Unturned proudly trots out the past with a refreshingly genuine take on music from days gone by but never forgotten.

Lorne, the son of Jackie and the late Lorne Riley, who now lives in Dubai and works at the world's largest international airport as Director of Corporate Communications. is the lead singer for  Mileage 51's new single 'Retroman'.

It  was featured on UK's Discover Music Show which features new, rising stars. In his radio interview, Lorne fondly recalls early musical memories in Chapleau. 

I connected with Lorne a graduate of Chapleau High School who also has an Honours Degree in Journalism from Carleton University. and asked him about his new venture and how his time in Chapleau influenced his music.

"I may live in a big city, but I'm a small town guy at heart. And our music reflects that. My interest in music started in my late teens in Chapleau with two local blues/rock bands "People People" and "The Horses". Ken Lane, Bucko Laframboise, Murray Midkiff and Hugh McGoldrick, all talented musicians in their own right, showed me how rewarding and fun performing can be. 

"Now let's be clear I'm no international rock star, not by a long stretch! We're just a group of guys who love music and wanted to write and produce our own album. Now that we have done that, we're trying to share it with as many people as possible."

Lorne sent me the interview he did on the Discover Music Show and had to smile when the interviewer started with questions about cold weather in Canada and Lorne sure made his home  look good. in his comments. I was also so impressed with 'Retroman." You can access the entire interview through http://mileage51.com or on the group's Facebook page.

While attending Carleton University in the 1980s, Lorne performed with a three piece rock group called 'Blue Cotton Seals Band'.

After connecting with Lorne, of course I recalled that his father with Keith 'Buddy' Swanson and Tom Welch founded the Chapleau Junior "B" Huskies who won their league and NOHA championships in 1966-67 their first year of operation. But Lorne Jr also played on a championship hockey team. The Chapleau Midget "C" Huskies won the NOHA title in 1979 but declared themselves all Ontario champions because there were no Midget "C" teams in southern Ontario.

Mileage 51 is signed with Matchbox in the UK and has inked a distribution deal with Universal Music Operations. The album is available on iTunes, Spotify and via their website at http://mileage51 and more information is available their Facebook page.

Congratulations Lorne and all the best. Thanks for your co-operation. My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Chapleau Midget "C" NOHA  Champions 1979. Back row from left: Martin Healey, Shane Gillham, Tim Morin, John Bernier, Robert Serre, Dan Tebbutt, Michael Tremblay, Paul Legros, Geoffrey Hong, Michael Payette, Mike Tangie. Front from left: Marc Trottier, David Freeborn, Yves Gervais, Lorne Riley, Randy Carroll, Gary Chambers, Shawn Russell. Absent coach Jamie Doyle

HERE IS THE VIDEO WITH THE INTERVIEW AND "RETROMAN"