The Band

Mileage 51 is a Dubai based blues band proudly rooted in the rock and blues stylings from the US the and UK. In the coming 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 scene. Stone Unturned proudly trots out the past with a refreshingly genuine take on music from days gone by but never forgotten.

Bio – Lorne Riley Jr. - Lead Vocals, Guitar

Lorne is a small town lad who hails from Chapleau, Ontario in northern Canada. During the early 80s Lorne was the front man for two Chapleau-based blues/rock bands "People People" and "The Horses". In '84 while attending Carleton University in Ottawa, Lorne performed with a three piece group called "Blue Cotton Seals Band". Following graduation he faded into relative obscurity with an irregular sequence of karaoke evenings and open mic nights scattered over the almost three decades that followed as he married, raised a family and focused on his career. In 2012 that all changed when he connected with Jim Robinson, Solle Svan and Roy Bolwede to form 'Stereotypes', a Dubai-based expat quartet that released a jazz/blues cover CD “Penny Earned” in 2013. The band reformed in 2014 as “Mileage 51” with new lead guitarist Doug Bernie with a vision to release a CD of originals which pay homage to classic rock and blues.

Bio – Solle Svan - Bass and Backing Vocals

Solle is an experienced bass player whose musical endeavours started in the late 50s with his cousin Hakan Grahn in a very young trio and continued in the early 60s with west coast jazz in a school band in his homeland of Sweden. He became rocker soon enough forming a boy band ‘The Four Freddies’. In the three decades that followed played folk music and other genres playing ‘60s reunions and pub gigs with various musicians in southern Sweden. In the early 90s he primarily spent time in the ‘open mike’ arena in Dubai when he was not working as an Air Traffic Controller. Shortly thereafter he became bogged down in work and played very little, until he hooked up with the guys in stereotypes in 2012, and discovered that everybody needs to escape ‘business as usual’. He remains convinced that music is a good way of maintainig his sanity.

Bio - Doug Bernie -Lead Guitar, Lead and Backing Vocals

Doug is a passionate musician with 30 years of experience.  Originally from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, he studied the Royal Conservatory curriculum on piano and moved to guitar in his early teens.  His father is a drummer and they formed a band together doing covers and some original music around Lethbridge.  As Doug moved across Canada for work he continued to play in several cities until establishing his career in Toronto in 2002.  He formed a trio aptly named Electric, channeling the vibe and energy of his heroes such as Hendrix, Clapton, SRV.  Electric morphed into another trio called Devolver which became quite a regular in the rock/blues venues around the greater Toronto area for both covers and original music.  In 2014 Doug moved to Dubai and met up with Lorne through work , and soon after became a quarter of what is now known as Mileage 51

Bio - Roy Bolwede - Drums, Keyboard, Guitar, Bass

Roy's love for music became evident at the age of 3 when he began basic rhythm and tonal training in Gothenburg, Sweden. At the ripe old age of 6, Roy started up and played bass in a rock/blues band called Necromancers with neighborhood friends, one of whom eventually became the drummer for Motorhead and has been with the band for over 15 years.

During junior school and later in college, he played and also began recording and producing local bands in and around Gothenburg. After graduating Roy began experimenting with electronic music which had just started to emerge in Europe. In parallel Roy continued to produce and promote different bands in Sweden which created a platform to work in a more international milieu.

At the age of 25 Roy's musical career came to somewhat of a standstill and was only recently resumed in Dubai where he collaborates with local musicians. "Stone Unturned", which he co-wrote and produced, is another impressive  milestone in a long and storied love affair with music.