The Band:

Our Story

Bartel

Woolsey

Lancaster

Barnes

•    Lead Singer/Songwriter Ben Bartel grew up in the mountains of California's central valley, just south of Yosemite. It was there that he grew a passion for Folk/Bluegrass music. He packed up his passion for music along with his guitar and headed south where he met up with bassist Ben Barnes. They struck it off quickly and soon after pulled in Ryan Woolsey, another from the northern mountains, to fill out the sound with a second guitar, adding to the driving sound of their folk rock.

     The final piece of the puzzle was found in Florida: Erin Lancaster, an astounding vocalist originally from Georgia. Friends with Ben for several years, they had often talked of what it would be like to be in a group together, but the distance seemed too great.

     When A Mayfield Affair, previously known as Mayfield, began to make headway in San Diego, they decided, enough was enough, and the band got together and flew Erin out. The power and attitude found in the new female vocalist were a perfect match for the band's current lineup.

     A Mayfield Affair plays music that is well thought out, yet dirty and raw, with a fiery male voice in the lead, shared by an equally powerful female voice to compliment the sound perfectly. A Mayfield Affair was born with fiery attitude and riveting harmonies. So close your eyes and listen for what A Mayfield Affair is bringing to the scene because it's definitely something new, and something not easily put into a cookie cutter box. Decide for yourself what style you'd call it, either way you go, count yourself a fan.

     "From the moment they take the stage to the moment you come out of a trance as the show ends, you realize you've been transported to someplace wonderful and powerful. A Mayfield Affair will reel you in with music that causes your heart to beat just a little bit faster, and send you away with the feeling that you didn't so much "watch a show" but experienced a story in action. From the first sounds of driving drums, to the final harmony, you will travel with the band as they explore the depths of raw emotion. shake your fists, stomp your feet, and cry out at the top of your lungs as they lead you through the night with powerful anthems of anger and conviction. They will serenade you with love-songs of the most personal and intimate nature. You know from the way each line is sung that the passion and importance that went into the songs came from the most personal pieces of their hearts. This is what music is supposed to do to people, This is what A Mayfield Affair will do to you"

•    For Ben Bartel, it had always been music. Riding in the car as a kid, listening to the “Golden Oldies” with his mom, and the driving melodies of blues, rock, soul, and everything in between with his father, music was always his passion. He began playing trumpet, and quickly made the transition to drums. Next came guitar and piano. However it wasn’t until late high school that his true passion was found in writing. In his senior year, his self recordings floated around the school as he continued to produce more and more of his music. After high school, he threw himself into music projects non stop, consistently becoming the primary song writer for each music project he was involved in. As his writing developed and grew, it began to catch more attention for being direct, honest and full of raw emotion. This won him the opportunity to work with some of the industries top producers responsible for some of the biggest names in music history (James Brown, Earth Wind And Fire, Michael Jackson)Drawing from all areas of his life, Ben is determined to push his writing further, stating his definition of success was; “Sharing something of such great value to himself with someone else, and having them find their own personal meaning and value in it.”

•    Ryan Woolsey began taking guitar lessons at the age of fourteen and grew quickly as a musician. Shortly thereafter, he began writing his own music. He also learned how to play piano, and started singing in his high school choirs. Ryan pursued music in college at California State University, Fresno, studying composition and orchestration under Dr. Kenneth Froelich. He obtained his bachelor's degree in May of 2011. He is a skilled recording engineer and has extensive experience in recording, mixing, and producing music for local artists around Fresno. Ryan has had the opportunity to work and study with successful media composers such as Gary Schymann, Ed Kalnins, Chris Dooley and Jeff Atmajian, who specialize in scoring music for film and video games. Ryan has also written music for independent films and school plays. After college, Ryan joined A Mayfield Affair, filling in for lead guitar, and now resides in the San Diego area.

•    Growing up in the small town of Bainbridge, Georgia, Erin Lancaster found her love of music at a very early age. Whether it was singing in church, at home with her loving family, or by herself singing her heart out to songs with her headphones on, music was as vital to her life as breathing air or drinking water.Erin comes from a very musical family. She and her brothers would always watch their father play in bands, and seeing the crowds mesmerized by his voice and performance. Erin began regularly singing when she was 14, and began leading worship services at her church at age 16.

     Erin’s father was one of the biggest inspirations to all of their lives. Tragically, he passed away in 2007, but Erin and her two brothers, Daniel Lancaster (lead singer of Stages and Stereos), and Jason Lancaster (Formerly of Mayday Parade, and now Lead singer of Go Radio), carry on his incredible legacy of music and dedication with their musical careers.

     In 2007, Erin made her recording debut with “Forever my father” as a tribute to her father. Shortly after this, she recorded “Maybe we’ll make it after all” with Stages and Stereos. Erin became friends with Ben Bartel through a mutual friend of her older brother’s band, Go Radio, and after some time, she recorded some guest vocals on a track for him. From that one guest recording, Bartel asked Erin to join his band to complete their sound. Erin’s dream is to be successful in the music industry so she can do what she loves. Realizing that this dream was within her reach, she knew it was the right decision, and accepted the invitation, thus creating the band once known as "Mayfield" and now known as "A Mayfield Affair".

•    A native of San Diego, CA, Ben Barnes grew up playing music. At the age of four, he begged his parents for piano lessons, and they eventually indulged him, wondering if it would be a passing phase. Twelve years later, he was competing in state level piano competitions and showed great promise as a classical musician. This was not to be, however. In high school he had a falling out with piano, discovered a love for rock, and learned several other instruments, including guitar. He first picked up a bass when filling in for the bass player at a local church service, and hasn't looked back since. He played throughout his college years, and met singer/songwriter Ben Bartel at a local gig just after graduation. A Mayfield Affair sprung out of the initial collaboration between Ben Barnes, Ben Bartel, and a few other local musicians, along with the songwriting endeavors of Ben Bartel and vocalist Erin Lancaster. Ben Barnes lives in East County, San Diego with his wife Melanie.