STREET LYFE

 THE LYFE;

FORMED IN 1985 STREET LYFE'S CORE MEMBERS WHERE DENNIS GAST, VOCALIST, DRUMMER, MARK ABDILLA, LEAD GUITAR, AND BASSIST PAUL LETT. WITH THIS LINE UP THEY RECORDED THEIR FIRST E.P., STREET LYFE,  SOON AFTER JOINED BY GUITARIST/KEYBOARDIST MARK FLORENCE, THEIR WALL OF SOUND GREW, SO THE FIRST E.P. WAS REMIXED TO INCLUDE THE NEW MEMBER. IN MID 1984, PAUL LETT MOVED ON AND WAS REPLACED BY BASSIST JIMMY GLASCO. IN THIS FORMATION THEY RECORED THEIR MOST POPULAR TRACKS FOR THE E.P. OUTCASTS OF ROCK AND ROLL. WHILE THIS E.P. WAS BEING RECORDED, DRUMMER WALTER MASSENKOFF WAS BROUGHT IN TO COVER PART OF THE LIVE SHOWS, SO THAT DENNIS GAST COULD FRONT THE BAND. RORY MORDINOIA ALSO JOINED THE GROUP AS MANAGER/PHOTOGRAPHER/VIDEOGRAPHER/PRODUCER. THIS WAS THE FORMATION OF THE CLASSIC LINE UP THAT INVADED, AND DOMINATED  THE SAN FRANCISCO ROCK SCENE FOR ALL OF 1986. PLAYING TO PACKED SHOWS, SELLING HUNDREDS OF T-SHIRTS, STICKERS, AND E.P.'S, STREET LYFE DOMINATED THE LOCAL SCENE. LATE IN 1986 TENSIONS GREW WITHIN THE BAND, BASSIT JAMES GLASCO, GUITARIST MARK FLORENCE, AND DRUMMER WALTER MASSENKOFF LEFT THE BAND. THEY WERE REPLACED BY BRUNO ON BASS, AND DAVE ON DRUMS. THE BAND TOOK ON A MORE GLAM LOOK AND SOUND. MANAGER RORY MORDINOIA LEFT TO PURSUE OTHER PROJECTS SHORTLY THERE AFTER, AND WAS REPLACED BY JERRY. TWO MORE STUDIO TRACKS WERE RECORDED, BUT NEVER RELEASED. IN MID 1987, THE BAND CALLED IT QUITS. STREET LYFE ROCKED THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA FROM EARLY 1985 TO MID 1987. THEY RELEASED TWO STUDIO E.P'S,  AS WELL AS OTHER POSTERS, T-SHIRTS, BUMPER STICKERS,AND BUTTONS, PLAYED MANY SHOWS, AND GAINED A HUGE FOLLOWING IN THE BAY AREA. IN 1988, DENNIS GAST, MARK ABDILLA, AND JAMES GLASCO, JOINED BY RORY MORDINOIA REUNITED FOR A SHORT SET AT BURLINGAME'S ROUTE 66, THIS WAS THE LAST TIME ANY OF THE MEMBERS APPEARED TOGETHER AS STREET LYFE.

AFTER LYFE;

MARK ABDILLA JOINED L.A.'S CHROME PONYS SOON AFTER THE BREAKUP. TODAY, HE TEACHES MUSIC, AND PLAYS SOLO CONCERTS AROUND THE WORLD, INDULGING IN HIS PASSION OF CLASSICAL LUTE MUSIC, AS WELL AS PLAYING LEAD GUITAR FOR GENERAL JONES. JAMES GLASCO PLAYED IN MANY GROUPS FOLLOWING THE LYFE, INCLUDING MARKETTA, BADD INFLUENCE, MANCHILD, AND WARCRY. MARK FLORENCE JOINED NU FREEZE, AND PLAYED LIVE SHOWS WITH BLACKSTARR, UNTIL HE JOINED THE WISE GUYS, THE GROUP HE CURRENTLY PLAYS GUITAR AND KEYBOARD WITH. DENNIS GAST RETIRED FROM MUSIC, UNTIL THE EARLY TURN OF THE CENTURY WHEN HE JOINED THE BELL BROTHERS. HE HAD A SUCCESSFUL RUN FOR SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE RETURNING TO MUSICAL RETIREMENT TO ENJOY HIS FAMILY. WALTER MASSENKOFF WENT ON TO PLAY WITH BLACKSTARR, GUNNER, TANGENT, MACHINE CALLED MAN, TO NAME A FEW.