Mama Sweet

"Mama Sweet” members Alan Orebaugh, left, and Aron Holt practice in Norman. BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN

Upcoming concerts

Tonight: Happy Tyler Day, Okarche

Sunday: Jack's Off the Wall, Fort Worth, Texas

Wednesday: Seven47, Norman

May 8: The Deli, Norman

May 9: Wormy Dog, Oklahoma City

May 17: The White Elephant, Fort Worth

May 19: Spring Jam III, Zoo Amphitheater, Oklahoma City

Band comes back after rough patch
Fans spread throughout Oklahoma

By James S. Tyree
Staff Writer

NORMAN — Three years after facing a bleak future, the Norman-based band Mama Sweet is back and making its "First Last Stand” on the metro area music scene.

"First Last Stand” is a song that opens the band's compact disc "Welcome to the Well,” a 13-song compilation released early last month. The music blends rock ‘n' roll with country, folk and the blues into a sound the band calls Western rock.

"I was into weird jazz and progressive stuff, so to me this is extremely radio-friendly,” bass player Boyd Littell said. "It's helped me re-establish my appreciation for pop music and the power of a song that's stuck in your head, whether you like it or not.”

Thanks to frequent live performances and the Internet, Mama Sweet is catching on throughout Oklahoma and beyond.

The Sports Animal in Tulsa plays "First Last Stand” as intro music on its Sports Morning radio show, and lead guitarist Alan Orebaugh said the band sends compact discs to Europe and Latin America, thanks to access on the Web.

"We got an e-mail that said, ‘We can't wait to see you in Germany,' and I'm thinking, ‘Uh, yeah,'” Orebaugh said, "But it is pretty cool.”

Music fans in Oklahoma and Texas will have far better luck catching Mama Sweet live than those in other countries, at least in the foreseeable future. The band is scheduled to perform tonight at the Happy Tyler Day benefit in Okarche, and Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas, and it's on the bill for Spring Jam III at the Zoo Amphitheater in Oklahoma City on May 19.

Last fall, Mama Sweet performed at Tunes for Tomorrow, a fundraising event lead singer/guitarist Aron Holt said raised $2,100 for the music program of Jefferson Elementary School in Norman.

But the band's bread and butter is playing at metro area clubs. The most frequent spot is The Deli in Norman, where Mama Sweet plays energized sets to jumping and dancing audiences.

None of this seemed likely a few years ago. Holt left Norman in late 2003 to pursue a singing career (and a girl) in New York, and Carnuccio went home to Philadelphia the following year for an internship at an Internet-based music label.

Holt had some interesting experiences in New York. He recalled getting $75 for a gig and "I gave half of it to a guy outside going through trash.” Yet, he never could get Mama Sweet out of his head or Norman out of his heart.

"I was so homesick, I was going to get an Oklahoma flag tattooed on my back,” Holt said. "So I came back, finished my degree and we finished the Mama Sweet record, ‘Welcome to the Well.'”

Carnuccio enjoyed his time back in Philly and said he learned a lot about the music business. But he, too, kept thinking of his old band.

"When I was back there, I was pushing Mama Sweet and (Holt) was pushing Mama Sweet when he was in New York,” the drummer said. "We were all pushing Mama Sweet, even though we couldn't be a band any more.”

Meanwhile, Orebaugh and Littell stayed active in the metro area. Orebaugh spent most of his time with a country band, while Littell was a member of several bands at once, notably progressive rock band The Ills and Latin jazz band Conjunto Clave.

Littell's decision to focus on Mama Sweet when it reformed typified the members' belief in the band and confidence in each other. Orebaugh said they rarely rehearse, other than to practice new songs, because "we know what we're doing.”

They also complement each other in songwriting. Lyrics and melody come easy to Holt, but he always had trouble finishing songs. That's where the other three come in — they take Holt's song ideas and round them out into completed works.

The band's Web site is www.myspace.com/mama sweetrocks.