I'll update this blog after the holiday, but in the meantime, here is something to make you smile:

 

Have you ever been waiting at the Deli, and then lost yourself in the lava lamp at the bar?  No, well this is what it is like.

 

After I snapped out of my trance, I checked in with some of my crew.  Boyd is always so full of love.

 

Then, it was finally time for The O's.  We discovered The O's the last time we played the Granada in Dallas, TX.  We thought they had a pretty cool sound so we invited them up to The Deli.  Here's a taste...

 

Finally, it was our turn..

 

The next day, we made the long drive to Austin, TX to play one of our favorite venues, Momo's.

 

We had heard that there was an all girl thrasher band playing the closing slot at Momo's and needless to say, we were intrigued. I had to meet up with some friends, but Boyd, Alan, and sis stuck around to check them out.  They said it was awesome!  And, getting those three to agree on anything is a miracle in and of itself.  Alan said that Adrian was a bad ass guitar player and not bad ass for a girl.  I'm sad I missed it.  But lucky for all of us, sis shot some video...

 

So, it was another great weekend.  Next weekend, we head down to Dallas to represent Nompton at the Granada during OU/TX weekend.  Stay tuned...









It was a big weekend for us.  We are rejuvenated and this was the perfect weekend to harness that energy.  We started out at George's Majestic Lounge in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  We played right after Charlie Robison finished his set.  It was a small crowed but the gave us much love.  I was really surprised when Charlie came over and pulled up a bar stool to listen to our set.  He hung around for awhile and seem to really dig what we were doing.  He made sure to make eye contact, wave goodbye, and tell us we were doing a good job before taking off.  That was pretty cool.  The four hour drive home in the middle of the night was not.

The next day we set off to the Wormy Dog.  It was P & C's wedding reception upstairs and a good and rowdy crowd downstairs.  It all just flowed.  We felt awesome and received a lot of complements afterwards.  Here is a video of one of our songs that night.

Sunday is usually the day of rest for the Sweet, but this Sunday we were set to play the Zoo Amp where we were going to open for Eli Young and Zac Brown.  How did it go?  Check it:

 

No, I'm kidding.  That was while we were waiting for sound check.  Here's how it really went down (the following clips are right before we went on and our first song.

So, as you can see it was an awesome weekend!! P.S. Want to see even more video footage? Stuff that's not even on YouTube? Sign up for our email list and we will send out exclusive videos from time to time. It's all about giving back! 
 

 

So, I guess it is time to catch you all up again. I'll start with the most recent and work my way back...

Aug 12 ACM@UCO Grand Opening in lower Bricktown (OKC, OK).

We were very honored and excited to be a part of this event. We played after Rainbows are Free and before The Uglysuit. It was a great mix of Oklahoma music. We are so excited to have this kind of thing in OK! So, look for us to continue supporting this awesome venture!


Aug 8 Coffee Creek Music Complex in Marlow, OK

This was another new outdoor venue for us, but upon arrival I was greeted with a hug from Fran, one of the owners, who told me she loved my voice & was very excited to have us. The crowd wasn't quite so excited, but we won them over. Of course, I think that was probably due to the fact that I brought a group of young hula hoop girls on stage and made Alan hula hoop with them. It was awesome. A special thanks to Bob for my gift (wink) and to Fran & Gene for showing us a good time.

Aug 1 Little River Music Festival in Tecumseh, OK

Thanks to a lil prodding by Whitney, we actually made it on time and were the first to arrive. This venue is tucked back in some beautiful country and Lance has made a pretty little place with excellent seating and acoustics. When Jason and the Stragglers arrived,we saw some spectacular prevost maneuvering & got to catch up with our friends. We got dialed in and awaited our turn while enjoying some mouth watering bbq. We got a great crowd response, had a lot of fun, and were well taken care of. This is definitely a place worth checking out.

July 31 Lakewood Bar & Grill in Dallas, TX
As you may know, last time we played here a woman fell down on the cement floor and broke her arm. The exposed bone inspired on of our new songs, "F*ck you pay me". We opened our set with the song, as rumors of its existence had already reached TX. There were no injuries, but we apparently bring rain with us to Lakewood. Our crowd was small but enthusiastic & Alan & I were able to catch up with some old friends. So, it was a pretty good night. The rain cleared up for a nice, night drive home.





So, I'm way behind on this thing. My neighbors moved and I lost my free internet. I'm going to try to catch you up as best I can. So, here goes. . .

July 18, Wallstreet in Duncan, OK. These shows are really long, but it is good for us because we get to dig deep into our song vault. Saw some good friends and had a good time people watching.

July 11, Golden Light in Amarillo. We really like this place. It was only our second time to play here, but it really is the place to play on your way out west. We haven't really gotten the rest of the out west part down yet, but this is definitely a good starting point. It was the owner's RKDO's birthday and they were living it up. They were dancing and singing along to our songs and were reluctant to let us leave the stage at the end of the night. Whitney seems to have her own fan base there as well. They yelled for her almost as much as they did for us and Elaine, Dan's wife, picked up an admirer too. What can I say, it helps with merch sales. We also got to hang out with Tara and Dave, who made the long drive from Shawnee, OK to see us play. They love the Golden Light too! Can't wait to head out west to do this one again.

July 10, Midsummer Night's Fair in Norman. A storm coming in made the night temperature perfect! Last year, we played the little side stage. This year, we headlined the big stage. We had gotten together before hand and prepared an actual set list with guitar changes and everything. We had some of our favorite sound guys, Mike and Tucker, at the board and a large crowd gathered round. We also had a lot of family in the audience. We weren't really expecting much, which is I guess why we were so please with how awesome it all turned out. The crowed LOVED us! They cheered and screamed like we were Van Halen (with Roth, not Hagar) and swarmed Whitney to buy CDs when we were done. Mark this one down as a victory.

July 9, a Thursday night at The Deli, a rarity. We couldn't fit a Deli show in anywhere else in July, so we decided to give a Thursday night a whirl. A smaller crowd than we are used to, but still a lot of fun.

July 3, Chaos at the Cove. Whew, it was hot! I ventured out into the sun for about 30 minutes and came back all rosy. We were downing gatorade and water trying to keep hydrated as we prepared for our slot. We were the first band up and expected to big leagued all day (you know, where they treat you like you're the piss ant and they're big shit) but it never really happen. The minute we showed up, the crew was there to help us unload and Steve from the Wormy Dog made sure we sounded superb. Roger Clyne even came up, introduced himself, and told us to have a great show before we went on. As the first band up, you always wonder what the crowd will be like, but they were AWESOME! Even that early it was a big crowd and they cheered us on and really seemed to enjoy everything we threw their way, which was kind of a risk because we changed our set list at the last minute to include some of our new rockers. It was a blast! We hung around to watch the Peacemaker belt out some incredible harmonies, spoke with some of the other band members, and met Dierks Bentley (the headliner). It was a really good day.

Sunday, usually a day of rest, I drove up to the OKC to play with Brandon Jackson of No Justice fame for his Dirty Sundays at Dan O'Briens. $3 burger and fries followed by free drinks, awesome tunes, and good friends. It was definitely worth getting off the couch for.

Saturday, we were back at home, The Deli in Norman. It was hot as hell in there, but we rocked on through. Deli nights are always fun.

A hot Friday night in June, the Sweet headed up to Tulsa to play Oklahoma Greenfest. Greenfest was supposed to be a smaller Dfest designed to promote environmental awareness. I think somethings beyond the promoters control lead to some last minute changes and confusion. Needless to say, it didn't exactly fall into place as planned. We played at Joe Mamma's Pizza, which served us free pie and it was kick a! The crowd was small, but we were pleased to see some old and dear friends in the crowd. These were Sweet fans from way back and they took the liberty of writing our set list for us. We were the last band of the night, so we played as much as we could before the kicked us off the stage. The seemingly awful night turned into a lot of fun!



Howdy Er'body, How was your week-end? Good. The Sweet was in full swing this week-end, chalking up the 'ol miles in Van Halen (our van). The week started well, I played hooky from my Monday night engagement with Buffalo family at the Deli to head up to the city and watch Wilco at the Coca-Cola Events Center. I've never seen a show at this place before, and I have to say...eh, no biggie. The beers were about 13 dollars a piece. I'm exaggerating, of course, but shite. Wilco was badass. I went up there with Orebaugh and Dr. Dan. We were also met by my good friend, Colin Moody, who had just come off the road with Joe Bonamassa. They played all my favorites and some (like, 3) songs off the new album. Good times. Interesting side note, Joey from the blog, 'The Lost Ogle,' mentioned that Wilco show recently and drew a comparison to the Chicago super group and your very own Mama Sweet. Nice.

Wednesday was the usual evening at Libby's in Goldsby. You know the intimate evening with Buffalo Family. Good times. I think we're getting a MySpace page up soon. Keep an eye out.

Thursday, The Sweet shot up to Pryor, OK to play Country Fever. Luckily, we had our shots before the trip the the fever was moderate. What wasn't moderate was the wind. Good God! We were on a side stage and played 3 thirty minute sets between the acts on the main stage. Happy to do it. My dad was there. We got to watch No Justice's set together. Nice moment. It was the first time he'd seen our friends from Stillwater and he enjoyed it. Hi Dad.

Friday, we drove down to Ft. Worth to play at Woody's Tavern. Clint Osmus and the Bushmills (great band name) opened up for us. They are also from Stillwater and they are a solid little number. Give 'em a listen if you get a chance. Bryan and the boys at Woody's always provide a good time and this trip was no exception. Can't wait to go back.

Saturday, we woke up in Ft. Worth and drove down to Austin to play at the Saxon Pub. YES! I love this room. Even Sweeter, it was my birthday. Can't really ask for more than a show in Austin on your B-Day. Thanks God or Whitney or David Cotton. We drank Whiskey and played some new stuff. Alan's sister and brother in law were there. Fun folks; they bought me some drinks. Then we went to Mohawk and watched Sunset Rubdown from Canada. Neat, I guess, I'm not really in the scene but there were a shit ton of people there. Late night breakfast at Magnolia. Something involving English Muffins I seem to recall.

The next day, Em and I went to Barton Springs. It was the first time I done that. Fun Fun. Proud to say that my 1 and a half off this diving board is a DOUBLE! That's right, two. Top that. The water was cold but really nice considering it was 103 degrees. Afterward we went to Polvo's (a must) then hit the road home. Which brings us to now.

Now, I'm out. See you soon . . .








I hope this finds you all doing well and enjoying your summer so far. It's been a long time since I checked in with you guys, and for that I'm sorry. My (old) neighbors, whose inna-net I've been boosting, have long since moved. So now, it's a 15 min bike ride down to Panera Bread to get free WiFi and tasty cinnamon crunch bagels. Many things have happened since we last spoke. Where to start?

As you all know, we spent a week down at Penny Creek Studios in Austin TX, breaking ground on the new CD. For those of you who don't remember, this was the contest that The Sweet won (thanks to you) and received 100 FREE hours of studio time. You will be happy to know that the week went very well and we were able to track the Drums and Bass for 15 (!) songs to potentially make the album. Studio time is always something I look forward to. The opportunity to create each song as elaborately, or as simply, as you want is a very rewarding process. Thanks again for the votes and the chance to make another Mama Sweet album. I'll try to make you proud.

Coming back from Austin, we stopped off at Woody's Tavern in Ft. Worth for a Friday night show. I love this place, and not just for the kickass Pizzeria around the corner. My cousin, Ava, was there with some of her friends. She lives in Ft. Worth, so it's just about the only time she gets to see us. We had the new LIVE CD with us, so all of our Ft. Friends updated their Mama Sweet supplies. All in all it was a great night, well, except for that drive home. 2 1/2 hours never seems so long. We got home at dawn.

That next night was the "Official" Now. Here. This. (live CD) release party at the Deli. Our friends, The Workweek, started the night off with a fine mix of Americana and good 'ol Rock 'n Roll. You should check them out, good stuff. Then it was our turn. We, actually Boyd, decided we should start the evening off playing all the new songs we had been recording in Austin. Risky, but we did it. The crowd was really into the new stuff and excited to hear their old favorites. We sold a shit-ton of the live albums and have had a pretty favorable response so far. If you don't have it yet, click the icon on the home page and pick one up. Or just have someone you know burn you one.

Monday and Wednesday were my usual shows with Buffalo Family. If you don't know, Buffalo Family is an acoustic quartet that consists of myself, Blake Lennon, Gabe Marshall, and John Fullbright. We play every Monday throughout the Summer at the Deli on Campus Corner and every Wednesday at Libby's Cafe in Goldsby OK. If you're into folky goodness with wicked harmonies, you should check us out. It's always a good time.

Last Friday, I drove myself down to Madill OK, to play their annual Sandbass Festival. It was a little solo 60 on an outdoor stage in the middle of the town square. Face painting, Turtle Races, and Foot-Long Corndogs...ah, Oklahoma in the Summertime. It's as if each moment is History.

Well, gonna run, sorry again for the distance between talks. I'll try to do better in the future. Until then. . .










I’ve had intermittent internet access the last few weeks and have fallen behind on my blogs. So, I’m going to try to catch you all up as best I can. Where to begin . . . I think I’ll begin at the most recent and work my way back. So, we’ll begin with a dozy.
Saturday, May 2, we loaded up the van and headed down to Dallas to play a new venue, Lakewood Bar & Grill. I was apprehensive, as it sounded like a place that served better steaks than live music. But, away we went. It was also the Kentucky Derby, so we were talking about horses and had the radio tuned to the race. I picked Mine That Bird. Half way through the race, the announcer said my horse was dead last and everyone laughed. But, then as the race concluded the announcer said something to the effect “in a stunning upset the winner is (dramatic pause) Mine That Bird!” The van went crazy. I felt AWESOME! I was convinced it was my lucky day, so at our usual stop, Rumpy’s in Gainesville, I bought a lotto ticket. We continued the drive to Dallas through fierce thunderstorms and crazy traffic. I swear there was a wreck every 20 feet. Finally, we arrived. The place was pretty cool looking and it turned out that a lot of my old college friends lived in the area and had come out to support us. We started our set and were feeling pretty good when it happened. I broke a string. Well, it had been so long since I had broken a string that I didn’t have a replacement. Luckily, Donnie from Southern Drive let me borrow his guitar. After adjusting the monitors and taking what seemed like forever to get it in tune, we started back up again. Then I saw two people collide, one fall, and I heard this awful sound. Yep, the woman fell down and broke her arm. But she didn’t just break it, it was an open fracture. So, there was bone and blood. I didn’t know bone was so white! I watched for 10-20 seconds as she tried to sit up and then stopped the song and asked someone to call 911. Luckily, the woman was “a little” intoxicated and had some Xanax in her too, so she wasn’t really in any pain, but we were all mortified. The ambulance was called, blood was cleaned up, and then we were told to go back on. It was the damnedest thing. Needless to say, there was plenty to talk about on the van ride home.
Friday, May 1, Wall Street. This was our friend Courtney’s birthday. So, we were very happy to be there to play for her. We have developed a lot of great fans in Duncan, so it is always nice to make it down there to play for them. And of course, Bill and Mary are always great to us.
Saturday, April 25, Norman Music Festival. I showed up early to catch some of the other bands and immediately I knew it was going to be a great day. The NMF was easily twice the size it was last year and the energy was awesome. I was still a little nervous though, because we were scheduled to play inside the Sooner Theater at 6pm, the same time as Billy Joe Shaver. If all of the Sweet got to go see only one performer that day, we would have all gone to see Shaver and getting us all to agree on anything is a miracle. So, I kinda thought we might just be playing to 5 or 6 people. Nevertheless, I was pumped to play the Sooner Theater. I have always wanted to play there and after being inside recently to take photos for our new album, I had fallen in love with the theaters beauty. We managed to get prime parking for the van behind the theater and after Hush Hush Commotion finished their set, we started loading in. We got set-up and were pleased to see a familiar face running the sound board. Because Mike Simon knew us, the sound was pretty much perfect from the get go. Before I knew it, the theater was packed! There were people dancing in the isles and in the pit in front and people were even filling the balcony because there were no more seats on the floor. We had a lot of fans singing a long. But, there were a lot of knew faces there too. We got great applause after every song and the band reacted accordingly. Alan danced around and Dan seemed entranced on the keys. Nooch almost threw up from the heat and excitement, but, ever the professional, kept it together. We loved every moment and couldn’t have asked for a better turnout, a better response, or a better day. I sure hope we get the opportunity to play NMF again next year!
Friday, April 24, Cowtown. We hadn’t been to Cowtown in awhile so we were excited to see Jay, Mindy, Steve, Kelly, and the gang again. Like Duncan, Shawnee has become a place of great fans, so it is always a good trip. This trip we were working with a different PA and we were attempting to run it ourselves. The result was the longest sound check ever! I didn’t think we were going to survive as a band through that sound check. But, finally, we made it and the show began. We played a little bit of everything, including some new things we are working on. A bachelor party made for an interesting night, but like always, we had fun.
Saturday, April 18, Happy Tyler Day. This was our third year to play Happy Tyler Day and if I get my say, we’ll be playing it for many years to come. HTD is a benefit concert to raise money for a scholarship program in honor of Tyler, a good friend and family member to many in the Okarche area, who passed too soon. For the second year in a row, we were paired with the Brandon Clark Band. BCB hails from Tulsa and we really don’t see them much, but what a great group of guys. We have a great time together and I always enjoy playing with them. I really wish we got to do it more often. Anyway, we ate our complimentary Eishen’s chicken, imbibed of the drink of choice, Boone’s farm, listened to some incredible music, and raised some money for a great cause. Oh, I also brought my protégé, Wyatt (Tyler’s nephew) on stage for the second year in a row. He threw out CDs and strummed my guitar. He has improved since last year and apparently saved enough money to buy himself his own guitar. Now, he is saving to take lessons from Alan. So, maybe next year he will actually play with us on stage.










Hello folks, how's everyone? Me? I'm fine. A little warn out after a pretty busy weekend. But that was to be expected. As you all know, Mama Sweet drove up to Manhattan KS on Thursday to play at a bar called "Longhorns." We were stoked because this would be the first time we've ever played in Kansas. It was a great drive. As you all know, I love long drives, and this one was no exception. At times, it was pretty desolate, but when you can see miles in front and behind, you can get away with triple digit MPH. We were scheduled to play support for Mark McKinney, so when we showed up during their sound check. Nice guys and a Great show. If you get a chance, check 'em out and tell 'em you're a FOS. They had some folks two-steppin' like crazy. I'm talking flips and stuff. Frantic, exhausting movements. We made some new fans, I traded the Door Guy a CD for a roll of Copenhagen. I don't dip. Got drunk with the bar owner. I'm hoping we get to go back.
The next night we were back home at the Deli. You know how these things go. Very crowded and rowdy. Good times all around. We had the attitude of a victorious army returning home from battle. In other words, we stepped it up. I had some fun with a flood light when someone accidentally shut off the stage lights. Thanks to everyone that contributed to a great night.
The next night we went out to the Muscle Car Ranch in Chickasha OK. Its creator, Curtis, is a very cool dude and has been hosting this party for over 20 years!!! I've never seen anything like this place. It looks like a Rout 66 museum exploded in a field. Look it up on line, as I cannot completely describe the wonderment of this place. They have a fully functional 50's roadside diner, more motorcycles (running or not) that you can count, AND two free roaming Longhorn bulls, one of which CHARGED AT ME when I got too close. After I changed my pants, we walked up to the stage to catch my good friend Johnny Fullbright warming up the crowd. They moved the show into the barn this year because of the threat of rain which proved torrential. After that night, Curtis told me they named the barn, "Rain or Shine Room" or "The House that Mama Sweet Built." It can go either way, you decide.
Next time, my friends, next time...






Hello all, I hope you all are doing fine. We've had a pretty crazy couple of days. Saturday, the Sweet shot down to Austin to play at Momo's on 6th Street. It's always fun down there. Personally, I like the drive. A good six hours making you feel like a real live traveling band. We played the 12:30 slot and I was surprised to see many new faces. It was especially nice to see Marjorie and Scott who invited the sweet to stay at their Co-Op when we go dawn in May to start the new album.
The next day, we flew back home to play at The Wormy Dog in Bricktown for a benefit for the American Heart Association. It was in honor of a little angel named Shanley Kelly. She had rare heart disease called Shones complex. At age three, she had a pacemaker and artificial heart valves. By age 12, she was in heaven. We played the same event last year and will for years to come. This year, as expected, there were more people than last year. I'm sure it will continue to grow. It's a great cause and I encourage everyone to make plans to attend next year.
Last night, I played the Monday acoustic gig at the Deli with Gabe Marshall, Blake Lennon, and John Fulbright. I think were gonna have every Monday throughout the Spring and Summer. It's a good show so you should come out. The show features an array of styles and plenty of tasty harmonies. I think it's gonna be big, especially this Summer.
I've got a busy week ahead. Wednesday I'm a Libby's in Goldsby. Thursday, the Sweet's heading up Manhattan KS. Friday, back at the Deli. Then Saturday we're at The Muscle Car ranch in Chickasha. Whew! Busy is a good problem to have. Much love and I'll tell you all about it next week. Until then!









Hello folks, how's everybody? I wanted to tell you what I did yesterday. I shot up to the daily Oklahoman headquarters with my good friend Blake Lennon (http://blakelennonmusic.com/ ) and filmed a little Internet program called "Static." It's a program created by The Oklahoman's Assistant Entertainment Editor, George Lang (http://blog.newsok.com/staticblog/), who I had the opportunity of meeting a couple weeks ago at VZD's when I performed at the Academy of Contemporary Music showcase. It's a very well done piece of webisode goodness. Mine will air Friday, April 10th. I'm sure we'll put a link up, so check it out. Peace + Grease.









Hello everyone, I hope your week end was enjoyable. Mine was okay. The Sweet had a rare week end off, but it was all good because there was plenty of basketball to take in. They hit the nail on the head when they call it 'Madness'. They rip those games off so fast, it makes your head spin. Luckily, there have been more than a few very exciting finishes (Villanova, anyone?). Of course, we all know the Sooner's season unfortunately came to an end. It was an exciting year. We had a chance to watch one of the greatest college basketball players to come through in a while. I think it's safe to say you won't be seeing the likes of Blake Griffin's talent on the collegiate floor any time soon. I want a highlight reel of that guy. It was fun watching him dunk all over everybody. But, in the end, it came down to a great player on a good team, bested by a great team full of good players. I wouldn't be surprised if the Tar Heels ended up winning the thing. Good job, Sooners, you made us proud.









What? What is today? Where have I been? Last week was a busy one. I feel as if I was playing all week. and I kinda was. Tuesday was the big St. Patty's day at O'Connell's in Norman. This is (or was) always a fun party. I remember the first time we played it. It was 2003. We went on at noon. I don't know how many of you all have been to this party but if you're there at noon, it means that you've been there since 7:00am for the green eggs and ham, and five hours of green beer later, you're walking around like a zombie from a Gunship video with green eggs and puke all over your shirt (if you still have one). I remember the headliner that year was a little band out of Stillwater called 'No Justice'. Who would've known that six years later, those guys would be close friends of ours. These days, we go on a little bit later, but the party's still the same. I love drinking that green beer with my good friends. There's something fraternal about it for me. It's hard to explain. It's like we're all drinking the same Kool-Aid in Jonestown.

Anyway, after we played our set, then we went to the Deli to watch the Hosty Duo. Say what you will about the Sunday night shows, it's hard to beat the Duo. Tic Tac is effing unreal. He never ceases to amaze. 'Lil hazy after that. I think the "green" in the beer is the same agent in moonshine that makes you go blind.
Saturday night was a blast from the past. Hard core FOS's know that when we first started out, we had 13 songs. When we played our show we played those 13 songs and that was it. We out! So we would always have a opening act. This was where the super talented Camille Harp would come in. This girl can belt with the best of 'em. Well, Saturday night at the Wormy Dog, in Bricktown, we were, yet again, blessed with the services of Ms. Harp. These days she has a kickass band behind her and the tunes are as strong as ever. I don't think we've ever has that many people in the Dog for a Mama Sweet show, and I'm certain Camille had some thing to do with that. We haven't been in that room since we recorded our Halloween show there? That can't be right. Call the Wormy Dog and ask 'em, "WTF?!" More Sweet you crazy SOB's!!!
Until next time, my friends, peace and grease!





Hello everyone, I hope you weekends were enjoyable. Mine was pretty cool. We played the ‘ol Deli on White street. Sure, we’ve done it a million times (more than that, actually) but this time we were supported by the band Charliehorse from Fayetteville, Arkansas. We meet Charliehorse last summer at Travis Linnville’s Illinois River Jam. They are a great bunch of guys and they got a great sound. You should certainly check them out. I was slightly apprehensive about the night seeing as how Spring Break is in full effect here in Nompton. I wanted to make sure these guys, who were in Little Rock the night before, didn’t drive all the way for nothing. Well, the place was packed. Good n’ crowded. Charliehorse did a fine job getting ‘em all riled up. So we went on and did a whiskey fueled 75 (that means 75 minutes, but I’m sure you know that). Gotta love the Deli, Doug and Bill were haulin’ ass behind the bar. I like to keep those guys busy, guessing, or both. After the bar, the boys from Arkansas came over to the house to try out the new fire pit. We didn’t break out the guitars but we did break out the beers, quite a few, actually. Then, I fulfilled a prophecy. I got a new tune called "Another Broken Window" and in said tune there is a line that says, "burn that Christmas tree in our backyard…" Well, I’ve saved the tree Em and I had in the house this past Christmas and at five in the morning, it only seems logical to throw that puppy on the fire. So I did. And I will NEVER do that again. The flames were, no shit, at least fifteen feet high. It lit up the backyard like it was noon. I was convinced that Johnny Law and his friends in the big red engine would soon be paying a visit to Casa de Holt. But, they didn't. All in all, it was a was a very fine evening.
Sunday night I went up to VZD's in the city to do a showcase with a young lady named Rokhsan, pronounced "Roxanne," from London. The showcase was sponsored by The Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma and headed up by Scott Booker who manages the Flaming Lips. There are ACM's all over the world so it's very exciting to think that the North American school is in our great state! They, like myself, see the incredible potential the music scene in Oklahoma possesses. They are going to nurture and support our scene and eventually grow it into the likes of Nashville or Austin. They, like myself, are tired of talented musicians from Oklahoma abandoning our state for places that would provide more exposure to a global audience. (have you ever noticed all of the Okies that are on the top of the "Texas" music charts?) Time will come that those artist will stay in state. In fact, time will come when people from Texas and all over the country will come to Oklahoma for the benefits and exposure our scene will provide. In layman's terms, "Its a really big deal" and I was honored to be a part of the evening.





Hot Cacalorum! Welcome back er'body, how was your weekend? Good. Me too. It was a historical Saturday for the Sweet. We went to Texas! I know what you're saying, "You crazy shits are in TX all the time." Correct. But this time, we took I-40 west to Amarillo (it means yellow in Spanish). It was the first time the Sweet were invited to the world famous Golden Light Cantina. All my Norman heroes have played there. Everyone from Travis Linville to Terry "Buffalo" Ware. It's always exciting to get to play a new place. Kinda like a blind date; you never know what to expect. Could be terrible and you want to skip out early, like that nightmare in Durant OK where we made forty bucks and our bar tab was $45 and the bar owner wanted to fight me (I heard that place is a highway now, HA). This time, my date was a bombshell that showed up on a Harley with a free pack of cigarettes. The staff was great. I love that sense of "feeling" out one another. They haven't heard you so they don't know what to think and you haven't really got a chance to talk with them b/c it's too early to get drunk. But three songs in and the door guy "Skitz O'Fuel," who I was sure was gonna stab one of us, was bringing rows of Whiskey shots to the stage. Success! We also got a chance to meet the owner, Arcadio (pronounced 'RKDO'). He's the perfect owner. He told me we could come back if I wrote a note to his wife explaining why he didn't come home. It was something like, "Rkdo didn't come home because the band didn't suck. Next time I hope to see you as well." Don't know if it saved his ass or not.
Also, I wanted to give a big shout to Tara and Dave who drove further than we did to make it to our show. You can never underestimate the difference familiar faces can make in an unfamiliar place. So, thank you guys very much.
All you Amarillo folks listen up. When we come back, you should be there. You missed a great show and a lot of fun.


Take it ease....


Yo and Hello,
How are all my friends? Me? Splendid. Thank you for asking. It's been a while since I've let you in on all the 'lil secrets of the Sweet Camp. So sorry, I'll do better, Dave. Lots of great news came our way in the past couple of weeks. We've been buried over there at Phenix's place, getting the Live Cd ready (real close, BTW). It looks as if we're gonna have that thing on the shelves by April or a little after. If you don't recall, this was the shows we recorded last fall; one at the Deli and Halloween night at the Wormy Dog in Bricktown. Mike Phenix is the engineer on the project and I'm here to tell you, he's doing an incredible job. You'll hear the tracks taken at the Deli and say, "No effing way!" It sounds like we're playing the Garden (maybe someday). Now I just have to figure out the artwork situation. Any ideas should be sent to Whitney (contact@mamasweet.com).
Then, in the middle of all this, we get the news that we've won the Penny Creek Studios competition. You know the one. I can't believe the response we got from all of you great fans. Word on the inside was we walked away with it. They (Penny Creek) were "blow away" with the number of votes we received. I told them that they shouldn't be surprised, considering Mama Sweet has some of the greatest f*cking fans in the world. Looks like we're gonna go down in May to get started. It's gonna take a while, after all, we have 100 hours to work with. I'm sure we'll have that thing to you by Christmas if not sooner. We very excited to get back into the Studio. It's been three years since we had the opportunity, and if you ask me, we're long over due. We've got some new material to iron out and some favorites that we've been playing for a little bit. Maybe, even some surprises. Can't wait.
Carpal tunnel. I'll get back to you and tell you all about the Stoney show in Cowtown!





Hello Er'body,
Just wanted to tell ya'll about some of the sh*t we've been up to. Wednesday night we played at the Granada Theater in Dallas, TX with Adam Hood and Mike McClure. I love this effing place! If you've never been there, do yourself a favor and catch a show (preferably Mama Sweet). The staff kicks serious ass and they have a house photog that make even the grizzliest of Nooches look sweet enough to sign. Also, I have to give props to Patsy for taking care of our bidness while we were playing. I can't wait to go back. Another great thing about this place is that they put all their shows up on YouTube, so even if you couldn't make it down that night, you can watch the whole thing right from the comfort of your own home. Is that "Sweet" or what?! Man O' man, I love me some Granada.
Friday night we headed over to Horn Frog country and Woody's Tavern in Ft. Worth. I'm sure you heard me rave about this place before. Tom (or as Nooch calls him, "Satom") is a killer front of house guy and always makes us sound better than we probably are. Bryan and the rest of the staff are good people and their always ready to get you dizzy on Root Beer shots. Lord help me, I can't stop drinking those damn things. Until next time. . .



What up ya'll? I hope everybody's still sticking to their New Year's Resolution. I, myself, have been able to. I've brushed my teeth every night this year. Ha! Well, It was an exciting weekend. We started it off Friday night back at the Deli playing to all those great Friends Of Sweet. We even saw a few faces we haven't seen in a couple years. As always, the energy was high and the dance floor was crowded. To all those people making videos of Alan's guitar solos, feel free to put those up on YouTube. If you're using those as instructional tools, good luck.
Saturday could be considered a monumental occasion in the life of Sweet. We got the chance to play The Saxon Pub in Austin, TX. Good stuff. We drove down that afternoon (I love that drive). Plenty of time to hash out "strategeries" for world domination and laugh with friends. It was a warm night, almost Spring-like. The stars were indeed, "big and bright deep in the heart of Texas". It made me wish that Spring and Summer would hurry up. As is the custom at the Saxon (and everywhere we've played in Austin for that matter), there were numerous acts on the bill. We were last, which meant we went on at 12:30am. We had our crowd of friends, and some remaining people from the acts before us. I said, "Hello, we're Mama Sweet from Norman, Oklahoma". This statement was greeted with a chorus of 'boos'. I imeadiately realized what I had done. Now, more than ever, Austin HATES Norman Oklahoma. So we started off in a hole. Oh well, been there done that. We were very excited to play on this stage and we all had a fun show. I hope we get a chance to play there again.
Speaking of hope, I hope everyone watched Barack Obama become the 44th President of the United States today. It was a moment of overwhelming significance that will be studied for as long as our country exists, and as a Historian, I felt fortunate to witness it.



Welcome back everyone!

The Holidays are over and Mama Sweet is back! We can't wait for 2009 and all the great shows we have in store. Look for in your town or a town near you! In case you're wondering what we've been up to, here's a little clip I took of our vacation.





Yo yo and hello to all my friends and family,
Just thought I'd drop by and get everyone up to speed. This past week end we went up to the Wormy Dog in Bricktown to play their Halloween party. I love these things. So many great costume ideas I could never think of (and I'm supposed to be the creative one). I have to say, the best costume I saw would be the "Wilson" character from Home Improvement. This guy was dressed identical and even had a cardboard fence fixed to his face. It was classic. Don't tell anyone, but I WILL use this costume in the future. Maybe not next year, or the year after that, but I will be Wilson. The night was equally exciting due to the fact that we were recording the second of two shows for the Mama Sweet Live album. I’m crossing my fingers that it went well. I've had my reservations about telling the world that we were trying to do something like this. The thing is, it's not like being in a studio where you can, and do, spend all afternoon on 45 seconds of a song. In the live setting, you can't go back and you can't start over. If you screw up, that's it. Song, time, and money down the drain. Being the pack of perfectionist that is the Sweet, if we think they all suck, it will turn out to be a comedy album of all the funny shit I try to say in between songs and not have a single tune on it. Oh well, we'll see I guess. All in all it was a great night and thank you to all the folks that came out to support the Sweet. There was, however, a down side to the whole night. Carnuccio thought it would be funny to drop acid before the show to increase his musical creativity. Everything was going swell until he saw the guy in the Viking costume and totally flipped, chopped the poor Norseman's arm off with a cymbal and ran screaming into the street. The Cops found him in the alley skewering cats with his sticks. I did get a chance to record his "reaction" to the ordeal, enjoy:







Hello Everybody,

Let me tell you about last weekend. The Sweet got to do a mini tour! Well, super mini. Two nights on the road covering 500 miles and two states. It was a good time. It seems as if I hadn't a chance to do some 'road livin' with my crew in a while. The First night was in Shawnee at JT's Cowtown. This place is turning into one of our favorites in the state. You've all heard me go on and on about their amazing green room. But, the Staff there are really top notch. Jay and crew are always a joy to be around. We were doing support this time for local favorites, Fat Dixie. Despite the moniker, these guys were pretty fit and there was no Dixie to be found. Turns out that some of our people knew some of their people, so it was good to meet and/or catch up with those guys. If you get a chance, check 'em out. After that show, we crawled to the van and headed east on I-40 to Sallisaw, OK where we went horizontal for a few hours. We woke up the next day and headed on out to Fayetteville, AR. Home of the Razorbacks! Soon into the drive, Dan 'The Man' Walker gave us some heads up on the traffic delays caused by the Hogs hosting 'Ol Miss at home. He instructed us to take a little scenic detour known as US71. I would highly recommend this little stretch to anyone in the area. Hilly passes and amazing views made for an enjoyable drive. We rolled up in to George's Majestic in Fayetteville 15 mins. late. No Biggie. That night we were to do support for Bleu Edmondson and they were running behind as well. That gave us an opportunity to cruise around Dickson Street for an hour or so. I've never been to Fayetteville before and I was very impressed. Dickson St. is packed full of cool bars and restaurants satisfying just about every pallet. I sound like I work for the Chamber of Commerce. Anyway, Nooch and I stopped in for a pint at a comfy little pub and watched some football. Good times. After a bit, we wandered back to the bar to sound check. I heard this place was was the shit and it most certainly is. Arley, the sound guy, is a real pro, which seems to be a luxury these days. We had a lotta fun that night. Great crowd, considering they had no idea who we were. But, as you all know, The Sweet can warm you up rather quickly. All in all it was a great night and I can't wait to go back. After the show, it was back in the van and back to Sallisaw and our room. The rest was a blur of hotel owners, left over Arby's, and flying down I-40 westbound back to Nompton. Mini tour complete. Ready for more, please.