Local Spotlight On...Mama Said
The following column will appear in the January 2007 edition of Gaston Alive:
The cliché states that if you are in a rock n' roll band, you have to have started in the garage. Not so if you are a member of the Shelby, North Carolina-based band Mama Said. Their band got their start in the kitchen. Little did they know at the time they had all the right ingredients to put out great rockin' roots-based music.
Mama Said founders Helen Owen and Phil Ruff knew their music was too good to keep in the kitchen. They released their first full-length album of tunes in 1998. Eight years later would prove to be a pivotal year in the life of the band when they signed a record deal with the Colorado/Nashville-based Americana Records. In November of 2006, Mama Said released their third album Turn It Up.
Owen and Ruff handle most of the writing credits on the new record with the exception of one tune - one in which they cover Desmond Dekker's big hit "Israelites". Whether the band is playing Americana or "Jamericana", their musical approach is organic in nature; crafting top quality songs using a variety of styles and instruments.
Mama Said has left the kitchen and is now out serving up great rockin' roots flavored tunes to a venue near you. Sit back and enjoy. And don't forget to give your compliments to the band.
