Indie-roots trailblazers, high-octane Americana from rafter-raising to hear-a-pin-drop balladry

Reviving the Rebel Soul of Americana

“The Mammals make music for the moment—and the movement. Anchored in the fertile folk traditions of the Hudson Valley, this fiercely independent band blends string-band swagger with indie-folk heart and a radical spirit that feels both deeply rooted and urgently current. Co-founded by Mike Merenda and Ruth Ungar (daughter of fiddle legend Jay Ungar), The Mammals emerged in the early 2000s with a mission: revive the rebel soul of Americana, and give it something real to say.

And say something, they do. Their songs straddle the personal and political, moving from love ballads and front porch reflections to rally cries for environmental justice, labor rights, and community healing. It’s protest music with hooks—think Pete Seeger meets Wilco at a modern hootenanny. Their harmonies ache, their fiddles fly, and their lyrics don’t flinch. The Mammals aren’t here for nostalgia—they’re here to make folk music matter again.

At a time when roots music can feel either too polished or too precious, The Mammals cut through with grit, grace, and a palpable sense of purpose. Whether they’re headlining a folk festival, recording in their own homegrown Humble Abode Studio, or showing up for a cause in their backyard, The Mammals carry on a living tradition: one where music doesn’t just entertain—it empowers.”

- RBR Music (June 13, 2025)

About.

There has always been something disarmingly human about The Mammals. Long before culture fractured into its current bewildering kaleidoscope of noise and contradiction, they were already tending to the quiet, essential work: remembering the stories that hold people together, and singing them with an honesty that resists corrosion. Their music feels less like performance and more like a gathering—a return to the communal spaces where truth is spoken gently, without spectacle.

Formed by Mike Merenda and Ruth Ungar, The Mammals emerged from the fertile soil of folk tradition, but not as preservationists. They listened closely to the past, yes, but their instinct was always restorative rather than nostalgic. They carried forward the lineage of protest music, family harmony, and grassroots resilience, weaving them into something alive, awake, and stunningly contemporary. Their songs carry the emotional clarity of people who understand what is at stake—not just politically, but spiritually, culturally, even ecologically.

Their work is concerned with the fragile foundations of real life: land, community, lineage, the dignity of work, the precarity of hope. They write like people who have seen both the beauty and the unraveling of the American story and who still believe, stubbornly, in the possibility of repair. And their performances—welcoming, unrushed, almost ceremonial—create a space where audiences can breathe again, remembering themselves in the process.

Out of this ethos emerged The Hoot, the biannual festival at the Ashokan Center that Ruthy and Mike helped build from dream to gathering place. The Hoot is not simply an event; it is an act of cultural care—an invitation for people of all ages to come together in the woods, to listen, to dance, to learn, to reconnect. It is a living manifestation of what The Mammals believe in: music as community, community as medicine, and the land itself as teacher. The festival has become a kind of sanctuary, a reminder that joy and belonging are not luxuries but necessities.

The Mammals make music for a world that is forgetting how to listen. In their harmonies is a reminder that truth is rarely loud, that connection can be a form of resistance, and that art—when rooted in sincerity—can help us navigate even the most unsettled times. They offer not answers but companionship, a kind of melodic refuge where the heart can regather its strength. Their newest release, Touch Grass Vol. 1 & 2, continues this work—songs rooted in land, kinship, and the urgent need to reconnect with the world beneath our feet. The albums feel like field notes from the heart: intimate, grounded, and offered in a spirit of repair.

In an era defined by fracture, The Mammals remain devoted to wholeness: to the land they sing about, the communities they nurture, and the fragile, enduring human spirit at the center of it all.

“Some of the best songwriting of their generation.” - LA Times

"Some of the best folk-rock music you will ever hear.” - TapeOp

“A national treasure.” - Anais Mitchell

”A party band with a conscience” - Boston Globe

"In the vanguard of today's vibrant folk revival" - PopMatters

“One of New York State’s finest treasures.” - Americana UK

“These two will shatter any preconceived stereotypical notions of what it means to be a folk musician.” - Coastal Journal

“Nonet marshals the defiant spirit needed to heal a damaged world” - No Depression

“The Mammals tell stories that are at once topical and timeless, bearing a message of hope
and empowerment with a modern string-band sound.” - Freshgrass Festival

“Hailed by many as Americana trailblazers, Ruth Ungar and Mike Merenda, happily married and exuding togetherness on stage, are also gently-mannered activists with well-crafted songs that successfully ask potent questions of politicians and raise issues to probe how we can improve the planet. They deliver their material persuasively and in an eloquent manner with enjoyment of their music underpinning the approach overall. The music is the motivator throughout.” - Celtic Music Radio

Praise for Nonet.

Nonet /nōˈnet/ noun

1. a group of nine people or things, especially musicians.
2. an album by The Mammals