Indie-roots trailblazers, high-octane Americana from rafter-raising to hear-a-pin-drop balladry
Click image for hi-res. Photograph by Tania Barricklo. more hi res photos here.
ABOUT.
The Mammals are an indie-roots band from New York’s Hudson Valley led by singer-songwriters Ruth Ungar and Mike Merenda. Over two decades, this fiercely independent outfit has built a legacy of genre-defying, politically charged, and emotionally resonant folk-rock praised as “some of the best songwriting of their generation” (LA Times). Their music resonates with urgency and tenderness—amplifying the voices of conscience, connection, and the full spectrum of human experience.
Emerging in the early 2000s as “subversive acoustic traditionalists” (Boston Globe), The Mammals blend old-timey roots with lyrical fire and magnetic force. After a period of redefinition as Mike + Ruthy, the band reemerged in 2017 and have since continued to forge music that is as topical as it is timeless. The Washington Post writes, “They don’t suffer from multiple genre syndrome—they celebrate it.”
Their forthcoming 2025 double album Touch Grass Vol. 1 & 2 marks the band’s most expansive offering to date. A lyrical wake-up call and a tender salve, the album was recorded at their own Humble Abode Music studio over four years. Produced by the band and mastered by Greg Calbi, Touch Grass pulses with Americana soul, front-porch folk, and barn-burning electricity. Volume 1 channels defiant spirit with tracks like “Unpopular Ideas” and “Rolling Stone Refugee,” while Volume 2 invites introspection and healing with meditative songs like “Luna Light” and “Heal Our Heart.” “Doing good doesn’t have to mean do more,” they sing—reminding us that kindness and community are forms of resistance.
Their previous release, Nonet (2020), was hailed as a landmark album that “marshals the defiant spirit needed to heal a damaged world” (No Depression), and the band continues to evolve with their sound, touring internationally and maintaining a vibrant creative base in the Catskills. Twice a year, The Mammals host The Hoot, a spirited folk festival they curate at The Ashokan Center, a nod to Ruth’s musical heritage—she’s the daughter of legendary fiddler Jay Ungar, composer of “Ashokan Farewell.”
With praise from fans, press, and peers including Anaïs Mitchell (“a national treasure”), The Mammals remain in the vanguard of today’s folk revival—musical storytellers rooted in empathy, joy, and fierce authenticity.
“Some of the best songwriting of their generation.” - LA Times
“A national treasure.” - Anais Mitchell
”A party band with a conscience” - Boston Globe
"Some of the best folk-rock music you will ever hear.” - TapeOp
"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
REVIEW: 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
click image for hi-res photo by tania barricklo more hi res photos here.
Praise for Nonet.
Nonet /nōˈnet/ noun
1. a group of nine people or things, especially musicians.
2. an album by The Mammals
Like a superhero called to the scene of a crisis, The Mammals have returned with encouraging words of compassion and hope just when they’re needed most… “Nonet” was recorded before the pandemic, yet the timeless concerns it addresses — the common good, environmental responsibility, and resistance to injustice — feel especially relevant now… Nonet marshals the defiant spirit needed to heal a damaged world… With so much uncertainly in the air right now, The Mammals’ clear-eyed optimism is especially valuable. If “Nonet” won’t solve the world’s ills, it surely makes it easier to face them. - No Depression
[Nonet] is big and free and uplifting me at the perfect time! A great fuckin’ record.” - Ani DiFranco
[Nonet], the new and sensational album from the Americana band, The Mammals . . . It is highly polished, it is beautifully constructed and arranged, and you’ll be hearing a lot more of it.” - BBC Scotland
“A collection of songs that drip with raw humanity… Nonet is a welcome reminder of the intuition that can bounce off the walls when a group of people get together and make art… something you can crank up with the windows down. Something that can feel a little like freedom, even when you’re not leaving the house. - Folk Alley
“Protest folk records are usually reactionary, but somehow Mike + Ruthy seem to have predicted this moment with their new album.” - WMBR “Pipeline”
“The songwriting of The Mammals is firmly rooted in the hand-me-down folk music of politics, community and rural splendor.” - American Songwriter
“Transcendent new album from a brilliant group. Do yourself a favor and listen please. Joy-generator right here.” - Rhett Miller
“Nothing short of sublime. 9/10” - Americana UK
”[Nonet] is big and free and uplifting me at the perfect time! A great f***in’ record.” - Ani DiFranco
“The Mammals are solid-gold-hearted and their music is too. Check this one out. ” - Anais Mitchell
"What was likely written as an album about where hope resides in a strange political season, reads now as an album about all the reasons to put our selves aside and protect our neighbors. After all, we humans are capable of all of this when we get together—the hope but also the layers of sound, the ability to turn darkness and fear into something you can crank up with the windows down. Something that can feel a little like freedom, even when you’re not leaving the house.” - Kim Ruehl, Folk Alley