The Mammals

Early in 2001 the pop-folk trio the Mammals took shape once fiddler Ruth Ungar crossed paths with guitarist Michael Merenda inside a neighborhood tavern in New York City. Ungar, daughter of renowned fiddler Jay Ungar and folksinger Lyn Hardy, had briefly explored an acting career before music pulled her back. While she and Merenda juggled regular employment, Nicaraguan-born banjo player Tao Rodriguez-Seeger came aboard. With Ungar’s deep folk lineage and Rodriguez-Seeger’s status as grandson of folk legend Pete Seeger, the group naturally began shaping a distinctive sound of their own. The Mammals issued their first recording, the self-released album Evolver, in 2002. Two years afterward they joined the Signature roster, put out Rock That Babe, and welcomed bassist Jacob Silver along with drummer Chris Merenda into the permanent lineup. By 2006 the resulting quintet delivered the album Departure.