Review by No Depression
The Mammals — Touch Grass Vol. 1 & 2

The wild roots of the folk music set loose by Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger almost a century ago continue to tangle through the landscape of American music. Some of it involves direct descendents: About a half-dozen Guthries are out there carrying the torch in their own ways. On the Seeger side, grandson Tao Rodriguez-Seeger emerged around a quarter-century ago as a member of an upstate New York band called The Mammals, though he's no longer with them. But the husband-wife team of Mike Merenda and Ruth Ungar have carried The Mammals forward, and I'd argue that the Woody/Pete spirit of the 1940s-'50s can be found more vibrantly in their music than anywhere else in 2025. It's right there in the first track, "Unpopular Ideas," in which they stress decent acts of kindness and humanity to counter the fascist wave presently setting fire to America.

Merenda and Ungar share the vocal leads throughout Touch Grass, and both play multiple stringed instruments. Brothers Brandon and Tim Morrison keep the train rolling on bass and drums, respectively, with keyboardist Will Bryant providing atmosphere and backing vocals. I could single out some favorite moments — Ungar's exuberant fiddle on the instrumental "Washington's March," her uplifting vocal on "One Good Friend," the enchanting spell they cast with harmonies on "Luna Light," the quiet power of Merenda's voice as he admits on "I'll Tell You" that "it's a world that I am only starting to survive." But really it's the entirety of these seventeen tracks taken together that fully reveals the magic of this band. Their lives and tours are so focused on the Northeast that other parts of country may be less aware of the The Mammals, but their music deeply deserves to be heard from the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters.

November 20, 2025

Review by RBR Music: 
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” 

June 13, 2025

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