The Mammals

The pop-folk trio the Mammals came together in early 2001 after fiddler Ruth Ungar and guitarist Michael Merenda met in a local bar in New York City. Ungar, who's the daughter of famed fiddler Jay Ungar and folksinger Lyn Hardy, briefly flirted with a career in acting. While she and Merenda balanced day jobs, Nicaraguan-born banjo player Tao Rodriguez-Seeger joined the Mammals. Between Ungar's folk roots and Rodriguez-Seeger being the grandson of folk legend Pete Seeger, it was natural for the Mammals to create a soundboard of their own. In 2002, the Mammals self-released thei...