Pittsfield — There’s no shortage of mammals at Hancock Shaker Village. We see lambs, piglets, and calves every spring in the Round Stone Barn. But none of these animals can sing a note of music, never mind something healing and inspirational that could be nominated for Song of the Year at the International Folk Music Awards or elicit “instant full-room sing-along, with a chorus that honors the past while envisioning a bright future of green energy, and good, positive human collaboration.” For that, you need The Mammals. Fortunately, you can have them, but only for two hours on Saturday, July 27, starting at 7:30 p.m. (at Hancock Shaker Village, but not in the barn).
The Mammals are Ruth Ungar (fiddle, ukulele, guitar, vocals); Mike Merenda (guitar, banjo, ukulele, percussion, vocals); Konrad Meissner (drums); and a “rotating inner circle” of the group’s favorite bass, keyboard and pedal steel players. They make general light of being “too folk for the rock show” and “too rock for the folk show.” But, to put it in their own elegant language, they “hit the critical emotional and sonic touchstones of both.” (Yes, they said that about themselves, but it happens to be true.)
Ruth and Mike met in 1998 in New York City’s Lower East Side and formed the Mammals with Tao Rodríguez-Seeger in 2001. Mentors the likes of Pete Seeger (Tao’s grandfather), Arlo Guthrie, and Odetta have helped the group mature over the decades, and they’ve had the privilege of collaborating with many of their musical heroes.
In 2018, the Mammals released their fifth album, “Sunshiner,” the title track of which appears on the Americana Music Association’s “Top 100 Albums and Songs for 2018.” The song, a paean to alternative energy, was nominated by the International Folk Music Awards for “2018 Song of the Year.” Another song on the album, “My Baby Drinks Water,” confirms that Ruth and Mike prefer to serve unleaded H2O to their children.
The Mammals have performed at major music festivals and other venues in Canada, Australia, Denmark, the United Kingdom and throughout the USA, including MASS MoCA’s FreshGrass Festival. Additionally, Ruth and Mike have produced the bi-annual Winter Hoot and Summer Hoot folk music festivals at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge, New York, since 2013.
Clearly, these people know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it.
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The Mammals accept support from their fans via the crowdfunding platform Patreon.
