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 their debut album, Evolver. Two years later, they signed to Signature, issued
Rock That Babe, and added bassist Jacob Silver and drummer
Chris Merenda to their permanent lineup. In 2006 the quintet released the album
Departure. ~ MacKenzie Wilson