BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//wp-events-plugin.com//7.2.3.1//EN TZID:America/New_York X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VEVENT UID:156590@kingstonhappenings.org DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260517T190000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260517T190000 DTSTAMP:20260511T121401Z URL:https://kingstonhappenings.org/events/the-mammals/ SUMMARY:The Mammals DESCRIPTION:There has always been something disarmingly human about The Mam mals. Long before culture fractured into its current bewildering kaleidosc ope of noise and contradiction\, they were already tending to the quiet\, essential work: remembering the stories that hold people together\, and si nging them with an honesty that resists corrosion. Their music feels less like performance and more like a gathering—a return to the communal spac es where truth is spoken gently\, without spectacle.\nFormed by Mike Meren da and Ruth Ungar\, The Mammals emerged from the fertile soil of folk trad ition\, but not as preservationists. They listened closely to the past but their instinct was always restorative rather than nostalgic. They carried forward the lineage of protest music\, family harmony\, and grassroots re silience\, weaving them into something alive\, awake\, and stunningly cont emporary. Their songs carry the emotional clarity of people who understand what is at stake—not just politically\, but spiritually\, culturally\, even ecologically.\nTheir work is concerned with the fragile foundations o f real life: land\, community\, lineage\, the dignity of work\, the precar ity of hope. They write like people who have seen both the beauty and the unraveling of the American story and who still believe\, stubbornly\, in t he possibility of repair. And their performances—welcoming\, unrushed\, almost ceremonial—create a space where audiences can breathe again\, rem embering themselves in the process.\nOut of this ethos emerged The Hoot\, the biannual festival at the Ashokan Center that Ruthy and Mike helped bui ld from dream to gathering place. The Hoot is not simply an event\; it is an act of cultural care—an invitation for people of all ages to come tog ether in the woods\, to listen\, to dance\, to learn\, to reconnect. It is a living manifestation of what The Mammals believe in: music as community \, community as medicine\, and the land itself as teacher. The festival ha s become a kind of sanctuary\, a reminder that joy and belonging are not l uxuries but necessities.\nThe Mammals make music for a world that is forge tting how to listen. In their harmonies is a reminder that truth is rarely loud\, that connection can be a form of resistance\, and that art—when rooted in sincerity—can help us navigate even the most unsettled times. They offer not answers but companionship\, a kind of melodic refuge where the heart can regather its strength. Their newest release\, Touch Grass Vo l. 1 &\; 2\, continues this work—songs rooted in kinship and the urge nt need to reconnect with the world beneath our feet. The albums feel like field notes from the heart: intimate\, grounded\, and offered in a spirit of repair.\nIn an era defined by fracture\, The Mammals remain devoted to wholeness: to the places they sing about\, the communities they nurture\, and the fragile\, enduring human spirit at the center of it all.\nQuotes. \n"The Woody / Pete spirit of the 1940s-'50s can be found more vibrantly i n their music than anywhere else in 2025 . . . their music deeply deserves to be heard from the redwood forest to the Gulf Stream waters.” - No De pression\n”Indie-folk heart and a radical spirit that feels both deeply rooted and urgently current.” - RBR music\n“A genre-breaking collectiv e that blends folk\, blues\, rock and soul into a potent mix . . . renowne d for their politically charged lyrics and deep commitment to their commun ity. . . beautiful double album.” - AmericanaUK 9/10\n“Some of the bes t songwriting of their generation.” - LA Times\n"Some of the best folk-r ock music you will ever hear.” - TapeOp\n“A national treasure.” - An ais Mitchell”A party band with a conscience” - Boston Globe\n"In the v anguard of today's vibrant folk revival" - PopMatters\n“One of New York State’s finest treasures.” - Americana UK\n“These two will shatter a ny preconceived stereotypical notions of what it means to be a folk musici an.” - Coastal Journal\nReview. Reviving the Rebel Soul of Americana\n “The Mammals make music for the moment—and the movement. Anchored in t he fertile folk traditions of the Hudson Valley\, this fiercely independen t band blends string-band swagger with indie-folk heart and a radical spir it 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 Ameri cana\, and give it something real to say.And say something\, they do. Thei r 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 Pe te 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 Mamma ls cut through with grit\, grace\, and a palpable sense of purpose. Whethe r they’re headlining a folk festival\, recording in their own homegrown Humble Abode Studio\, or showing up for a cause in their backyard\, The Ma mmals carry on a living tradition: one where music doesn’t just entertai n—it empowers.”- RBR Music (June 13\, 2025)\n\n\nhttps://www.themammal s.love/ ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://kingstonhappenings.org/wp-content/upload s/2026/05/641717984_1571993844726172_3532829450978015676_n.jpg CATEGORIES:@Featured,@Newsletter,@Weekly Pick,Music,Nightlife and entertainment LOCATION:Colony Woodstock NY\, 22 Rock City Rd\, Woodstock\, New York\, Uni ted States GEO:42.0424924;-74.11799489999999 X-APPLE-STRUCTURED-LOCATION;VALUE=URI;X-ADDRESS=22 Rock City Rd\, Woodstock \, New York\, United States;X-APPLE-RADIUS=100;X-TITLE=Colony Woodstock NY :geo:42.0424924,-74.11799489999999 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York X-LIC-LOCATION:America/New_York BEGIN:DAYLIGHT DTSTART:20260308T030000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE END:VCALENDAR