Mike Merenda and Ruth Ungar Merenda have been making music together as the Mammals since 2001, with a little break in 2008 to play as Mike & Ruthy. They’ve been back as the Mammals since 2017 with a couple of great albums, most recently Touch Grass Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Mike, born and raised in New Hampshire, picked up the banjo after he met fiddler Ruth Ungar. Ruth is the daughter of Jay Ungar, a much-loved folk musician who is best known for his composition, “Ashokan Farewell,” used as the theme tune to the Ken Burns 1990 documentary The Civil War, which you now have playing in your head. Essentially, Ruth grew up surrounded by folk music, which she talked all about on her previous appearance on Basic Folk.
This time around, we dig into a few of the songs on their double album Touch Grass. There are A LOT to choose from: seventeen tracks in all. It was a four-year project recorded at their Humble Abode studio in the Catskills. The songs offer a mix of socially conscious “daytime” folk-rock and introspective “nighttime” Americana. We get into the gospel influence on “O The Cruelty,” the bare-bones arrangements of “Old Friend,” and keeping the sadness in check with “Doldrums.” They also talk a bit about their home venue, the Ashokan Center, where their musical festival the Hoot takes place. Let it be known that the center has a ton of old farm equipment and no, they do not want any more, so don’t ask them to take it. Thanks, Mike & Ruthy!
Photo Credit: Lead image and vertical alternate image by Wayne Gibbous; square alternate image by Tanya Barricklo.
Ready for another batch of new songs and videos? Great! ‘Cause You Gotta Hear This.
It’s a roundup full of friendship and interpersonal connections this week. First up, Americana rockers Chamomile & Whiskey bring a new video for “Friends Are Falling Out.” In the vein of classic, folky alt-rock sounds, the track and video explore the fragility of relationships with a deep groove, distortion, and fiddle and banjo. But keep scrolling, as you’ll also find singer-songwriter Kim Moberg’s testament to the all-too-rare true friend with her new track, “I’ll Always Be A Friend.” The jangly modern folk number was born from Moberg’s desire to communicate to her old and new friends how important they are to her. The paeans to friendship continue with a new video from old-time/folk duo Paper Wings, who debuted their new single “Fumblin” earlier this week. It’s a double-guitar track about awkwardness, eagerness, and how we all stumble through life and through relationships.
There’s still more to enjoy elsewhere in our collection, too. Bluegrass icon Laurie Lewis has announced her upcoming 2026 album, O California! with a new video for “Look Down That Lonesome Road.” Lewis took the mournful ballad, wrote new verses, and set the lyric to a jammy, driving bluegrass tune that drips with her signature sounds. Plus, fiddler Andy Leftwich calls on his pal, guitarist Cody Kilby, to trade licks on a new original fiddle tune he’s just released called “Old Hickory.” You might never guess he first wrote the melody on guitar.
You won’t want to miss “The Doldrums” from New York Americana string band The Mammals. They’ve just dropped an animated video for the track from their recent project, Touch Grass, Vol. 1. The song might just be a cure for its own namesake; it’s a perfect selection to take with us into the often doldrums-heavy winter months. Finally, don’t miss a brand new single from iconic folk trio The Lone Bellow. Today they announced their upcoming record, which will release in February 2026 and was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. “You Were Living” finds the band with an expansive, resplendent sound that certainly sounds like The Lone Bellow, but steeped in the Shoals.
There’s plenty to find and enjoy in our conglomeration of new music. Scroll on for more. You Gotta Hear This!
Chamomile & Whiskey, “Friends Are Falling Out”
Artist:Chamomile & Whiskey Hometown: Charlottesville, Virginia Song: “Friends Are Falling Out” Release Date: November 19, 2025
In Their Words: “I wrote the line ‘that broken heart might just catch a break’ after meeting up with a friend of mine. She had regaled me with her latest story in a long line of bad relationships. I live in Charlottesville, which isn’t very big, and we’ve got plenty of small-town drama. The song kind of came out of some of that and the fragility of friendships. I finished writing it just before we celebrated 1,000 shows as a band.
“In preparation for the show, Marie and I did an in-studio performance at WNRN, a station we’ve long had a good relationship with. I thought it would be fun to try a brand new song. A few days later they told me that NPR Music had shared the video as their live song of the day. We felt like it must have some juice and we decided to record it ASAP. We all liked the mysterious, Southern Gothic aesthetic that we felt in the studio. Critter added the banjo on top of fiddles before laying down a glass slide part on the guitar. Marie and I grew up in Nelson County and that first Old Crow Medicine Show record, O.C.M.S., was huge in our circles and reminds me of driving around those beautiful backroads as a teenager. To have Critter put his signature sound on one of our songs was special and felt full circle.” – Koda Kerl
Track Credits: Koda Kerl – Guitar, lead vocals, songwriter Marie Borgman – Fiddle, backing vocals Bobby St. Ours – Fiddle, backing vocals Brian Gregory – Bass, backing vocals Critter Fuqua – Banjo, slide guitar, backing vocals Jesse Fiske – Baritone guitar, backing vocals Drew Kimball – Electric guitar Stuart Gunter – Drums
Video Credits: Directed by Johnny Saint Ours and Jenny Carhartt. Filmed at Dürty Nelly’s Pub
Andy Leftwich, “Old Hickory”
Artist:Andy Leftwich Hometown: Carthage, Tennessee Song: “Old Hickory” Release Date: November 21, 2025 Label: Mountain Home Music Company
In Their Words: “Every once in a while, you sit down with your instrument, a melody just falls out, and within a few minutes you have a fun, catchy melody! This is exactly what happened to me with this song. Even though it’s a fiddle tune, I actually wrote it on my guitar. After a few small changes to the melody, I finally landed on something that flowed well under the fingers – not only for the fiddle, but the lead guitar part as well. I was honored to have my good friend, Cody Kilby, take the lead guitar on this one! It’s so much fun to play and was named after ‘Old Hickory,’ a town near where I live.” – Andy Leftwich
Track Credits: Andy Leftwich – Fiddle, mandolin Byron House – Upright bass Cody Kilby – Acoustic guitar Matt Menefee – Banjo
Laurie Lewis, “Look Down That Lonesome Road”
Artist:Laurie Lewis Hometown: Berkeley, California Song: “Look Down That Lonesome Road” Album:O California! Release Date: November 21, 2026 (single/video); February 13, 2026 (album)
In Their Words: “I have been playing around with this song since I heard Gaither Carlton sing it decades ago as a mournful ballad. I love it that way, but it seemed to me that sometimes parting needn’t be so sad, if you know you get to meet again (maybe at a festival next year). I started writing verses for it and when I got up to about eight or ten, I decided it was time to get serious. I love the loose arc of the story and the way the band responds to it. We winnowed down the verses to the essentials, leaving the others for the extended jam version.” – Laurie Lewis
Track Credits: Laurie Lewis – Lead vocals, acoustic guitar Brandon Godman – Fiddle George Guthrie – Banjo, harmony vocal Hasee Ciaccio – Double bass, harmony vocal
Video Credits: Produced and directed by Bria Light. Recorded at the Strawberry Music Festival in Grass Valley, CA.
The Lone Bellow, “You Were Leaving”
Artist:The Lone Bellow Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee Song: “You Were Leaving” Album:What a Time to Be Alive Release Date: November 21, 2025 (single); February 13, 2026 (album) Label: Thirty Tigers
In Their Words: “‘You Were Leaving’ is a song about the fleeting, transient nature of life. For us, the song is deeply personal, but it also feels universal. It invites people to find their own story in it, what it means to say goodbye, and what stays with us long after the leaving.” – The Lone Bellow
The Mammals, “The Doldrums”
Artist:The Mammals Hometown: West Hurley, New York Song: “The Doldrums” Album:Touch Grass, Vol 1 Release Date: November 1, 2025 Label: Humble Abode Music
In Their Words: “I wrote ‘The Doldrums’ during a stretch of isolation when joy felt out of reach and time moved so strangely. ‘Why do the good times go so fast? Why do the doldrums linger and last?’ We tend to remember the hardest part of the day when we lay down to sleep, but this song reminds me to appreciate every amazing moment. I’m grateful this recording sounds triumphant and energized – like an anthem to shake out of a low vibration and shine a bright light into the future. For all who listen, may music and friendship help carry you through the next windless day. The Mammals have your back.” – Ruth Ungar
Track Credits: Ruth Ungar – Vocals, guitar, songwriter Mike Merenda – Guitars, banjo, vocals Brandon Morrison – Bass, vocals Will Bryant – Keys, vocals Tim Morrison – Drums
Video Credits: Animated and Directed by Anne Beal.
Kim Moberg, “I’ll Always Be A Friend”
Artist:Kim Moberg Hometown: Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the traditional territory of the Indigenous Nauset and Wampanoag Nations Song: “I’ll Always Be A Friend” Album:All That Really Matters Release Date: January 30, 2026 (album)
In Their Words: “As an artist who grew up listening to the amazing singer-songwriters of the 1970s, Carole King’s ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ is embedded in my heart. I love that her song and its message about connection, support, and loyalty have endured all of these many years. I was a military ‘brat’ who attended 10 different schools in 12 years, so growing up I never lived in one place long enough to be part of a friend group or a clique. I was always ‘the new kid’ who was never included. The rare true friend meant more than gold to me.
“‘I’ll Always Be A Friend’ was born from my desire to share how important the friends in my life have been and how equally important the new friends I get to connect with through performing are to me. In these uncertain and trying times, community and friendship are paramount. (And Libra loyalty lives strong in this song!)” – Kim Moberg
Track Credits: Kim Moberg – Lead vocal, acoustic guitar Jon Evans – Bass, tenor guitar, drums, percussion, Fender Rhodes, harmony vocals
In Their Words: “‘Fumblin’ is about friendship and watching one another stumble and fumble through the joys and trials of life. We wrote this one together in the backyard in a sort of trance state, describing scenes from our lives. It’s definitely a romanticization of awkwardness and our eagerness to connect as a species despite inevitable failure at times. We played double guitars on this one which we’ve been having fun doing lately. It’s the first track in the world of ours that I recorded and mixed in my studio in Nashville, so that’s quite exciting as well. We have a lot more music coming from this space, so look out!” – Wila Frank
Video Credits: Filmed by Sami Braman, edited by Wila Frank.
Photo Credit: The Lone Bellow by Debbie Ewing; Laurie Lewis and band by Dawn Kish.
Artist:The Mammals Hometown: Woodstock, New York Song: “Radio Signal” Album:Nonet Release Date: March 27, 2020 (single); May 22 (album) Label: Humble Abode Music / Soundly
In Their Words: “The day of the 2017 Charlottesville riot I got a text from our friend, Vern, reading: ‘PLEASE for the song that kills fascists.’ ‘Radio Signal’ was written in the next 10 minutes. Where is the hope in our twisted culture? Bob Dylan says it’s in the wind. Daniel Quinn described a sacred ‘blaze of life’ that connects all things. Pete Seeger showed us the power of many people making small contributions: the ‘tea-spoon brigade.’ Each verse of ‘Radio Signal’ is a nod to one of those three great teachers, melodically informed by the beautiful old folk song, ‘Shenandoah,’ and transformed into the anthemic rock song we share with you today. ‘And I roll, and I roll, down the backroads of my soul. Lookin’ for light like a radio signal…'” — Mike Merenda, The Mammals
Mike Merenda and Ruth Ungar of The Mammals talk to Zach about their devoted activism, big-hearted protest songs, and how music can still make a difference.
Presented by Nomad Goods. Head to hellonomad.com/bgs and use code “BGS” at checkout to receive 15% off any full-priced items through the end of January.
Artist:The Mammals Hometown: Woodstock, NY Song: “Sunshiner” Album:Sunshiner Release Date: April 20, 2018 Label: Humble Abode Music
In Their Words: “I woke up with the chorus in my head: ‘Yes, my daddy was a miner, but I’m gonna be a Sunshiner.’ I was sick as a dog, but I got myself out of bed, marched myself up to our funky little studio above our garage, and began croaking out the lyric into my phone with what little voice I had. I tried to not overthink it, and the verses came together about as quickly as I could sing them. Because of my compromised singing voice, I was playing in a very low key. Something about the lazy, hushed vibe really worked for the song, so I kept it down there, even when I had my full voice back. It falls somewhere between a lullaby and a prayer, and makes for a wonderful sing-a-long at shows.
‘Sunshiner’ was actually the very last song we recorded for the album. It went over so beautifully in concert and felt so relevant to the times that we knew it had to be on the record, maybe even the title track. Ruthy and I recorded it very quickly — just ourselves playing all the instruments — and we were lucky to have some very special back-up singers come in to fill it out — Sarah Jarosz and Connor Kennedy. To change everything, we need everyone.” — Mike Merenda
Artist:The Mammals Hometown: West Hurley, NY Song: “My Baby Drinks Water” Release Date: May 1, 2017 Label: Humble Abode Music
In Their Words: “I’ve always been inspired by the defiant and plaintive imagery of Jean Richie’s Kentucky strip-mining tale ‘Black Waters’ and the way that music tugs at your heart. This song just came to me one day when we were on tour with our little boy and baby girl, and I was doing a lot of singing and nursing.
For a few years, I only sang ‘My Baby Drinks Water’ in our home (or van) as a lullaby, but the bravery of the Standing Rock water protectors inspired me to film myself singing it on the banks of the Ashokan Reservoir where we live and share it with folks. The fast and warm response to that video prompted us to make this studio recording with my family. Lyn Hardy (my mom) sings harmony, and Jay Ungar and Molly Mason (my dad and step-mom) support the mood with drones on the fiddle and bowed bass. We did our best to recreate the private feeling of this song in front of microphones. Big thanks to producer Adam Armstrong for capturing it.
We dedicate this song to families and water protectors everywhere. The more we preserve, the more there is to share. Money is artificial. Water is life.” — Ruth Ungar
Photo credit: TW Collins
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