North Country music lovers who attend our Live! Folklife Concerts know they're in for a treat whenever the magnificent Mike Merenda and Ruth Ungar come to town. Their unique brand of Americana never fails to bring down the house.
The Mike + Ruthy Band's March 10, 2016 performance marked the first time we recorded a show utilizing a three-camera shoot and multi-cam editing. We were pleased with the way videos filmed that night turned out, and are happy—more than five years later—to share one of the standout songs from that night.
Ruth Ungar’s unique vocal style ranges from a cappella balladry to earthy soul and country. She was raised in a folk music family and learned the fiddle at a young age. Her father is fiddler/composer Jay Ungar, best known for his composition Ashokan Farewell which they also enjoy performing.
Mike Merenda’s poignant songs paint pictures of the world we want to live in, inspired in great part by his favorite author, Daniel Quinn. With songs like What It All Is, and Beyond Civilization, his lyrics embrace the notion that we are all connected, to each other and to the Earth. Together they have recorded and performed their exquisite, original, Americana music together for two decades, as the duo Mike + Ruthy and with their quintet The Mammals.
They make their home in the lush Hudson River Valley of New York where they and friends host a thriving community folk festival called The Hoot.