Album Notes

"Evolver" is the first studio album by The Mammals. Their earlier live CD "Born Live" and newer studio CD "Rock That Babe" are also available on CD Baby.

In 2002, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, Michael Merenda, and Ruth Ungar welcomed the recording studio into their living room and collaborated with producer/engineer Max Feldman to create this varied and ground-breaking gem.

Many tracks are sparsely arranged for fiddle, banjo, and guitar. Others incorporate bass, drums and overdubs - a forshadowing of things to come on later recordings.

The vocals are captivating, the music toe-tapping, the songwriting poignant, and the arrangements of traditional and classic songs, "Lady Margaret," "Way Down the Old Plank Road," and "1952 Vincent Black Lightning" overflow with energy and originality.

Guest musicians on this CD include: Lyn Hardy, Aoife O'Donovan, Jay Ungar, Molly Mason, Ken Maiuri, Sarah Lee Guthrie, and Johnny Irion.

The current Mammals quintet tours internationally and features Jacob Silver on bass and Chris Merenda on drums.

Over the years, the band has continued to create a strongly grounded acoustic sound that is beautiful, energized, and raw - preserving the timeless appeal of American roots music.

"The Mammals play old-time stringband music the way Jack Kerouac wrote novels - with an abandon born of a deep understanding of structure and form. Their sound is wild, mirthful, and masterful." - Scott Alarik, Boston Globe