Michael J. Merenda Jr. is a singer-songwriter with the American

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

band,

the Mammals The Mammals are a contemporary folk rock band based in the Hudson Valley area of New York (state), New York, in the United States. The band tours internationally and consists of founding members and principal songwriters Michael J. Merenda Jr., ...

. He plays guitar,

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

and percussion. He also has a solo career and performs with the Jay Ungar and Molly Mason Family Band.

Biography

Merenda was born and grew up in

Durham, New Hampshire Durham is a New England town, town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 15,490 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 14,638 at the 2010 census.United States Census BureauU.S. Census website 2010 ...

, where his father is a faculty member at the

University of New Hampshire The University of New Hampshire (UNH) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Durham, New Hampshire, United States. It was founded and incorporated in 1866 as a land grant coll ...

. In 1998, he graduated with a creative writing degree from

Bowdoin College Bowdoin College ( ) is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Brunswick, Maine. It was chartered in 1794. The main Bowdoin campus is located near Casco Bay and the Androscoggin River. In a ...

in Maine and he then moved to New York City. As a teenager Merenda started out playing guitar with the band Skarotum with his brother Chris. He started playing drums in elementary school, started playing the guitar in sixth grade and picked up the banjo after he met Ruth Ungar in 1998, daughter of

Jay Ungar Jay Ungar (born November 14, 1946) is an American folk musician and composer. Life and career Ungar was born in the Bronx, New York City. He frequented Greenwich Village music venues during his formative period in the 1960s. In the late 1960s ...

and Lyn Hardy. Merenda later married Ruth Ungar. In 2000, Merenda moved to Western Massachusetts. In 2001, he, Ruth, and

Tao Rodriguez-Seeger The Tao or Dao is the natural way of the universe, primarily as conceived in East Asian philosophy and religion. This seeing of life cannot be grasped as a concept. Rather, it is seen through actual living experience of one's everyday being. T ...

started

The Mammals The Mammals are a contemporary folk rock band based in the Hudson Valley area of New York (state), New York, in the United States. The band tours internationally and consists of founding members and principal songwriters Michael J. Merenda Jr., ...

. As well as being a member of the Mammals, Merenda has an active solo career with three CDs in his own name. He was supporting act for

Dan Bern Dan Bern (also known as Bernstein; born July 27, 1965) is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, novelist, and painter. His music has been compared to that of Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Ochs and Elvis Costello.Brett ...

in November 2006. In 2008, he and Ruth released their first duo cd, ''The Honeymoon Agenda'', on their own record label, Humble Abode Music.

Notes

Discography

Solo

*''Trapped in the Valley'' (2000) *''Election Day'' (2004) *''Quiver'' (2006)

Mike and Ruthy

*''The Honeymoon Agenda'' (2008) *''Waltz of the Chickadee'' (2009) *''Million to One'' (2010)

With The Mammals

*''Born Live'' (2001) *''Evolver'' (2002) *''Migration'' (EP)(2004) *''Rock That Babe'' (2004) *''Departure'' (2006)

External links

Archived websiteProfile
mikeandruthy.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Merenda, Michael J. Jr. American folk musicians American multi-instrumentalists 1976 births Bowdoin College alumni Living people American banjoists American folk singers American male singer-songwriters 21st-century American singer-songwriters