The Mammals kick off Fire In The Kitchen music series

MADISON — The Mammals, newly resurrected, will start off the 2018 winter season of the Fire In The Kitchen concert series with a show Saturday night at the North Madison Congregational Church (1271 Durham Road).

The Mammals, founded in New York’s Hudson Valley in 2001 by Ruth Ungar, Mike Merenda and Tao Rodríguez-Seeger, grandson of the late folk music icon Pete Seeger, re-emerged in 2007 with Ungar and Merdenda, who had been performing as Mike + Ruthy, up front.

The current lineup includes some former Mammal members, including Jacob Silver and Ken Maiuri when they are not touring with Lee Fields and the B-52’s, respectively.

As often is the case with the Fire In The Kitchen series, there also will be a workshop in the afternoon. The workshop, which is free, begins at 3 p.m. at the church., said orga-

nizer Charlie Shafer.

The show, which begins at 7 p.m., is $25 for adults and $5 for kids of high school age and younger. To reserve seats, call 203-668-3735. For more information, visit fireinthekitchen.org.

The Mammals call themselves “the original purveyors of rural rock.” They, along with Crooked Still, were among the first in the current wave of relatively young people playing “newwave alternative fiddle music” that brings modern sensibilities to the spirit of old-time acoustic music.

“They come from the traditions of old-time string band, with some Woody Guthrie- or Pete Seeger-style folk thrown in, but with the same energy as Woodstock’s renown The Band,” said Shafer. “It’s party music, here for you to blow those mid-January blues away.”

The Fire In The Kitchen show will benefit the Rad and Gnar foundation (kubiehn.wixsite.com/radand-gnar), created to funnel financial aid directly to A.L.S. (Lou Gehrig’s disease) sufferers and their families. The fund also runs a crossterrain bike race each summer to raise funds, Shafer said.

“It’s an interesting organization, started by Madison residents John Biehn and Katy Urso Biehn,” Shafer said. “As everyone knows, at this time A.L.S . ... has no cure, and is a slow, painful

Courtesy of Fire In The Kitchen The Mammals will start off the 2018 winter season of the Fire In The Kitchen concert series with a show on Saturday night at the North Madison Congregational Church.