New Year… new resolutions? If you’re at a loss for a goal — because, let’s face it, “eat fewer cookies” just never seems to work out — consider this challenge: Go to a live music event in Addison County at least once a month this year.

You can start off strong with folk duo Mike + Ruthy of The Mammals, who will be coming to Burnham Hall in Lincoln this Saturday, Jan. 4. It’s part of the Burnham Presents music series that features nationally touring and regional artists of note on mostly first Saturdays September through May.

“We love Mike + Ruthy and are so happy to welcome them back to the Burnham Hall stage!” said Burnham Presents co-founder Beth Duquette. “We’ve hosted them six times or more over the years between Middlebury Festival on the Green as The Mammals, and as Mike + Ruthy at the Ripton Community Coffee House, and now at Burnham Presents.”

When it comes to chemistry, Mike Merenda and Ruth Ungar have plenty to spare. Onstage they are Mike + Ruthy, a husband-and-wife duo setting the folk scene ablaze. Singers and storytellers, poets and parents, embodying a down-home approach to Americana that is honest, beautiful and raw. Bouncing between festivals and intimate venues, these troubadours bring harmony-driven fiddle and banjo tunes to more than 100 shows a year.

Road-tested material such as the pair’s celebrated reharmonizing of Woody Guthrie’s “My New York City” cement Merenda and Ungar’s status as a “national treasure,” according to peer and Addison County native Anaïs Mitchell.

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. His crowd-pleasing piece “Sunshiner” is an ode to clean living, which simultaneously honors the past and looks to the future with the sing-along lyric, “Yes, my Daddy was a miner, but I’m gonna be a sunshiner” and was nominated for an International Folk Music Award Song of the Year.

Ungar’s unique vocal style ranges from a capella 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 she also enjoys performing. Like her father’s evocative fiddling, which is well known to elicit tears from many a rapt audience, so too does Ruthy weave a magical spell with her sonorous and emotional singing; as they like to joke: “Making people cry is the family business!”

MIKE + RUTHY WILL perform as part of the Burnham Presents music series, which features nationally touring and regional artists of note on mostly first Saturdays, September through May.
Photo by Tanya Barricklo

Mike + Ruthy have recorded and performed their exquisite, original folk music together for two decades as their namesake duo and with their seminal folk rock quintet The Mammals. They make their home in the lush Hudson River Valley of New York, where they and friends host a thriving semi-annual community folk festival called “The Hoot.”

“I have a sweet spot for the Mike + Ruthy duo,” Duquette said, sighting “their incredible chemistry, musicianship, humor and ability to connect with an audience.

“Mike and Ruthy have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place through their music,” Duquette added. “Ruthy Unger’s voice comes from a place deep in her soul that gives me the chills. It’s an honor to have them on the Burnham Presents stage.”

This is the second season for Burnham Presents, and Duquette reported that it’s going well. She said they’ve had nice full houses with a couple of sold-out shows.

“Each show has been unique with quite a few first time listeners to the artists we are presenting,” she said. “People are enjoying a night out with friends, experiencing great music and eating yummy desserts at the break.”

Doors for the Jan. 4 concert will open at 7 p.m., and the music will begin at 7:30. There will be two sets with a short intermission — pssst! That’s the time to go get your cookies!

Admission is on a sliding scale: $20 general; $25 generous; kids 12 and under $10, and no charge for youth on laps. The generous rate helps keep the sliding scale admission model. Burnham Presents absorbs the ticket processing fees and all proceeds after expenses go to the musicians. If the admission fee is a challenge, contact concert organizers directly at [email protected] or 802-349-3364. Everyone is welcome!

“We are always so grateful that people make a choice to spend their evening with us,” Duquette said.

—————

For more info about the series, musicians or tickets visit burnhampresents.org. And mark your calendars for the February concert with Eli West on Feb. 8.