Mumford’s: Nate Logsdon’s ‘Immediate Family’

Mumfords front man, Nate Logsdon. The band plays Little BIG Fest on Friday, Nov. 15.

Truth time: Few people in the state work as hard, day in and day out, at all things music as Nate Logsdon.

Between his solo and various side projects, running Maximum Ames Records, getting people excited about the Maximum Ames Music Festival and booking shows at DG’s Taphouse, Logsdon is a limitless fount of energy. But at the beating heart of all of it is Logsdon’s signature sound, Mumford’s, formed in 2008. Mumford’s draws its name from late jazz drummer Don Mumford, who Logsdon met by chance before the drummer’s 2007 death.

“(Don) inspired me to start playing music with other people,” Logsdon said via email. “He died in an accident shortly after I met him, and the band Mumford’s formed in his honor.”

Mumford’s lineup can best be described as “fluid.” While there are a number of recurring members, Logsdon’s is the only face you’re positively guaranteed to see at every show. The rest of the band’s makeup and size will vary depending on schedules and venue size. It’s a kind of collective agreement that Logsdon feels embraces his overall philosophy on music and life.

“Our flexibility is partially a reflection of our mission to represent our community and always bring new talents and voices to bear on our music,” he said. “We think of ourselves as a municipal band for the underground.”

Musically, Mumford’s albums are built from a highly conceptual point of view. Logsdon likes his themes, and he enjoys engaging listeners and challenging them to keep up. The band’s new album, “Immediate Family,” drops this month, and the band is using Little BIG Fest as an album release show.

“(‘Immediate Family’) is a collection of extended narrative ballads,” Logsdon explained. “Every song is an elaborate story with multiple characters, some of whom interact throughout the record over different songs. It’s very elaborate and bizarre (but) very beautiful, too. The bulk of the album was recorded live at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Ames. Strings, horns and choir vocals accompany a really tight rhythm section that benefited a lot from being recorded live.

“We are super proud of (the album). It’s a pretty demanding record. It’s not really background music because the lyrics and themes are super confrontational. But it’s also very rewarding if you go with it.” CV