Sweat. It covers the artists and dabbles its presence in the crowd. The trumpet wails, the player arches his back, transforming the sound from a trumpet call to a cry of passion exuding from its bell. This is what Nate Logsdon lives for: the thrill

of performing

Logsdon and his main band Mumford’s have played many Iowa festivals such as 80/35 and Mission Creek. Logsdon is also a member of the bands Beefcake, Little Ruckus and Christopher the Conquered.

He is one of the many leading the charge to bring the Ames music scene to the forefront and is also co-founder of the upcoming Maximum Ames Music Festival.

“[Ames is] super positive, super warm, really active,” Logsdon said. “There’s awesome recording studios; there’s awesome venues; there’s extremely good bands, really positive atmosphere, really great folks. … I honestly think that Ames has

the best music scene in the country right now.”

Logsdon is a locally-grown boy, born and raised in Ames.

“I was all about band in high school — marching band, pep band and concert band,” Logsdon said. “That was always my thing. [I] played trumpet. And I’ve always played piano. When I was growing up, I took piano lessons and I have always loved playing piano.”

There was one event in his life, however, that would change Logsdon’s life forever.

“In about 2006, I met Kate Kennedy; she’s a local singer/songwriter, amazing musician,” Logsdon said. “And I became good friends with her, and she had just released an album and it super inspired me. It’s still one of my favorite albums. And she taught me how to play the guitar, and I started writing my own songs and then Mumford’s started from there. Kate was one of the original members of Mumford’s, too.”

Logsdon is in quite a few bands in Ames but all of them share one common element: energy. They are all known for delivering a high-energy live show for the crowd to enjoy.

“The whole time I have been performing, and even when I was little, I would get super excited,” Logsdon said. “On the one hand I just have a lot of energy from performance. I love it, it’s my passion, it just drives me crazy. But at the same time, I’m also super inspired by a few bands in particular. I’m really inspired by The Poison Control Center, that’s one of my favorite bands. That was the first local band I really, really got into and fell in love with. Utopia Park is also a great example, they’re another band that goes really hard.”

George Potter, the Maintenance Shop director for the Student Union Board, remembers the first time he met Logsdon.

“He was shirtless, rapping in a ska song … and he kept yelling out ‘Ames forever!’” Potter said. “And I thought to myself ‘This guy loves life.’”

Jim Brockpahler, entertainment coordinator at the Memorial Union, also recalls the first time he saw Logsdon perform.

“It would’ve been last fall I think, and I had heard a lot about [Mumford’s] before that,” Brockpahler said. “All I really remember was that it was a great, crazy show. Just a really great show and he made it a point to thank and appreciate everyone in the crowd and the band.”

Anyone who has seen Logsdon perform has experienced his love of a good, sweaty show. “The power of sweat” is a virtue by which Nate Logsdon lives. It is part of his performances and enhances the experience.

“It cleanses your body [for] one thing. Sweating is really good for you. But then also when you’re at a show and you see the band sweating and really giving it … the amount of activity going on here is really passionate,” Logsdon said. “When you’re at a show, you see a lot of physical passion and it’s inspiring because it raises blood levels and raises your heart rate and it just makes you excited.

In every performance, Logsdon strives to bring that amount of energy to his audiences, making his bands some of the most energetic in the local music scene.

“It makes you think ‘Wow I’m having fun right now, I am hyped up right now’,” Logsdon said. “This is something I’m definitely going to remember.”