MANSFIELD — Francis Mallmann, a famous chef from Argentina recently said, “in order to grow and to improve you have to be there a bit at the edge of uncertainty.”
If the local band Mumvies Boy had a caption directly beneath it’s name, the words uncertainty, even risk, would inevitably appear.
The name comes from a familial inside legend about an elusive boy between the ages of six and 12 out for revenge on his family who left him for dead, recited every holiday somewhere along Maine’s banks by Isaac family members.
Although the story has been embellished over the years during casual card games and marshmallow roasting, the end phrase endured: “Watch out for the Mumvies boy.”
Co-founding member Tom Isaac exhaled a nonchalant chortle as he shared his family’s tale and how its last two words became the four-piece band’s new name.
They used to perform as Belmont, a nostalgic stop on the Chicago subway line that co-founder Michael Davanzo frequented when he attended school in the Windy City.
“But we found out there’s another band, I think they play metal, that’s called Belmont,” Isaac explained. “So we thought we would avoid the cease-and-desist letter we might get in the future if they ever got huge.”
So now the Mansfield band goes by Mumvies Boy. And like the Isaac family tale, their self-described electronic-folk music endeavors to evoke mystery, enchantment — uncertainty.
The two friends have always shared the same tastes in music but never thought to put their abilities together for a uniform sound until they formed Belmont.
Isaac plays an omnichord, keys with effects and a ukulele. Davanzo has stuck with the guitar and his vocals.
When asked to describe their electronic-folk genre, they proudly said they had no clue.
“We’re just riding it out,” Davanzo said.
When they blend, the sound is just as they describe it: folky and electronic. The folk sound pours out in Davanzo’s backcountry plucking, soft falsetto and Isaac’s whirs of electronic effects and occasional ukulele strum — he also writes nearly all the lyrics.
The band has gone through some member turn-over, partly due to job offers and college classes. But Davanzo said most of the turn-over has to do with an inability in some members to take criticism.
“You can’t take criticism too hard when you’re in a band that’s exploring their sound,” Davanzo said.
Their newest drummer, 29-year-old Justin Bauer, said he’s the easiest to get along with because of his experience with all sorts of musical endeavors.
“I’ve done everything from musical theater to metal bands,” he said.
Bauer knows band drama. His last band, a metal band from the area, disbanded in 2012.
“The end game for me here is to just get the fulfillment in playing music again,” Bauer said.
He said he’ll enjoy it while it lasts — he is well aware that his band members plan on moving out west to either Denver or Portland after the summer months.
“Yeah, we want to take it out there,” Isaac said to his nodding friend.
The two hope to move to a larger scene to make Mumvies Boy their “main thing.”
“You know, I just want to write music and perform it. I like giving performances. It’s a really cool feeling to be up there and just do it,” Davanzo said.
Some might criticize Davanzo and Isaac’s decision to move away because of the risk involved. What will they do for money? Food? Where will they live? What if they don’t succeed?
The risk — the uncertainty — is not ignored. But they are not afraid of it either. In fact, they invite it.
“We see this as a viable option,” Isaac said. “We’ll see what happens.”
