Local act, the Mumford’s, celebrated their CD release show Saturday night at the Ames Progressive, nearly causing the tightly pack venue to explode.

Preceded by three bands — Talking Mountain, Lady Soul and Utopia Park — and followed by Bootytronic, the DJs responsible for the bootyTronic dance parties at Project 20/20, 2424 Lincoln Way, the show Saturday night defined what the Ames Progressive has been about since its creation nearly three years ago.

Mumford’s band member Nate Logsdon is the director and booking agent, also working with a board to run the Ames Progressive’s venue. Logsdon wants the music space to “feel like a home,” and with the communal space, welcoming atmosphere and the down and dirty, up close and personal style, it does in fact feel that way.

The space may be no bigger than the average apartment, but the goal is for it to be about the music. It provides an intimate and community-driven environment that puts the fans face to face with the performer, which builds a contagious energy that pulls every person in the room into the show.

The venue is set up much like a gallery. The walls are lined with couches and chairs showcase the work of local artist Deb Anders-Bond. It does in fact feel like a very generous person has opened up their home to a huge number of people to come and listen.

Saturday’s performance featured promising talent. Opening act Talking Mountain stormed the venue with their fast-paced techno-meets-pop, putting on a visually enticing show that felt like a mind trip — the good kind.

Next up was Lady Soul, an inspired, humorous and enthralling band that had nearly every person standing and dancing. The addicting riffs, reminiscent of Janis Joplin meshed with a beautiful mix of other styles from punk to funk, was clearly a favorite of quite a few fans in the venue.

Utopia Park, I must say, took me by surprise. The venue, as mentioned, is rather small, with a ceiling so low I’ve seen a taller man hit his head jumping up and down. During Utopia Park, not one person was left untouched by the engrossing music, which ended in crowd surfing, a hole in the ceiling and the singer without a shirt and pants.

Then the headliners, Mumford’s, came on, and they were perfect, as expected.

Ames Progressive is clearly growing, what with the 118 people in attendance that night. It has the incredible capacity to create some perfectly orchestrated performances from such a small performance space.

In addition, every Sunday the Ames Progressive hosts an open mic night featuring a variety of musicians. Paul Hertz performs anything from classical jazz to contemporary sounds on the spot without preparation. His spontaneous performances take the night into a communal jam session involving any musician that happens to be there.

Bob Anders, who is highly involved in planning for the venue, said Hertz “really rocks it; he starts the jam.”

Anders agrees the venue should feel like a home and should be about the music, not the booze; a frequent occurrence at shows held in bars.

Ames Progressive has a very communal feel; the venue gives out so much and doesn’t ask much in return. It exists for the music and the music’s progression in Ames.

Go to this venue and you will find yourself in a rare space that feels enclosed yet welcoming, and find that there are people who make it about the community’s music; not the money and not the party, but the music.

To view the podcast, see the schedule of shows and events and stay up-to-date with the magazine visit www.amesprogressive.org.