Kira and her younger sister Hannah perform as “Scott and the Scotts,” — at least their friend Evan kids them that they do.

Kira Layli Scott, a 2008 ISU alumna, has found satisfaction performing at open mic nights, Sundays, at the Ames Progressive, 118 Hayward Ave., It’s “really open; anyone can hop up,” she said.

“It’s like a community. You get to know everyone.”

There are no announcers. When a person is ready to perform, he or she stands up and walks toward the microphone with an acoustic guitar, places lyrics on the floor and begins. Most performers state their names and give an idea of what they’re going to play.

Kira plays an acoustic guitar to accompany some of her light-spirited songs, one about an “Elephant in the room” and one a Spanish love song meant to mock the large number of love songs on the radio. When Kira plays for a second time at the end of the night, Hannah Scott, junior in sociology and Chinese, joins her to sing back-up and beat box.

When I walked into the Ames Progressive, no more than one wide room that feels like a basement, about 15 people were sitting in chairs and on couches. In the “stage” area, carpets were laid on the floor, a small PA system was in place, and various instruments, including a piano, organ and hand drums, were placed along a wall. Most of the lighting was Christmas lights and lamps.

The atmosphere was quite relaxed. The attendees were so friendly I assumed everyone there was friends with one another, but I found I was incorrect. Everyone was encouraged at some point to play, sing or even beat box, including myself.

A tall, blond guy named Paul Hertz walked in late and took the stage quickly after arriving. First, Hertz went into an intense piano composition that went all over the place. After that, he gathered people on every instrument they could find in the room and got them all to improvise without even setting a common key.

Andy Zipf, solo musician on tour from Washington, D.C., had stopped to perform at the Progressive so his nearby relatives could hear him play.

Before he started, he stood in front and asked everyone’s names. It wasn’t something I’d have expected had I gone to watch a performance on an actual stage.

After leaving that night, I sought out my next open mic night. I assumed all the coffee shops in Ames would have one, but when I called I found out both Cafe Milo, 4800 Mortensen Road unit 101, and Cafe Diem, 229 Main St. unit 101, had put a hold on their open mic events. So my next event would be a Tuesday evening event at the Maintenance Shop.

At the M-Shop, performers must arrive within the hour prior to the show to sign up for time slots. Anyone can perform, student or not, but all are limited to 10 minutes or two songs, whichever is shorter.

These performers get the chance to play on the same stage touring bands play on, under the same lights, with a sound crew and concession selling beer and popcorn. Some play guitars and hand drums; others sing along to backing tracks.

There were about 30 people watching the performances, and the number grew to about 50 before dying down again.

While the M-Shop does allow people the chance to take a real stage without credentials, the atmosphere is also is much less personal and formal. No one gets pushed off the stage, but the M-Shop employees are running around trying to consistently keep things moving.

Perhaps the stand-out performance that night came from Cody Recker, junior in apparel merchandising, design and production, who played a mellow cover of the “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” theme song.

“I decided to go ahead and put my own rhythm and feel to it, with the help of my friend and fellow band mate Chris Hermsen on the djembe,” Recker said.

Recker comes to open mic nights to keep up with other musicians around campus, following a “who you know, not what you know” philosophy.

“I perform at open mics back home, in eastern Iowa, which is my favorite venue,” he said. “It is where my roots are and where I taught myself guitar, so I owe a lot to those sessions and my fellow musicians that attend them.”

The M-Shop does provide a dilemma when it comes to parking, with several 30-minute meters outside and spots along Lake LaVerne that can be filled if there’s a lecture or other event elsewhere in the Memorial Union. And if you grab a smoothie in Season’s Market, don’t expect to be able to bring it into the M-Shop.

However, the M-Shop did provide a wider variety of acts, including one stand-up comedian. There was a definite start and end, unlike the Ames Progressive, which went on until people were ready to leave.

The Progressive is like sitting in someone’s basement, and the M-Shop is attending a show. I can’t say one is better, although I did enjoy some popcorn while I was at the M-Shop in a houndstooth plastic bowl I was tempted to steal.