The characteristically cozy Castaways venue opened its doors Saturday night to U-Melt, a progressive jam band from New York City, and local favorites The Buddhi.

The Buddhi, formerly known as Mystic Trick, opened the show with tunes familiar to anyone who keeps up with the local music scene. It also provided fresh songs from its new album “What’s Shakin.” The Buddhi warmed up the crowd by laying out funky beats with its six-person jam that echoed through the venue. The band ended its set with a 21st birthday shout-out to saxophonist Remi Kunstler as the crowd, friends and fans alike burst into “Happy Birthday.”

The set change was fast as U-Melt set up its instruments and rushed through sound check, eager to play. As sound check grew quiet and the show was about to begin, drummer George Miller graced the stage, banged out a few notes and quickly said, “Alright, I’m warm, let’s play.” With that, the set opened on a high note with “Green Paper Society” as the audience immediately kicked into dance mode.

U-Melt’s ability to surprise and delight a crowd with extensive improvisation, heavy jams and infectious cover tunes means its live show is never a let down. Even better, the band’s reciprocal exchange of energy with the audience keeps both fans and musicians excited. U-Melt’s sophomore album, “The I’s Mind,” released in 2006, showcases the band’s ability to get the core of its songs down in the studio and then break into long jams and take the crowd on some crazy loops during live shows.

The band followed up with fan favorites “Air,” “Perfect World” and “Schizophrenia.” A mix of sultry swaggers and funky feet pranced around the dance floor as U-Melt busted into “Praise You.” The ’90s electronic favorite, made famous by Fatboy Slim, got the crowd and the band jumping around and singing together.

U-Melt played covers that seemed to be hand-selected during the set to match the ebb and flow of the crowd’s vibe. Everyone was celebrating as the band members encouraged each other with smiles and nods as each spiced up the songs with his own flavors.

The first set ended like a fast-paced dance party when the band abruptly stopped and took a quick 15-minute set break. The crowd moved out to the back dock but were almost immediately called back in by heavy beats coming from the stage as U-Melt broke into its second set with “415.”

The band kept the crowd engaged as it embarked on a musical journey with twists and turns throughout the show. U-Melt’s onstage complexity, with a mixture of bass-heavy jams and spacey keyboard solos, gave the crowd something new to look forward to with multiple changes of pace and style within every song.

Crowd interaction and energy increased as concertgoers pushed forward toward a jam-packed front row.  Fans screamed requests during the seconds between songs, and the band responded by acknowledging how “killer” the crowd was that night.  

When each member of U-Melt took his respective solo during the second set, the lights went down to focus on him, visually emphasizing each different, thick sound as it blared through the speakers.

The second set came to a close with a trippy, Latino-flavored song called “Eternal Groove.” As U-Melt stepped offstage, the crowd yelled for an encore, as any concertgoer would expect. The band came back and, with only minutes until last call, graced the Castaways audience with one more song. The familiar melody of Seal’s 1991 hit “Crazy” came through the speakers as keyboardist Zac Losher told the crowd it would be “a quickie.” The crowd sang along in the final serenade that ended a classic U-Melt show.

The crowd seemed musically nourished and fulfilled as it exited the venue, while the band stuck around to chat with fans as they took down the set. Conversation surrounded U-Melt’s tour, which  will hit 18 cities across the country before looping back to upstate New York on Oct. 31 for a Halloween show at the new Westcott Theater in Syracuse.