The inside of The Boheme Bistro on Saturday night is dark and moody. A handful of people are chatting, laughing and smoking. A few black guitar cases in the hands of some local hopefuls make their way inside.

There’s an ambiance here reminiscent of a dim fire – a lot of dark, warm tones, a feeling of passion and poetry along with a sort of wistfulness. And tonight is open mic night, where people see what the brave hearts of Ames have to offer.

“Someone’s texting me,” a man in an acoustic duo said in the middle of his act, taking his cell out of his pocket and quickly hitting a couple buttons. A few people laugh.

The acts were mostly acoustic, although the individuals performing them differed significantly in personality. Some cracked middle school-esque jokes to snatch the interest of the audience. Some shared their hearts, some laughed nervously and others just played and sang.

One aspiring poet stood up to read, changing the pace. His hands trembled a little as he shared his scribblings, but he wasn’t too frightened to laugh with the audience.

Brian Abbott, the first performer to take the stage, sang “two and a half original songs” – the last one still needs some work and is currently lacking a title- – along with some borrowed material.

Music, film and his “own sadness” all contribute to Abbott’s creative work, he said.

“I take the most inspiration from being exposed and experiencing other art,” Abbott said.

“Art is beautiful; it’s divine. It’s creative. It’s part of being human.”

One of the songs Abbott played Saturday was “The Maker” by Daniel Lanoix.

“The song resonates with me in every way,” Abbott said.

” ‘The Maker’ uses religious imagery to talk about the human condition of being estranged from ourselves, each other and God.”

Abbott’s artistic preoccupation with the human experience fuels his songwriting, he said, and themes of estrangement, doubt and redemption also find their way into his work.

Shane Moe, an ISU alum currently living in Minnesota, was visiting Ames when he took the time to visit the Boheme on Saturday, guitar in hand.

“Everything I’ve written is a prayer of some sort,” Moe said. “I’m a Christian of the Evangelical tradition.”

Specific topics vary, he said, but faith is a broad influence for his life and work. He’s been a Christian for approximately 18 years and said the struggles and hope of those years comes through in his music.

He said faith is very personal for him – more than just a set of ideas. But the ideas are significant, and with them come a lot of big questions, he said.

When he first started playing music, Moe focused a lot of energy on the technical aspect of it.

“I spent hours playing scales and stuff like that,” he said. “At this point I don’t care anything about getting better at the instrument.”

Now all he cares about is writing, he said, so he devotes a lot of time to the vocals and the words. He uses a basic chord progression and tries to let the song be about meaning than showing off, or doing what he calls “because I can” music.

“Music – for me – is all about the power of simplicity,” he said.

One of the last acts was someone who might surprise some students.

“I’ve been playing here since 1992, but back then it was Dugan’s Deli,” said Eric Bartlett, professor of electrical and computer engineering. Bartlett goes by the stage name of “Derrick Tie.”

He said many students don’t know about his other life.

“I tell them that I have unofficial office hours here Sunday night, but none of them ever show up,” he said with a laugh.

Bartlett has been playing the guitar for 35 years. In addition to covers from the likes of Paul Desmond and Pink Floyd, he plays his own music.

“You have to write about what you know,” Bartlett said.

“You have to sing about what you know, otherwise it doesn’t seem real and the audience picks up on that.”

As far as entering music professionally, Bartlett’s workload doesn’t permit it.

“That’d be fun, yeah,” he said.

“I’d really love to do that. But at this time in my career I’m pretty busy.”

That doesn’t keep Bartlett – or Derrek Tie – from performing, however.

“You got to play your own heart, and if people like it, great,” Tie said.

The next open mic night at the Boheme Bristo, 2900 West St., is 9 p.,m. Sunday.

The cost is free.