Making the transition from a nervous rookie standing in front of a crowd at open mic nights to a smooth, energetic performer who frequents local venues is not easy for all musicians to do.

The change is about to become a bit easier for musicians with the start of Singer/Songwriter Nights at People’s Bar and Grill, 2428 Lincoln Way. Four performers will be featured for Peoples’ first Singer/Songwriter Night Tuesday.

“It’s hard to go from open mic night to playing venues,” says Nate Emsick, founder of and performer at the new Singer/Songwriter Night. “Networking is as important as being able to play an instrument. Hopefully, it’ll get some new people involved.”

Emsick says he has played a few times at People’s and decided to try to set up something different during his time slot. He pitched the idea to management, and Singer/Songwriter Night was born.

“They used to have this in Des Moines,” Emsick says. “I thought it was a really neat thing. It was a successful event.”

Emsick says he hopes to bring the success to Ames, a town full of local musicians and local music supporters.

“My goal is to get some Iowa State students,” Emsick says. “I’m trying to mix it up.”

The variety of performers should keep the event interesting, Emsick says. He is working with Bi-Fi Records to fill one of the four spots each night. Bi-Fi artists’ talent will be mixed with fresh, unseen artists’ nervousness to create a good atmosphere and mix of sound.

The first night’s performers, singing for an hour each, will be Ben Eaton, Pat Fleming from Bi-Fi’s Poison Control Center, ISU alumni Ruby Bode and Emsick.

“I’ve been playing around Ames for about a year now,” Emsick says. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I love music, and I love performing; this is something where I get to do both.”

Emsick says he has always been drawn to music. He was the only boy in choir in fourth grade, and by seventh grade, he wanted to learn to play the guitar and saved his money all summer to buy his first guitar.

He writes and plays all his own songs, though Emsick admits he generally plays a few cover songs when performing in bars and other local venues.

“If you play a place like People’s, it’s kind of hard to play your own music,” Emsick says. “I’ve seen it many times where the crowd seems to perk up when they recognize a song.”

This will be the challenge, Emsick says. Though he doesn’t know what to expect, he hopes after a few Singer/Songwriter Nights, people will recognize the format and come to listen even if they don’t know who’s playing.

“I think [the first night] is a test to see if the interest is there. It’s a test to see if we can get people to go see people who they haven’t heard before,” Emsick says. “I’m hoping for interest from music lovers and community building for bands.”

Singer/Songwriter Night will start as a sporadically scheduled event with the holiday season approaching, but Emsick is already searching for the next performers. Variety will be somewhat limited due to the format, but that will become the event’s niche, Emsick says. Solo and duet acts will take the stage wielding only guitars or pianos and their voices.

“I see it as an opportunity for artists to have success,” Emsick says. “[But] I think to have an hour’s worth of playing, you have to take it pretty seriously. It’s a step up from open mic.”

The show will be, if nothing else, a break in the stream of usual People’s acts, Emsick says. It will be a night for music lovers to chill out and watch solo performances.

“I think we’ve got a good show,” Emsick says. “It’ll be as successful as we can make it.”