Monday nights in Issaquah just got a little more interesting.

Grimaldi’s Coffee House hosted its first Open Mic night from 7-9 p.m. Monday, April 27, and will keep the practice up every fourth Monday of the month.

“We’re very excited to be able to offer this,” said Tanya Alter, event coordinator for the coffee house. “It’s great to be able to promote people who want to share their music.”

The notion came about after a customer who frequents the coffee house and is involved in the local music scene approached employees with the idea, Alter said. After several brainstorming sessions, the details of the event were born.

Alter said one of the more interesting things they learned in the planning process is that across the country, Mondays are the most common choice for an open mic night.

“I think that’s kind of to kick the week off,” she said. “And that’s really a good thing for us — to bring in people who are ready to get the week going and have fun.”

Because Mondays are typically slow days, Alter said there’s no telling what kind of turnout the event will have in the long run. However, interest has been steady and she said the coffee house has received a lot of inquiries about it.

“I think because it’s a smaller, intimate place … people can get up close and personal, and really feel the connection with the music,” she said.

And feel it they did — both the set list and the coffee house were full by 7 p.m. with an excited crowd. Many people were frequenters of Grimaldi’s music nights, but there were a lot of new faces in the crowd, too.

Anyone interested in performing in the future should arrive at 6:30 p.m. and get their name on a list. Alter said most people should be able to play several songs, but it all depends on how many people sign up.

The first night welcomed eight performers, and each group got to showcase about three songs.

And Open Mic events aren’t just fun for the people watching — they’re a boon for the performers, Alter said.

“It gives people the opportunity to promote themselves in a situation where they don’t have to do a full set, but just a couple of songs, and also get the experience of performing on a mic,” she said.

One of the bands who performed even left the night scheduled to play at the coffee house in the future.

Grimaldis currently plays host to live performers every Friday and Saturday, and most Thursday evenings and Sunday afternoons. A poetry open mic night is also on the docket, and should begin in mid-May, Alter said.

“We’re just hoping for the best, hoping a lot of people come, and hoping for some fun,” she said. “It’s all new to us, but we’re very excited. It’s going to be great.”

The next Open Mic night will be May 25.

For information about events at Grimaldis Coffee House, go to www.grimaldiscoffee.com.