Clad in his stolen bowling shoes, Scottie Larsen entertains the drunken masses armed with only an acoustic guitar.

Larsen, who lives in Minneapolis, has played shows at several Ames locations, including People’s, Lumpy’s, Dublin Bay and a few private parties. He also plays shows in various locations across the Midwest.

Since he stole his bowling shoes from an unnamed, unsuspecting Minneapolis bowling alley, Larsen has worn them at his shows ever since.

“I’ve been performing for just over a year,” Larsen says. “I was sitting in the basement of a friend of mine’s in Algona and he said ‘You’re too good to be playing basements. You should be playing in clubs.’ “

The same friend booked Larsen’s first show at Captain’s Getaway in Okoboji. His second-ever show was at People’s, 2430 Lincoln Way.

While he enjoys playing cover songs such as John Mayer’s “Your Body is a Wonderland” and the Dave Matthews Band’s “Ants Marching” to drunk crowds, he hopes to someday enjoy a name for his own ingenuity.

“My goal is to one day walk out on stage and sing all my own songs and have everybody know them,” Larsen says. “It’s rock, it’s pop, it’s R&B. It’s all the things I’ve gathered in my life that have influenced me.”

But music wasn’t Larsen’s first love. Consumed by sports his entire life, it wasn’t until late in his career as an athlete that he stumbled upon his love for the guitar.

“I played semi-pro football for two years before I was a musician,” Larsen says. “I tried out with a bunch of different-level leagues and different teams. I never got signed by any teams, so I reassessed what I wanted to do.”

Larsen moved to Algona in pursuit of a new direction and didn’t do anything for three months.

“I didn’t go out, I didn’t travel,” Larsen says. “Finally, I went to Texas and visited the buddy that taught me how to play guitar. He said ‘Dude, if you want to do it, go for it.’ “

So that’s where Larsen has poured his heart and attention ever since.

“I kind of screwed up the whole football avenue,” Larsen says. “I didn’t work as hard as I should have, which is a mistake I won’t make in music.”

However, it was his time spent in football that led him to the guitar in the first place. Larsen found his backup quarterback sitting in his room strumming a guitar. Intrigued, Larsen asked his teammate to teach him how to play. After his friend moved away, Larsen was left on his own without a guitar or an instructor.

“Finally one day I went to a guitar store and laid down my credit card and bought a $275 guitar,” Larsen says. “I bought a bunch of books, and taught myself chords and scales and played every day as much as I could.”

And now that Larsen has toured the Midwest toting his acoustic guitar to solo shows, his act will soon become a duo, and hopefully someday, an entire band.

Micah Wagner, a friend from Texas, is quitting his job, dropping everything and moving to Minneapolis to join Larsen on stage.

“He is willing to invest his time into what I’m trying to accomplish,” Larsen says. “He just adds a lot to my show just with his abilities to play the guitar.”

But as for now, Larsen is playing weekend shows to support his weekly routine with his roommates in Minneapolis: cards and drinking on Monday, karaoke and drinking on Tuesday, bowling and drinking on Wednesday, and drinking and watching “Friends” on Thursday.

Beer or no beer, Larsen will continue to play guitar and sing, and hopefully the reaction will remain positive.

“I would like to maybe someday get a record deal,” Larsen says. “I’ve had so much fun with this over the past year. I’m entertained by it so much. That’s totally the reason I do it.”