The Ames Winter Classic took place Friday night at the M-Shop with a variety of different music tastes and styles from local bands. 

The 9th annual music series consisted of four bands: Tires, Bitter Canyon, Strong Like Bear and Mountain Eats Mountain.

As Mountain Eats Mountain — the first band of the night — took to the stage, many audience members were seen bobbing their heads and soaking up the music. Mountain Eats Mountain is known for their post apocalyptic progressive rock music.

The following band, Strong Like Bear, consists of members Bryon Dudley, Rachel Dudley, Jordan Mull and Greg Bruna. They have been performing together since 2006, mixing alternative rock and progressive rock styles, but plan to release a stoner rock album in 2020. They performed a recent track “Passing Through the Waves.”

All of the local bands were loud and energetic, playing their music to a packed M-Shop.

Ashleigh O’Brien, an audience member, was present to find some entertainment for her Friday night. 

“This music event is very entertaining and interesting,” O’Brien said.

Bitter Canyon was up next to perform with their soulful and roots music, which included many acoustics. The band was engaging and interacted with the crowd for their 35-minute set. Bitter Canyon’s sound gave the audience a ‘good-feel’ vibe.

The instrumental electronic rock-and roll-band from Des Moines, Iowa, Tires, is a mind-bending, experimental space-rock experience. The band has produced many EPs and has played many high-profile shows, therefore treating the audience to a skilled performance. As the headlining act of the night, Tires played over an hour with instrumental, loud and outgoing music.

The Ames Winter Classic was an enjoyable time for locals as the energy and entertainment was top notch.