Boots & The Hoots perform “The Bar That Raised Me” live - Watch

The Vat has been a destination for live music in Red Deer for nearly 20 years. The venue also holds a special place in Boots Graham’s heart. The Vat was the site of one of his first shows as a young musician. Boots and the Hoots pay tribute to one of their favourite watering holes on their forthcoming self-titled album, out later this year. Boots and the boys previewed a couple of songs from the band’s third full-length LP during a session hosted by CKUA’s Grant Stovel. Their set included The Vat-inspired ditty, “The Bar That Raised Me”. “The Vat had a backdoor to the stage. They let me play there since I was a teenager,” shares Boots. “We don’t play there so much anymore because it’s a punk rock bar, but I still drink there often.” According to Boots, the new record “will be out early to mid-summer. Lord willin’ and the creeks don’t rise.”