Shaela Miller’s Windy City Opry has become a bona fide hit for roots music fans on the second Wednesday of every month.

 Red Deer country trio Boots and the Hoots, who inspired Miller to run with the idea, played a sweet show at the Slice, Feb. 8 for a good sized crowd on a chilly Wednesday. While I missed the Danny Dyck trio’s opening set and most of Boots and the Hoots as the Oprys always start on time at 8 p.m.

I caught the essence of Boots and the Hoots. Boots joked he doesn’t play many covers, but wound down his trio’s set with a whole bunch of them including Roger Miller’s “ Dang Me,” and a medley of Hank Williams’s hits.

“If you don’t know these songs, you’re probably dead,” frontman Boots Graham joked. He also played his quirky originals including the highlight “Lower the Bar,” and “Never Been To Jail,” which sounded like an old D Rangers song.

The trio, bassist Sean V and lead guitarist Tyler Allen were tight, with Allen playing some hot, swinging solos. He also sang a Kris Kristofferson song