The non-profit Living With a Cause is ready to welcome the popular RiverJam band back to their Wheelersburg venue this coming weekend and are excited about the big talent returning to entertain the community.

According to the band’s website, “RiverJam is a band that was born out of necessity. One fall evening on the Ohio River, RiverJam played its first gig. The name itself was conceived that same night. While other bands promote their original material, RiverJam delights in playing standards from the eras of jazz, big band, rock n’ roll, and the famous horn bands of the day. From Maroon 5 to The Temptations, Sinatra to Stevie Wonder, RiverJam will make you want to ‘get up and jam.’”

The band is made up of five horns, a five-piece rhythm section and a trio of vocalists that lead the band through decades of hits.

“The band is loaded with talent from within the Tri-State area,” the website continued. “Many of the musicians in the band are also celebrated writers with great commercial success.”

Many of the concerts Living With a Cause provides are free to the public, thanks to sponsorships raised, but some bands require a ticket price. RiverJam is one of those performances.

“We are doing all we can to keep another Wheelersburg venue alive with lights on,” Living With a Cause’s Mike Gifford said. “We raise money and sell tickets just to keep the lights on and offer the community something to do. This isn’t about profit. We just don’t want to close it down. I don’t like to see a building dark in Wheelersburg.”

While they don’t benefit from the events themselves, with the goal being to keep the venue open, Gifford says they are, sometimes, able to raise some funding to do good in the community. Some of the causes they champion include benefits for veterans, autism awareness, down syndrome causes, and more.

“Why do we do this? We help people. Not only by providing hundreds of free shows, but also by providing opportunities to other people through our service,” Gifford explained.

RiverJam is performing Friday, November 3 at 7 p.m. Admission is $10. They are at 8805 Ohio River Road.

“RiverJim is professional. They’ve played all over, even places like Greenbriar. They’re just fantastic,” Gifford said. “We’ve welcomed them here before and everyone always asks for us to bring them back as they’re leaving, because they want to bring more people with them to listen to the band.”

Reach Joseph Pratt at (740) 353-3101, by email at [email protected], © 2023 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved.