A River Jam Sunday For the Hurting Hill Country

The Sunday portion of our three-day River Jam has always been the soul-filling crescendo, a perfect mix of acoustic music, stories, laughter, healing, and river views. Since 2002, River Jam has been a celebration of everything we love about this music community. And since 2009, the Sunday acoustic set at the Float House has taken on a life of its own.

That first Sunday happened spontaneously. Randy Rogers, Brady Black, Drew Kennedy, Jason Eady, and Kristen Kelly were all still riding the high of Saturday night and weren’t ready for it to end. So they circled up on the deck of the Float House, guitars in hand, and the acoustic magic began. The mold was cast: a laid-back riverside listening room, with a touch of rowdiness when the spirit called for it.

No formal stage. No strict schedule. No expectations. Just songs, fellowship, cheap beer, greasy burgers, and river time. Over the years, that tiny patio has hosted a Hall of Fame lineup of Texas songwriters. Some of the most powerful musical moments we’ve ever witnessed have happened right there, sun shining, river flowing, stories being sung into the breeze.

In the wake of last week’s devastating floods, I reached out to the 2025 roster of Sunday songwriters with a heavy heart and a hopeful idea. What if we turned every dollar collected — cash, tips, online donations — over to the Community Foundation of the Hill Country to aid recovery efforts? Without hesitation, every single artist said yes. A few even told me they’d already planned to donate their cut regardless.

Good songwriters. Even better humans.

So, this Sunday, July 13, the Float House stage is back. Music starts at 3PM. Every cent raised will go to the Community Foundation of the Hill Country. We’ll have donation QR codes up at Cheatham Street Warehouse on Friday night and Billy’s Ice on Saturday, too.

Come out. Float a little. Laugh a little. Probably shed a tear or two. Listen a lot. Help us raise some much needed funds for folks who need it. We won't just be raising money. Hopefully we can pump some morale and momentary happiness into all of us too.

One of those directly impacted by the tragedy was singer-songwriter Julia Hatfield. We shared her harrowing story earlier this week. She reached out to thank the Galleywinter community for the love and support. I told her if she needed a break from the chaos, even for a few minutes, to come join us this weekend. She replied, “That sounds nice… I could definitely use some music therapy right now.” I think she speaks for all of us.

We’ll see y’all at Cheatham, Billy’s, and on the river.