Galleywinter’s 2025 River Jam Morphs Into Flood Benefit
In the Hill Country of Central Texas, the rivers are part of the culture. Texas is scorching hot in the summer, but the rivers offer a respite. The San Marcos River, The Guadalupe, The Frio, and others are like little threads of paradise where folks go in the summer months to cool off and congregate. The more colloquial term is to “take a float.” That’s one of the reasons the flooding on the Guadalupe and in other parts of Texas on July 4th was so deadly. This is where people had come to celebrate.
It was The Guadalupe in Kerr County that overran its banks and resulted in the most destruction. It’s also on the banks of the Guadalupe where fan-run Texas/Red Dirt website Galleywinter held the Sunday portion of their annual River Jam in New Braunfels on July 13th, 2025.
Usually teeming with locals and tourists this time of year, the banks of The Guadalupe in New Braunfels were comparatively reserved last weekend, despite being the height of the summer season. But the Lone Star Float House where Galleywinter’s River Jam happened was packed to the gills with music patrons. Though the gathering was intimate, fans and performers came there from around the state, and a whole contingent of fans from South Carolina also made the trek.
Not only was Sunday’s River Jam a great opportunity to scope out and enjoy some of the most promising up-and-coming and established songwriting talent in Texas, in the aftermath of the flooding, it became an impromptu benefit, with all the performers universally stepping up to volunteer their time. It turns out they’re good people, not just good songwriters.
Good will and charity weren’t all that were showcased at the 2025 River Jam. Some rather incredible songs were performed, both new and old, and many memorable performances were experienced.
Songwriters performed in groups of three and four, with the first group featuring Victoria Camp, Kayla Jane, and Coby Rotan. Though the mood of the writer’s rounds would often turn somber due to the circumstances, there were also allowances to get a little rowdy. Kayla Jane took that opportunity to sing a new song called “Honky Tonk Shit” that was quite a hoot.
Victoria Camp from Alabama is definitely an artist you want to have on your radar. Camp comes with the soul and power of Taylor Hunnicutt, but with a penchant and gift for songwriting all her own. Seeing her perform live, you get that tingle down your neck and up your arms that tells you you’re witnessing a star in their early stages. There’s only one single on streaming services at the moment, but Camp was in Texas recording a new album, and it feels like only a matter of time before a catalyst emerges, and Camp is thrust into the national music consciousness.
Veteran songwriters JD Graham and Ben Danaher were joined by Tristan Graves and Julia Hatfield in the second songwriting round. From Lubbock, Tristan Graves ended up becoming the life of the party so to speak, not only impressing folks during his round performance, but picking songs well into the wee hours of the night.
Ben Danaher performed perhaps the most important song to hear during the event. “Nothing’s wasted on a soul to make it strong. Love brings love, pain brings resurrection” was about the perfect chorus to sing in the moment. It’s from his song “Resurrection.” It’s one of those songs that puts everything in perspective way better than mere words can.
JD Graham was also unafraid to get emotional, and even religious in his song selections, understanding the weight of the moments. This was all emphasized by Julia Hatfield’s presence beside the others. Hatfield was staying at the Blue Oak RV Park in Kerrville, TX on the Guadalupe River when the July 4th flood hit. Luckily, she survived, but some others in the same RV park did not, including members of fellow Texas country artist Pat Green’s family.
Hatfield started her songs off with a hymn, fighting back tears. By the end of her rendition of Willie Nelson’s “Always On My Mind,” her battle against the tears lost. Though she has plenty of her own songs, the Willie tune felt most appropriate at the time. “Little things I should have said and done. I just never took the time,” touched deep in the circumstances.
Lucas Jagneaux, Graycie York, and Kristen Foreman had to unenviable task of following up. Like Ben Danaher, Graycie York has now performed at Galleywinter’s River Jam five straight years, speaking to the loyalty the event has sown with performers. Lucas Jagneaux is know for being both a human jukebox for classic country songs, and for synthesizing the inspirations of these songs into classics of his own. He’s got a new one he performed called “Nobody Tell Lorrie My Amy Came Back To Town” that you can’t wait to hear the studio version of.
Kristen Foreman performed her song “Pedal Steel Me Away” that for any serious country fan will immediately find a place in your heart and feel like the song you’ve been waiting your whole life to hear. Foreman didn’t even need a steel guitar accompaniment to draw the magic and appeal out of the song from the attentive listeners.
When Cameron Allbright, Hank Weaver, Ashton Naylor, and Cameron Sacky took the stools at the Lone Star Float House, you felt like you were seeing the future of Texas country music right there in the flesh, and in the Lone Star State’s signature blend of influences. Hank Weaver feels like a honky tonk king in the making, with a traditional underpinning to songs with a rock edge.
Ashton Naylor not only impressed you with his own songs, but with the ease was able to pick out harmony lines on other people’s songs, and even pick some leads when nodded to. Cameron Sacky might be Texas radio’s next star with his catchy tunes. And Cameron Allbright might be the guy to step up into the shoes of the state’s great songwriters with the way he presents words and stories with such wisdom and insight, belying his young age.
They all finished with a great rendition of “They Call It Hill Country” by the Randy Rogers Band.
After all the rounds, Mason Lively and his band too the stage at the Lone Star Float house in stripped down style with acoustic instruments and cajon. Though some music fans might find it harder to remain attentive when things aren’t loud and boisterous, for true fans of songs, the acoustic writer’s round approach focuses your mind on the songs, and unlocks their magic in a way that often gets drowned out in loud concerts.
There are many massive amphitheater and arena-level benefits planned to help with the rebuilding of the Texas Hill Country after the floods. But all across the region and beyond, smaller gatherings and specific acts of giving are also contributing to the healing process in ways that are just as fundamental and important. And more often that not, music is involved in this charity as the musicians and their fans who’ve found so much inspiration from those Texas rivers, floats, and afternoons on porches listening to tunes turn that inspiration into giving back.
July 20, 2025 @ 4:46 am
Great article, good coverage of events that would otherwise not be known about. All new names to me, but I’ll keep them all on my radar!