One of the area’s most unique bands will play for its biggest audience yet at the Summer Arts Festival

They just wanted to enjoy their retirement years jamming at a local senior center. Now five years later, the United Senior Services Jammers want to continue to rock till they drop.

The group now boasts 12 musicians in their late 60s to early 70s, performing classic rock and folk tunes from the 1960s and ’70s at various area events.

The Jammers will play for potentially their largest audience yet from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 23 during the Summer Arts Festival’s Live on the Terrace program.

The show will precede the evening’s main attraction, political humor troupe Capitol Steps. Admission is free.

Jammers organizer and founding member Jim Oliver has played guitar for more than 40 years. He wanted to continue and joined with a couple others at United Senior Services for informal jam sessions.

With the organization offering music lessons to seniors, interest grew and the band was born, taking the name from their jamming roots. The lineup includes seven men and five women playing guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle and even a Cajon.

Five members sing. There is a drummer who is currently unavailable with health issues.

“We just like a chance to point toward something,” said Oliver.

The only requirement is to be a member of United Senior Services. But there’s another secret ingredient the Jammers have even that the biggest bands who split didn’t.

“We are a unique group in that we like each other,” said Oliver. “We go out and hang out together after the music.”

It isn’t just the rock ‘n roll attitude with the Jammers. They’ve adopted technology to help their sound such as a new 16-channel mixer, speakers and monitors, and store their music on tablets.

The Jammers have more than 200 songs in their musical arsenal. They take on Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead and Crosby, Stills and Nash on the rock side; Leonard Cohen, The Band, John Denver and Peter, Paul and Mary on the folk side.

“You never know what you’ll hear,” Oliver added. “Our vocals are really tight. Our biggest problem is sometimes having enough space for all our musicians.”

The group’s first performance was at the Pizza ‘N’ Stuff restaurant and has since played at retirement homes, the North Hampton Street Fair, Springfield Family YMCA and the Springfield Farmers Market.

Their biggest previous audience was at a Northwestern High School event.

Although they don’t normally play for pay, the Jammers donate any earnings right back to sponsoring body United Senior Services as thanks for letting them rehearse there.

Live on the Terrace showcases local talent, and the Jammers have practiced more lately to make a big impression. Oliver wants the audience to get the vibe of how close they are.

“We just love getting together and having a good time,” he said.


HOW TO GO

What: United Senior Services Jammers

Where: Turner Pavilion, Veteran’s Park, Springfield

When: Saturday, June 23, 7 p.m.

Admission: Free

More info: call 937-324-2712 or go to www.SpringfieldArtsCouncil.org

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