River Whyless, a band originating from Asheville, North Carolina, will be gracing the Columbia Theatre with nature-themed music during The Ghost Light’s third concert.

The concert will be held on Thursday, March 20. There will be an $8 entry fee, with doors opening at 7 p.m. and the concert starting at 7:30 p.m.

River Whyless, named after its captivation with the natural world, has toured extensively across the country and even Canada since its conception in 2009. Their music has been described as folk-rock, baroque-folk and nature pop, but the band is simply seeking to give their passions form. According to Proxart Magazine, “River Whyless is as much about the music they create as the place they come from… a deeply thoughtful band, philosophical in their methods of practice and creation.”

David Avelar II, operations and production technical assistant at the Columbia Theatre, was impressed after hearing the band, and has had plans to book them at the Ghost Light for several months now.

“River Whyless was one of the first bands I booked for The Ghost Light,” said Avelar. “I saw a video of their performance at Audiotree in Chicago, which is known for their live stream, in studio concerts. I really liked what I heard, so I wanted to get them in here to headline at The Ghost Light.”

The concert will be opened by Britton Newton, followed by The Telegraph Salesmen and Denton Hatcher. Britton Newton, who is part of the band Biscuithound, will be playing an acoustic set. He is a returning artist, having previously played at the Ghost Light’s opening concert on Jan. 30. The Telegraph Salesmen are a relatively new group from Hammond, playing music based on 1920s hot club jazz which is influenced by folk and pop music. Denton Hatcher, who is an Americana folk artist from Baton Rouge, will be playing an acoustic set.

“Denton Hatcher was a recommendation from another artist, Jodi James, who played as part of our Jan. 30th show. He is a great artist from here in Louisiana, and I felt like this show was the best opportunity to bring him in,” said Avelar. “Ever since Britton Newton played here in January I have wanted to bring him back, and it worked out that he was available for the River Whyless show. The Telegraph Salesmen are a new local band that contacted me wanting to play at The Ghost Light. I felt like this show would be a good one to give them an opening set in. We’ll have a lot of great music here on the 20. I think people are really going to like it.”

The Ghost Light was conceived in September 2013 as a means of attracting people to downtown Hammond to listen to music in a family-friendly environment. It is mainly aimed towards college students, placed on Thursday nights to accommodate their class schedules. Since the venue’s opening, it has been gaining popularity and artists have praised The Ghost Light’s quality and level of professionalism.

“It’s been going good,” said Avelar. “So far the response has been positive, and the artists have been really happy. We’re taking notes and keeping track of what works and what doesn’t. I’ve already started contacting artists for our fall series of shows, so over the summer will probably be when we make any big/noticeable improvements to the space with equipment and such. As far as direction, I like where we’re headed. I think we got a good thing going here, and I am just excited to be a part of it.”

For more information on The Ghost Light’s upcoming concerts, visit columbiatheatre.org/the-ghost-light.