Richrath Project 3:13 will bring a personal connection to its REO Speedwagon tribute Saturday at the West Penn Rod & Gun Pavillion, located on Clamtown Road in Tamaqua.

From the late 1980s to late 1990s, Michael Jahnz, Richrath Project 3:13 lead singer, worked with Gary Richrath. An East Peoria, Illinois, native, Richrath - REO’s lead guitarist from 1970 to 1989 and co-producer from 1978 to 1987 - passed away in 2015.

Based in Greendale, Wisconsin, Richrath Project 3:13 also features guitarist Dennis Pockets, pianist/keyboardist Scott Weber, bassist Antonio Acevedo and drummer Andy Crownover.

Meeting Richrath, Jahnz said, was a fluke.

In the mid-1980s, Jahnz’s band Vancouver had moved to southern California from the Midwest to pursue its rock-and-roll dreams. In addition to playing the Hollywood circuit, band members had regular jobs.

“My drummer Tracy was working at a convenience store and one day, who comes walking in, Gary Richrath,” said Jahnz, who had previously opened for Badfinger. “Gary looked at Tracy with his long hair and asked if he happened to be in a band. Gary said we should jam sometime. We thought, ‘ya right.‘ Lo and behold, he did end up contacting us.”

Jahnz, who though liking REO as a youth favored progressive rock bands such as Yes and Rush, worked on demos with Richrath.

“After he heard my voice, he insisted I become his lead vocalist and frontman. I was a bass player, so Gary taught me to play rhythm guitar. As soon as the split with REO happened, we became the Richrath Band.”

In 1992, Richrath released “Only the Strong Survive” on GNP Crescendo Records. The album featured original recordings by Jahnz and Richrath, including five Jahnz-penned tracks.

After touring for about a decade and with Richrath having issues that needed attention, “we decided to part ways,” Jahnz explained. “I moved back to the Milwaukee area to help with my ailing father. After he passed, I decided to start the music up again.

“The 3:13 was always a me and Gary ‘thing,’” he continued, “so I named my new band Project 3:13. When Gary and I were constantly in the studio and he was having me rehearse over and over again, we always found ourselves seeing 3:13 a.m. on the clock. My late brother Bob’s birthday was also 3/13.”

In 2003, Jahnz released his solo album. The set included original songs and re-recordings of his self-penned “Only the Strong Survive” tracks. Around 2018, Crescendo Records asked Jahnz if he had any unreleased songs from his time with Richrath.

“I dusted off some old demo tapes from that time period, and, I did,” he said. “We thought it would be amazing to give Richrath fans some ‘new’ Richrath music. Hence, the continuation of the old Richrath Band with the new Richrath Project 3:13.”

In 2019, Jahnz and his current band headed to Los Angeles to start recording an album that would include Richrath’s isolated guitar work and background vocals. The album was put on hold, though, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

In early 2021, Dark Star Records picked up the project. The group headed back into the studio in the Milwaukee area, again playing along with the isolated tracks.

“It sounded like Gary was in the studio with us,“ Jahnz recalled. “We always have Gary’s guitar strap and glass slide placed on Dennis’ Marshall amp when we play. I feel he’s with us in spirit.”

The resulting album, “L.A. Is Mine,” contains three songs Richrath wrote and performed on: the title track, “These Nights” and “Help Me Save Me From Myself.” As for additional unreleased Richrath works, “yes, there are a few more in the vault,” Jahnz confirmed.

At the Tamaqua show, fans should expect to hear Richrath-penned REO classics such as “Take it on the Run” and “Ridin’ the Storm Out.” The band, Jahnz added, also performs fan-favorite REO ballads, such as “Keep On Lovin’ You” and “Can’t Fight This Feeling.”

In addition, Jahnz said, Richrath Project 3:13 will “rock a little harder, the way Richrath meant the band to be, with older tunes like ‘Golden Country’ and ‘Like You Do.’ We also love to get the crowd movin’ with ‘157 Riverside Avenue’ and ‘Roll with the Changes.’”

The show will also include “Heard It on the Radio,” a single from “L.A. is Mine,” and perhaps other surprises.

Looking back on his years with Richrath, Jahnz’s many memorable moments include opening for Styx in front of 80,000 people in Kansas. Richrath, Jahnz said, “was as nice as they come. He had a heart of gold. He was my mentor and best friend. He taught me to always make time for our fans.”

Furthermore, “Gary taught me to write songs from the heart, about things that truly mean something to me. He will always be missed and I will do my best to keep his legacy alive as long as I can.”