By Jim Newell

Review Editor

Anyone who knows Reggie Love knows her best as director of the Orion Art Center for 11 years, and as a musician who has performed at area establishments and festivals.

A woman who has blended her love of the arts, family and friends and work to better those around her. For five years, Love worked as the community engagement specialist for Common Ground, an Oakland County-based organization dedicated to helping those in crisis through support programs and crisis hotline.

Now, she is bringing together an eclectic array of musicians and painters for a tribute concert in honor of those loved ones who have been lost.

Reggie Love & Friends will perform during the Dragon Heart benefit concert for Common Ground at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 21 at the Children’s Park gazebo in downtown Lake Orion.

“It’s called Dragon Heart because it’s an idea to heal our hearts by bringing the community together. And music, of course, is a great healer,” Love said.

Love said everyone feels the “ripples” of someone they have lost, and while the concert will pay tribute to those losses, she assures those who attend that it will also be a fun evening of music, art and strength.

“The Love fest set list is shaping up nicely,” Love said. “I think people will like the music. It is love-themed and I’ve never done a love-themed concert before. I’m pulling some songs from different genres that people will know and love. It’s going to be fun. I think people will be glad they came.”

The Musicians

Love describes her music as soft rock, if she had to put it in a genre, but her music also has elements of jazz and soulful ballads. She will sing some original tunes and standards that people will know, she said, including a song with a reference to Bruce Gertz.

Five other musicians, all with their own musical flair, will join Love for the concert, linking their styles into a continuous 90-minute performance.

“I’m excited to weave these different musicians together. They’re all very different and it’s going to be exciting. There will be a mix of well-loved songs and originals,” Love said.

Lake Orion singer Kathy McMinn joins Love for the concert. McMinn, a retired Lake Orion school teacher, taught both of Love’s sons, adults now, in grade school.

“She’s been a part of my life since I moved to Lake Orion. When I think of Kathy McMinn I think of a warm hug. She just pours out love,” Love said.

Don Gindhart will perform vocals and guitar. Love first performed with Gindhart’s band in 2009 and then began singing with the band regularly.

“And Don and I became pretty good friends. I’m happy he’s going to be a part of this because he’s a good guy,” Love said.

Greg Cole, a retired Lake Orion teacher, will play bass, keys and sing during the concert.

Alison Albrecht joins the group, singing and playing guitar.

“Her songs are poignant and exactly the message the of Dragon Heart show,” Love said.

Singer-songwriter Guy Harrison, Love’s son, rounds out the lineup. “He’s just a beautiful soul. We moved here when he was in second grade, so he’s a longtime Lake Orionite, too,” Love said.

The concert will also feature artists Kayla Thrushman, Janet Davidson and Christina Haylett, who will all be painting original artwork during the concert.

“I love to connect art and music because it gives people something to watch as it progresses through the show and it just adds to the experience,” Love said.

Tributes and Ripples

The concert is free for everyone to attend, though organizers will accept any goodwill donation to benefit Common Ground,

“I don’t want people to feel that this is a concert where they say, ‘Oh, they’re just asking for money.’ I don’t want to deter people from coming because they think they have to pay. This is about bringing people together through music, and any free offering they want to give is appreciated. Every bit helps. And some people don’t have anything to give, and that’s okay. They should still come.”

Each musician is donating a percentage of their stipend from the performance to Common Ground, Love said.

The concert began as a tribute to Flint-based musician Ashley Peacock, who took his own life in April. Peacock had previously performed in Lake Orion during the Summer Concert series in 2017.

“I didn’t know Ashley personally, but the whole picture of it is that we have all lost someone. For me, it was John Alessandro. That’s where my pain is,” she said. “Whoever it is for you, it’s about healing our hearts for the people that we’ve loved and lost. It’s a tribute to all of the broken hearts because someone chose to end their life.”

Alessandro was Love’s close friend and musical collaborator. He died on April 15, 2018, she said, and when she got the call that he had died, she couldn’t understand how something like that could happen to someone like John.

“The last time I saw him he came and sang with me at one of my gigs. He was one of those people who could make you feel like a million bucks. It wasn’t just me, everybody loved John,” she said. “That man was in pain and the pain had to be pretty intense for him to do what he did.”

“It’s not always suicide that breaks people’s hearts – it’s just loss, in general. The strength of a Dragon Heart, knowing that pain may never go away, but working to make your life the best it can be despite the pain,” Love said.