Aaron Reed was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had to have surgery and chemotherapy; event will be soft reopening for Holly Theatre after full renovation
By James Sloan, Rogue Valley Times
After The Brothers Reed guitarist and singer Aaron Reed was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had to have surgery and chemotherapy, the musicians and bands in town were looking for ways to help out.
The Brothers Reed have played a major role in the Rogue Valley music scene, helping many artists get their first gigs, providing helpful information to up-and-comers and bringing their sound across the United States.
“When this all first happened, we had a barrage of people doing benefit stuff and a lot of musicians wanted to help out,” said Phil Reed of The Brothers Reed. “We’re all intertwined and know each other.”
One of those musicians spearheading efforts for a benefit concert was musician and host of Jefferson Public Radio’s “Open Air” show Danielle Kelly, along with singer-songwriter and music educator Bekkah McAlvage.
“When friend and fellow artist Aaron Reed of The Brothers Reed needed some support, I really wanted to do something, as did the collective local music community, including other friends, venues and musicians,” Kelly said.
The Rally for Reed benefit concert is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 2, at the Holly Theatre, with the doors opening at 3 p.m. The majority of funds are going to Aaron Reed for medical expenses and ongoing treatment.
The event will also mark the soft reopening of the Holly Theatre after a full renovation. The building is at 226 W. Sixth Street in Medford.
The Piano Guys will headline the Grand Opening Gala of the Holly Theatre on March 13. Jim Belushi and the Sacred Hearts perform March 14.
The Rally for Reed concert includes seven heavyweights on the local music scene: Danielle Kelly Soul Project, Bekkah McAlvage and Jeff Fretwell, The Illies, Clayton Joseph Scott, The John Dough Boys, The Fret Drifters, Adam Gabriel and the Cavaliers, and a guest appearance by The Brothers Reed.
The artists will perform in half-hour intervals between two stages, and the event is co-hosted by JPR and the Holly Theatre.
Tickets cost $25 per person, and there will also be a silent auction fundraiser with concessions like beer and wine upstairs in the theater along with The Melt food truck outside the building serving gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches.
Tickets can be purchased at the door or at hollytheatre.ticketspice.com/rally-for-reed.
“I think it’s awesome, the fact that the Holly Theatre is opening after being renovated for so long; when we were talking about the concert, I was thinking something small scale, but when it dropped that it would be at the Holly, I knew it was going to be huge,” Phil Reed said.
Many of the musicians are passionate about helping Aaron Reed considering he and his brother’s roles in helping their fellow musicians in the community.
“As far as connection and friendship with Phil and Aaron, since I started playing music in the valley, both brothers have been so supportive and encouraging and really believed in me as a person and my music, and I was always flattered by that,” Gabriel said. “I have so many experiences of them connecting with me on the road and connecting me with opening gigs, and I’m so honored that they put themselves out there for me and have been so encouraging.”
“They’re my comrades,” he added.
“I’ve known and looked up to Aaron Reed for a few decades. We were both cast in a friend’s student film where he told me ‘writing songs, singing and playing guitar was easy, watch:’ and broke into a rocking one-man concert on set,” Kelly said. “To watching him break into the local music scene with his band Buckle Rash, to taking notes from he and Phil on how to be a career musician in a small town — to this day I look up to Aaron for his tenacity and grind, and I know I’m not alone in that.”
Phil Reed has felt the love for his brother from the community and his musical peers.
“To see them donate time and their musical skills to help my brother out, it feels amazing,” Phil Reed said. “Aaron has done so much for the community and befriended everybody.”
Rally for Reed is a prime example of the Rogue Valley music scene’s collaborative and supportive nature, Kelly said.
“It feels really powerful to put our performance art skills to use, to make a positive impact for someone and flex our come-together-muscles as a community,” she said. “It’s beautiful to experience people taking care of each other, as it should be.”
For those who can’t attend the benefit concert but want to donate to Aaron Reed, visit gofundme.com/f/help-aaron-and-becca-fight-this-tumor.
Reach reporter James Sloan at [email protected]. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.
