Live @ The MACC Presents Johnny Helm with John Cruz on May 29

Honolulu-based singer/songwriter Johnny Helm, with special  guest John Cruz, have been added to the schedule of free streamed Saturday night Live @ the MACC concerts. They will play May 29 at 7:30 pm on the Castle Theater stage at the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

The concert will be streamed on the MACC website, Facebook and YouTube pages and on Akakū Channel 55. 

Helm is a veteran broadcaster and production director for many of Hawaii’s top radio stations and a three time Nā Hōkū Hanohano award nominee. He self-describes his music as acoustic folk rock. 

Helm is well known in Hawai’i, but he hopes the recent inclusion of his song Ride in the closing credits of the Amazon Prime motion picture The Ride will lead to a broader, worldwide audience for his music.

He continues to score music for film as well as produce and record independent artists including Channel Davis from New Zealand, Patrick Kell from El Paso, Texas and Hawai‘i-based artists, including Aiden Laprete, Jenny Yim and Tavana.  

His three Nā Hōkū Hanohano nominations were for his first EP, Banyan Tree, followed by the albums Divide and his latest release, Lainey and the 93.  

In 2008, Helm met and began writing with Jed Leiber, son of legendary songwriter Jerry Leiber (of the writing team Leiber and Stoller). Jed Leiber is the founder/owner of the famed Nightbird Recording Studios in Los Angeles and has written for and with a number of music artists including Jeff Beck, Aretha Franklin, Cyndi Lauper and Peter Frampton. Helm and Leiber have written and recorded 12 songs for an ongoing project and continue to write together.

Singer-songwriter John Cruz, who last appeared at the MACC in November for a drive-in and live-streamed Live @ the  MACC concert, engages audiences with rich storytelling through songs ranging from Hawaiian to blues, folk, R&B and  more. Cruz is both a Grammy and Nā Hōkū Hanohano Award-winner. Captivating guitar playing, soulful vocals and a compassionate, genuine heart make Cruz one of Hawai‘i’s most beloved artists.

The Live @ the MACC series launched in November 2020 to offer a respite during the pandemic and bring joy to the community via the arts and various art forms. The events in the Live @ the MACC  series have been a combination of drive-in movies as well as live and live-streamed concerts. The series is supported by the County of Maui and the Office of Economic Development,

Donations and support for the MACC are welcome and can be  made online at www.mauiarts.org/donate. 

The MACC closed to the public on a daily basis in March 2020 due to the pandemic and remains closed to follow current state and county COVID-19 guidelines.