Scott Helmer Works With Musicians On Call to Bring Music to Mattel Children's Hospital, UCLA

Jan. 15, 2013 - PRLog -- Singer-songwriter Scott Helmer’s 24 Nights good-cause performance marathon took him through nine states and 3,000 miles to play two dozen shows. If you missed this part his larger Support YOUR Cause Tour 2012-2013 tour, you can see highlights in a new video at http://www.scotthelmer.com/pages/video.

In addition to all the different venues, many of which conducted their own fundraising events and donation collections for food pantries, toy drives and more, Helmer also donated his time to play in hospitals throughout the tour. “What a lonely time for folks stuck in a hospital over the holiday season. My heart really goes out to them, so I wanted to do what I could to cheer them up.”

One of the stops Helmer made was at the UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital. Musicians On Call (http://www.musiciansoncall.org/site/PageNavigator/home)(MOC), a group that brings the healing power of live and recorded music to patients in healthcare facilities, invited him to play for kids who were in the hospital instead of being at home for Christmas. Because it was Helmer’s first time working with MOC, they teamed him up with veteran MOC musician/volunteer Kenli Mattus. Mattus showed Helmer the ropes and they even teamed up on several numbers.

Click here to watch Scott Helmer - '24 Nights - A Look Back' (Official Video) on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQBTUjWyN_s)



As Helmer put it, “Walking the halls and playing for those kids in their rooms – it’s something I will never forget. I can’t wait to work with MOC again – I encourage all musicians to get involved with a program like this. It will feed your soul and your music.”

Helmer’s debut album, Wake Me When It’s Over, scheduled for release on March 29, will be made available free of charge to anyone who donates at least $5 to a good cause. The first single, Time To Say Goodbye (http://www.scotthelmer.com/pages/music), is already available for free and can be downloaded (http://www.scotthelmer.com/pages/music) fromwww.scotthelmer.com/music. Getting the album is based on three easy steps: 1) Donate at least $5 to your favorite cause, 2) Forward your donation confirmation email or receipt tosupport@scotthelmer.com, and 3) After Helmer’s team confirms the donation, you’ll receive the link to download the album.  Helmer’s goal with the album and tour is ambitious: He wants to raise $1 million in donations to good causes all around the world.

The contagious, radio-friendly blend of rock and pop music on Wake Me When It’s Over was written and performed by Scott Helmer and his photographer-musician brother, Rich Helmer (http://www.richhelmerphotography.com/). The album was crafted at the Waterfront Studios (http://www.waterfrontstudios.org/) of legendary producer Henry Hirsch (http://www.waterfrontstudios.org/Waterfront_Studio/Henry_Hirsch.html), whose credits include Lenny Kravitz, Madonna and Mick Jagger. Hirsch also contributed to the effort by playing bass guitar and B3 organ. The songs describe journeys of pain and loss, but ultimately point towards a pathway of hope.

Helmer’s tour is inspired by his own hard knocks. “In the last recession, I lost everything, including my business and my family,” said Helmer. “We have to support the good organizations that offer lifelines to people in need." The tour, which kicked off on April 30, features solo acoustic performances of songs from the album and covers of Helmer’s favorite rock and country hits.  “I never expected this many bookings so early on. Now all we need is for 200,000 people to each donate $5 to their favorite cause to reach our ambitious goal,” said Helmer. “And I think it’ll happen.”

Information and bookings (http://www.scotthelmer.com/booking) for the Support YOUR Cause Tour 2012-2013 (http://scotthelmer.com/tour) through the website (http://www.scotthelmer.com/),http://www.scotthelmer.com or facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ScottHelmerMusic), http://www.facebook.com/ScottHelmerMusic.