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Completion of Leave the Light On, the group’s studio debut, reflects three-years of sheer determination to coordinate schedules of a group consisting of Memphis’ most in-demand artists, in addition to navigating the unforeseen impact of a global health crisis on the entire music industry.

Though the maturity and dexterity of the orchestra members shone loud and clear on the group’s first release, the sophomore effort refines and elevates the group’s presentation, employing a clarity and quality complementary to the veteran musicianship within Love Light’s ranks.

Tossing the songbook aside in favor of mostly original tunes, Love Light proves their staying power and reinforces an outlook pointed toward the future while honoring the context of their collective musical past.

“The Love Light Orchestra is lightning in a bottle.”

– Scott Barretta, Living Blues

Intrepid Artists Int’l wants to congratulate All of the 2022 Blues Music Award Nominees! We especially want to recognize those we represent and send a Big Congrats out to our 33 Artists Nominations in 17 different categories.

All Intrepid Nominees listed below

B.B. King Entertainer of the Year –
Eric Gales
Mr. Sipp (Castro Coleman)

Band of the Year –
Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials

Song of the Year –
“Fragile Peace and Certain War”
written by Carolyn Wonderland
“Holler If You Hear Me”
written by Jeff Schoedl & Mark Solveson
(Altered Five Blues Band)
“I’d Climb Mountains”
written by Selwyn Birchwood

Contemporary Blues Female Artist –
Vanessa Collier
Carolyn Wonderland

Soul Blues Female Artist –
Kat Riggins

Instrumentalist: Bass –
Larry Fulcher

Instrumentalist: Guitar –
Laura Chavez (Nikki Hill / Vanessa Collier)
Eric Gales

Instrumentalist: Horn –
Marc Franklin (Love Light Orchestra)
Regi Oliver (Selwyn Birchwood)

Instrumentalist: Vocal –
John Németh
Curtis Salgado

Album of the Year –
Altered Five Blues Band, Holler If You Hear Me

Contemporary Blues Album –
Curtis Salgado, Damage Control
Altered Five Blues Band, Holler If You Hear Me

Best Emerging Artist Album –
Veronica Lewis, You Ain’t Unlucky

Blues Rock Album –
Mike Zito, Resurrection
Popa Chubby, Tinfoil Hat

Blues Rock Artist –
Albert Castiglia
Ana Popovic

Contemporary Blues Male Artist –
Selwyn Birchwood
Mr. Sipp

Soul Blues Male Artist –
John Németh
Curtis Salgado

Instrumentalist: Drums –
Danny Banks (John Németh)

Instrumentalist: Piano –
Mike Finnigan (Phantom Blues Band)
Dave Keyes (Popa Chubby)
Veronica Lewis
Jim Pugh (Phantom Blues Band)

We are booking dates now for 2022.

The Full List of Nominees can be found at:
https://blues.org/blues-music-awards/

On Monday, December 20, award-winning vocalist and musician Curtis Salgado, the man NPR Music calls “an icon” with “a huge voice,” will launch the emotionally riveting video of Always Say I Love You (At The End Of Your Goodbyes). The original song – a heartfelt, soulful ballad with a moving, universal message of loss and the redemptive power of love – is a featured track on his 2021 Alligator album, Damage Control.

The video – which visually follows the song’s narrative and includes Salgado’s passionate performance – was recorded in Salgado’s hometown of Portland, Oregon in April 2021, and directed by Joshua James Huff. According to Salgado, “The song is about closure. And when someone you know and care about passes on, you might wonder when was the last time you saw them and what were your final words together. Was it something you now regret or something heartfelt and positive? Life is uncertain and finite. That’s why I always try to say, ‘I love you,’ at the end of my goodbyes.”

Alligator founder and president Bruce Iglauer says, “This is one of the most beautiful and moving songs and performances I’ve ever heard, and the video perfectly captures the power and passion of the story and the soulfulness and subtlety of Curtis’ performance.”

Damage Control is being hailed as the best album of Salgado’s long career. Produced by Salgado, Damage Control is packed with soul-searching, street-smart, vividly detailed, instantly memorable songs. With a career spanning more than three decades, Salgado, a six-time winner of the Blues Music Award for Contemporary Soul Blues Male Artist Of The Year (most recently in 2021), is a one-of-a-kind talent whose music is as compelling as his story. From co-fronting The Robert Cray Band to leading his own band (and recording nine solo albums) to helping transform John Belushi into “Joliet” Jake Blues to touring the country with Steve Miller and Santana, he is a true musical giant.

Click Here To View Video

Inspired by the variety and abundance of music in her parents’ collection, it makes sense that Kat’s own music is peppered with hints of R&B, soul, country, gospel, hip-hop, and rock-n-roll. Make no mistake; however, Kat Riggins is undeniably a BLUES WOMAN! She travels the world with the sole mission of keeping the blues alive and thriving through her Blues Revival Movement.

She has been vocally compared to Koko Taylor, Etta James and Tina Turner to name a few. While obviously influenced by those icons, Mrs. Riggins has a voice and delivery all her own. Full of power, rasp and grit she can belt out one of her contemporary blues originals one minute, then deliver a tender, sultry standard the next. She does this all while making each person in her audience feel as if she is speaking directly to them. Blues Revivals are interactive and personal no matter how large the crowd. This intimacy is what makes every Blues Revival a memorable experience…not only for the audience, but also for Kat.

Order Eric’s new release Crown out January 28, 2022 at:

https://smarturl.it/Eric-Gales-MLG

The Altered Five makes music with swaggering, bruising, barrelhouse grit! A 2018 Blues Music Award nominee, this Milwaukee-based quintet released its latest album, Holler If You Hear Me, on Blind Pig Records. Recorded over five days in Nashville, TN and produced by three-time Grammy winner Tom Hambridge, the 13 original tracks showcase the band’s deft songwriting, frontman Jeff Taylor’s mighty baritone voice, and the intuitive musical interplay of the longtime bandmates. Harmonica ace Jason Ricci also joins the group on five tracks. The album debuted at #3 on the Billboard Blues Chart.

With the reviews for the new record already pouring in, Look for The Altered Five to make a Huge Blues Rockin’ Splash in 2022!!! Lookout! CANNONBALL!

“With incendiary guitar chops and raw, powerful vocals, fiery Texas blues rocker Carolyn Wonderland  draws instant comparisons to fellow Texans Stevie Ray Vaughan and Janis Joplin.”  —NPR Music

On Tempting Fate, Wonderland delivers ten riveting songs, including five fiery originals (and one co-written with her Mayall bandmate Greg Rzab). The ex-lead guitarist in John Mayall’s Blues Breakers delivers an exuberant and astonishing collection of songs, deeply rooted, yet fired by a rocker’s sensibility.  The tracks pit brilliant originals with revelatory versions of songs by Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead, John Mayall and Billy Joe Shaver, with sparks flying from Wonderland’s guitar and the undeniable soul in her voice.

“I can’t wait to share the new album,” says Wonderland. “I got to record a dream list of songs and play with a dream list of people. And Dave (producer Dave Alvin) really got me to kick the doors in.”

On his aptly-titled Provogue Records’ debut, ‘What Happens Next,’ out October 22^nd, roots singer-

songwriter and guitarist Davy Knowles boldly steps forward with timeless and cohesive songwriting; sleek modern production; and a lyrical, play-for-the-song guitar approach informed from soul, folk, rock, and blues.

“When it came time to record this album, it was all about supporting the songs as opposed to ‘how quickly I can get to the guitar solo’,” the Isle of Man-born, Chicago-based artist says laughing. “I’m not a purist, and the way for roots music to stay relevant is to adapt and progress.”

Despite the songs on ‘What Happens Next’ featuring concise lead guitar playing, fans of Knowles’s fleet-fingered lead style fear not for the blues-rock fire still burns inside him. Knowles says: “This album taught me about restraint in terms of guitar playing. I had to reign it in to let the songs breathe, but I am looking forward to reimagining them and stretching out when we play live.”

Josh Daniel has just joined the Intrepid family!

For working musician, Josh Daniel, the year 2020 looked to be the most promising to date. With a calendar full of festivals, club shows, and a few brewery gigs, he was booked solid playing the music he loves. When the Covid19 pandemic hit in March of 2020, music venues shut their doors, and his calendar was wiped clean. The singer-songwriter took to his Facebook page and pledged to his fans to play live on Facebook every day until the pandemic ended.

Day in and day out, Daniel showed up on the screen to offer respite from the deluge of grim news, often with his wife, Kellie, and two young children, Maddie and Sonny, going about their daily lives in the background – a scene most of us can now relate to.

By the time Daniel approached 300 consecutive, live shows, he had earned Pollstar’s #8 live-streaming artist of the year, garnered a call from Kelly Clarkson with an invitation to appear on her show, and drew the attention of The New York Times. Playing music every day has solidified Daniel’s performance chops and increased his live performance catalog tenfold, including the release of his single entitled, “Live Long Days.”

When you don’t see him streaming live, he’s busy writing new material, releasing new music, and planning his upcoming Fern Club campaign.