Intrepid Artists has a treat in store for Charlotte blues fans. Back-to-back shows celebrating their 25th anniversary will bring blues artists from around the country to the Queen City for two nights of hard-hitting guitar-driven blues.
Friday 11/8/19 – Amos’ Southend
Friday nights show will take place at Charlotte’s oldest entertainment venue, Amos’ Southend. “We just went over to Amos’s the other day to do a walk through and man it’s a great venue. Sort of a New Orleans style Tipatina’s. That is what it reminds me of; very cozy, two levels, a nice balcony. Amos’ is a great venue,” said Booth.
Asked about the lineups Rick said, “Friday I have a band from Asheville Empire Strikes Brass playing. They’re a great brass band, you’ll feel like you’re in New Orleans. They’re going to be followed by The Steepwater Band. Steepwater, out of Chicago, sound a lot like the Black Crowes. Great guys bunch of hippies that can rock the guitar. Then they’ll be followed by Vanessa Collier. Vanessa won Best Saxophone Player at the Blues Music Awards this year. She is a very talented girl that’s really growing in popularity. She’s got the total package and I think people gonna love seeing her and then the finale on Friday night will be the Albert Castiglia Band. We’ve also got a ton of special guests that come in it’s going to be an all-out blues-rock guitar assault.”
Saturday 11/9/19 – Neighborhood Theatre
Saturday night the show will move up to NoDa where the Neighborhood Theatre will host the final night of the celebration. Saturday’s show will feature another amazing lineup.
“I’ve got Toronzo Cannon from Chicago. I think Toronzo is the next Buddy Guy. He’s a beast on guitar. If you like Buddy Guy, if you like Jimi Hendrix, you’ll love Toronzo. We’ve got John Nemeth and the Blue Dreamers. John’s a great soul and blues guy, one of the best harmonica players in the world. Kenny Neal, a Grammy nominee two years ago for Best Blues Album. I’ve worked with Kenny since about 1997. We’ve been through a lot together. He’s probably the most talented overall musician I’ve ever known. He can play anything. And then again, we’re going to close the night on Saturday night with Intrepid Rocks the Stones which will be hosted by the Steepwater Band with special guest Gary Hoey. Simplified from Charlotte, and so many more. So it’s going to be a great night and that Intrepid Rocks the Stones will be the finale and you don’t want to miss that. That’s gonna be cool,” said Rick.
Kenny Neal – From the beginning
Intrepid Artists prides itself on remaining a small family type of company. The relationships they have forged over the years has helped them retain some of the world’s best acts. Kenny Neal has been with Intrepid since it began.
“I’ve been with Rick ever since he started man. He called me one day, I had a guy by the name of Jack Randall working for me at the time. He got offered a bigger gig and I had just started my new album. That was his big chance, and the booking agency he was going to work for just did jazz, they didn’t do the blues. So he told Rick about me and Rick woke me up on morning and said “Hey man, Jack told me to call you. I’m starting up Intrepid [Artists] and I’m really interested in working for you, I’ll do a great job. Here it is 25 years later and it’s become family,” Kenny said.
Staying with a blues focused agent has helped Neal and many other blues artists stay on the road doing what they love.
“I started with Buddy Guy back in 1976. And back at that time the blues was just about to die out. It was really scary wondering if we were going to survive as artists. But then guys like Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn came around, and because they had a passion for the music, it sort of opened the door for the blues again. Which was a great thing. People like me and Johnny Winters and my dad and all of us. I mean, we were out there on the road, but there wasn’t many places that wanted you to play the blues. Disco had just really killed us. So when Rick, and guys like that get together who really have a passion for the music and work hard to promote it. It’s just wonderful to have someone who cares and wants to help,” Neal said.
Rick is excited to celebrate this anniversary with his family of artists, and hopes Charlotte blues fans will jump on the opportunity to see both nights of music. The 20th anniversary was a huge party.
“When we did the 20th anniversary we only did one night at the Neighborhood Theater. And that’s what we were going to do this year. We were going to have a pre-party and then it got too big that we had to turn it into two nights,” Said Rick.
That is a win-win for music fans in this city.
Intrepid Artists International 25th Anniversary tickets
Nov. 8th at Amos’ Southend: Purchase
Nov. 9th at Neighborhood Theatre: Purchase