Lenedra Carroll

is presented to an established artist who may be less well known but who's talent and career are truly exemplary and whose work has a high degree of artistic and creative excellence. These are artists who have enjoyed a certain success, but whose accomplishments, caliber of talent and product deserve far more attention than they have received.

For Ralf, this award included a two week career intensive. We reviewed his entire catalogue and 30 year career, and spent time understanding the present. He also got industry advice on things that would enhance his career at this point, help getting his website and myspace sites up, introductions to people and opportunities that would be helpful to him, and opportunities to produce other artists. When I can, I still send opportunities his way and give occasional advice on an as needed basis.

Ralf is also an astrologer, and a photographer of clouds. These are a few of his cloud photos. The cover of his album Emerge, is one of his photos. He's working on a visual media piece, using his cloud photos, that he will incorporate into his show. Like many others who have met Ralf, I look at the heavens in a whole new way.

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Check out Ralf's songs and you'll be surprised at the broad range in style. He has a vast music library in his head and an admirable grasp of all genres of music which he borrows from to create his own unique genre. You'll find flavors of Jazz, Pop, Rock, Techno, Ambient, Classical, and World music woven throughout his catalogue. His music is in the league of Brian Eno and Pat Metheney. And live with his band, people often say he has the energy of the Dave Matthews Band. Ralf is considered among the top guitarists and is known for his lush acoustic guitar and synth soundscapes; he has a loyal and sizable underground fan base. At one of Ralf's shows, Darius Rucker - lead singer for Hootie and the Blowfish - got so jazzed by the performance that he leaped from the audience onto the stage, grabbed a guitar and started jamming with Ralf.

In addition to songs from his catalogue, I talked him into giving us a few unreleased song clips from the CD he's currently working on...they're terrific. So get ready for a treat Illenberger fans, and I hope the rest of you join the R.I. fan train. I've tasked him to get much more of his material available on itunes and his website and he's working on it as fast as he can. Check out his additional songs and info here on his B.I.O. (By Invitation Only) page. (click on the song titles below to play music.)