From the time I was a small girl I would sing around the house and pretend to play violin until I began studying at age 10.

Trained classically, I played violin competitively until after college when I started playing in bands whose genres ranged from heavy metal, Celtic, hip hop, bluegrass and blues, to good old rock 'n roll. Having grown tired of how limiting the violin was in band music,I bought and learned to play guitar, debuting my first song "Adore" at open mics. Since then I have opened for such national acts as 50 Cent, Quiet Riot, Kansas, Kenny Wayne Shephard, Tim Reynolds, Talib Kweli, Toots and the Maytals, and look forward to an upcoming show with Hollywoods' Billy Bob Thornton.

I released my debut solo album, "Little Girl", in August 2007 to a sold out crowd, and won Jammie Awards for Best Artist as well as the coveted Big Jammie for Album of the Year!

Influenced by years of genre-jumping, my style can be described as a jazz and R&B inspired folk, with helpings of rock & roll, and bluegrass, all wrapped up with a soulfully clear vocal delivery that is uniquely Karisa.

Not many bands are fronted by an afro-topped female who can not only sing, but play guitar with skill. This and the violin that occasionally pops up during such tunes as "Summertime", are just a couple of things that make me uniquely appealing.