Karisa Wilson - ProfilesArchive

About Me

From the time I was a small girl I would sing and pretend to play violin until I began studying at age 10. I never really thought about the fact that I am meant to do music until adulthood, but realized I could sing when I tried out for a high school musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolored Dreamcoat, and got the lead part. The next year I played Maria in West Side Story. These accomplishments along with being accepted into the Grand Rapids Youth Symphony in high school, gave me a strong foundation in becoming the performer I am today. I started playing violin in bands after I graduated from college and grew tired of how limited the violin was to the kind of music I was doing. I bought a guitar while in college but didn't really learn to play it until a couple of years after. I wrote a song called "Adore", thought it was good and decided to try playing at the open mic at the Radio Tavern, then hosted by Grasshoppah, then at Billy's, hosted by John Lippi. Fast forward to 2007, I just finished a two-year period playing with the all female old time/bluegrass string band Nobody's Darlin' and before that I sang with the hip hop group La Famiglia. I currently play with the fabulously energetic Irish rock band, Craic Wisely, and sing backups with the hot guys in The Rockit King. I also play my own Karisa shows with good pal and guitarist extrodinaire Mike Sullivan, as well as a rotating cast of other talented musicians. I have been featured many times in the Grand Rapids Press as well as radio station WYCE 88.1, as well as have an upcoming debut on the popular WSNX 104.5. My music is a jazz and R&B flavored folk style. I do some covers but sound much better wailing on my original soulful tunes. In addition to playin with these groups and solo, I host a weekly open mic night at Rocky's Bar and Grill (633 Ottawa Ave NW- I've hosted this longer than any current open mic host in the city!!), and write a monthly hip hop column for the RECOIL, a regional entertainment magazine. Thank you to all those who over the years have nurtured, encouraged and shaped me into the diverse musical girl I've become.

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Member Since: 3/21/2006
Band Website: karisawilson.com
Band Members: Karisa Wilson - Vocals, guitar Mike Sullivan -lead guitar Shane Bullis - Bass Rob Mulligan - Latin Percussion Eddie Eicher - Drums
Influences: Good musicians have been and continue to be my influences!
Sounds Like: Here's a list of artists that I've been told that I sound like: Norah Jones, India Arie, Sade, Ani DiFranco, Tracey Chapman (huh?). It's something different every time. I aspire to be the best Karisa in the world!!
Record Label: Fro-Girl Productions
Type of Label: None

My Blog

Open Mic Competition!! Congrats to All!

Thanks to everyone who helped out, attended and competed in last night's Open Mic Competition! It was a huge success with 16 performers, lots of great music and 3 winners who will go on to compete on...
Posted by Karisa Wilson on Fri, 09 Nov 2007 09:48:00 PST

Open Mic Competition this Thursday!!

The Open Mic Competition is coming to Rocky's this Thursday night! Sign up is in advance (email me at [email protected], or here on myspace by Thursday 5pm) and prizes are AWESOME! They incl...
Posted by Karisa Wilson on Wed, 07 Nov 2007 04:41:00 PST

Sold Out (the good way)!

Just want to say thank you to all my friends, family and fans who came out to support the release of my debut cd, "Little Girl", Thursday August 16th at the beautiful Wealthy Theatre! The show was a ...
Posted by Karisa Wilson on Fri, 24 Aug 2007 05:20:00 PST

Dream of Flying

"I used to dream of flying..." is a line from one of my songs on my upcoming CD, and it's true. I remember having these dreams up until a few years ago. Some of them were so powerful that I felt, fo...
Posted by Karisa Wilson on Mon, 07 May 2007 09:15:00 PST

High Fidelity

Remember being a kid and getting a new toy at Christmans? You know, the one your so excited about when you see that wrapping come off? You play with it all day. You give up meals just to have extra ...
Posted by Karisa Wilson on Fri, 20 Apr 2007 10:17:00 PST

"Dancing to the music of the madness in me"

.. I wonder about the things that make me silly. Am I a product of my past experiences, or am I causing fractures where before there were only scratches?"And whereas I used to jump into a rage anytim...
Posted by Karisa Wilson on Mon, 12 Mar 2007 01:59:00 PST

Recoil March '07 - Chymes Rhymes

Chymes Rhymes By Karisa WilsonRick Chyme- has a nice ring to it, pun intended. This seven foot tall local emcee looks more like a NBA all-star than a rapper. But looks aside, Chyme has been working...
Posted by Karisa Wilson on Sat, 03 Mar 2007 04:25:00 PST

Jordan Rules

There are certain regulars to the open mic night that I host at Rocky's on Thursdays and Jordan is one of them. He's a violinist and skilled accompanist, always very tastefully playing with just...
Posted by Karisa Wilson on Fri, 02 Mar 2007 10:43:00 PST

The Red Tape

Hats off to Suport and the rest of the Poor Sports, Rick Chyme, SteDDy and any others I'm probably missing, for the extraordinary job the other night at the Rocker. Friday February 23rd was the relea...
Posted by Karisa Wilson on Mon, 26 Feb 2007 08:56:00 PST

A Second Chance

As many close to me know, last year on April 28th I lost my dear mother to leukemia. Although she was very strong and fought hard through the year after her bone marrow transplant, she developed graf...
Posted by Karisa Wilson on Sat, 24 Feb 2007 03:08:00 PST