Karen got her first instrument, a ukelele, at the age of five and wrote her first song...there was no turning back. Her father and uncle were both Jazz bass players (Whitey and Red Mitchell), playing with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, and the list goes on. As a teenager singing in clubs around L.A., Carina was spotted by film composer John Debney (Iron Man 1 & 2, Princess Diaries, Evan Almighty) who hired her for her first recording sessions for radio, film, and TV. In between traveling and singing backgrounds for artists such as Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis and Deneice Williams, Edwin Starr, and Paul Williams, Carina went on to make a pop-rock album for RCA records, produced by Steve George (Mr. Mister, Kenny Loggins, Al Jarreau, Jewel). Carina's first Country album was Produced by legendary songwriter Jerry Fuller (Ricky Nelson's "Travelin' Man", Gary Puckett's "Young Girl") with Dwight Yoakam's band backing her up. She recently had 2 hit recordings in Japan (singing in Japanese), and is a staff vocal coach and background vocal arranger for one of the busiest studios in the L.A. area. Breaking into film and TV as a Singer/Songwriter, Carina has written and sung songs in feature films starring Bruce Willis, Julia Roberts, and John Cusak. You will find Karen singing at Viva Cantina in Burbank, using her Viva Cantina nickname “Carina”......as well as singing authentic Western with Cody Bryant's Riders of the Purple Sage. Reaching back to her Jazz roots, Carina croons 50's Italian songs with the Swingin' Armani Brothers, and is currently forming a Jazz/Blues band, and recording a Country/Pop CD.
Read more...