Kara Grainger

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Last Show: Monday 20 th November 2023

PizzaExpress Live (Holborn)

Following her concert at our Holborn club during her highly successful 2022 U.K. tour, PizzaExpress Live are delighted to welcome back Australian-born guitarist and singer Kara Grainger. Grainger is an international performing artist based in Nashville, Tennessee, and has toured extensively throughout USA, Australia, Asia and Europe. With four studio albums under her belt (the last reaching no 3 in Billboard's Blues Album chart), Grainger is currently working on her 5th studio album, which will feature heavily in her autumn tour. This will surely be a unique and enthralling evening of classy guitar playing, soulful vocals and thrilling musicianship from Kara and the band.

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“Grainger’s voice is quite some instrument itself: technically formidable but equally comfortable expressing warmth, vulnerability, longing and pain … a major talent.”

Blues Blast Magazine

Some people just have music running through their veins. Kara's music journey has taken her all around the globe. From her inner city beginnings in the town of Balmain, Sydney Australia, she’s since performed and toured in Japan, Indonesia, India, Switzerland, Europe and the US. Her soulful vocals and unique style of slide guitar has  led her to open the show for renowned artists such as Peter Frampton, Buddy Guy, Johnny Lang, Taj Mahal, Marc Cohen and Eric Johnson to name a few.

Kara really shines at her live shows where she always gives everything to her performance. With powerful soulful vocals and soaring electric guitar, she always leaves the audience uplifted and inspired.

"Living With your Ghost", released in 2018 through Station House Records reached number # 3 on the American Billboard blues charts.

Her latest recording is set to be released September 2023 and is set to be her most honest and passionate to date. ?The songs themselves range from swampy slide guitar grooves incorporating universal themes to heartfelt personal ballads, and as always  showcasing Kara’s unique fresh approach to blues, Americana, and roots music.

After finishing high school in 1994, Kara took to the road together with her brother Mitch in the band “Papa Lips”, the band toured consistently, released 3 albums, the last of which was produced by the legendary Harry Vanda, producer of ACDC and guitarist of The Easybeats.

In 2008 Kara relocated to the US where she began working on a solo career. It's there she co produced her first solo recording “Grand and Green River”. The album remained for 33 weeks on the Americana music charts.

The song "Secret Soul" received 1st place at the Independent Acoustic music awards.

Since that time kara has recorded and released three further solo albums. LA Blues Blues" in 2010 and "Shiver and Sigh" in 2013 and “Living with Your Ghost” in 2018.

In 2012 she toured Japan with "The Swampers and Donnie Fritts", the infamous house Rhythm section from Muscle Shoals…She has performed at festivals all throughout the world from “Lucerne Blues” to "Beautiful swamp and roots" in Calais France, “Maverick Festival” in the UK and many more. One of Kara's most memorable moments was performing at the International Blues Festival in Jakarta, where she collaborated with an all female band of Indonesian music.

 In 2022 Kara perfomed to several sold out shows in the UK and was invited to perform at the Chateu Annecy in France.

She’s very excited to return to the UK and Europe once again this year, this time with her brand new album.