Biography

Kari Paavola is a freelance drummer. He started his career in the club scene in Helsinki, Finland, when he was sixteen. At seventeen Kari joined Supperheads, a Finnish pop band, and started touring with the band in Finland and Sweden. Kari appeared on their first two albums, the first on Tangerine Records and the second for Warner Brothers. After that Kari relocated to L.A. before moving to London.

Kari joined Cinerama, an international touring act, after two years in London and toured across US four times with the band. He has also done shorter tours of Europe and UK with the group. In addition, he did the Womack and Womack UK tours in 2006 and 2008. In 2009 he toured with Womack and Womack again, this time as a drummer and Musical Director.

During his time in London, Kari has become very busy in the studio scene, recording albums and demos. He appears on 17 internationally available albums. One of them gained Kari a Top-40 hit in the UK when The Wedding Present song I am from further north than you entered the charts in the Top 40. Kari is also on the new Justin Bergh album that charted high in his native South Africa.

Kari suffers no “red light fever” and is a relaxed and creative presence in a session, making sure that the right drum track is created to serve the song.

Kari has appeared on 17 albums, one DVD, and countless demos & jingles, most notably on a General Motors advert. He has extensive touring and recording experience, having done four US tours and many small tours of UK and Europe.

Kari is a quick study and can learn a set of music in a day, making him an ideal choice for last minute gigs & showcases. Kari reads music and has a breadth of experience from the theatre-world as well. He has played in five musicals.