Vocalist Casandra Carson (Paralandra) has teamed up with legendary guitarist George Lynch to form the new band Casandra’s Crossing. Their debut album is Garden Of Earthly Delights. Carson gives us the lowdown on her band.
Chad Bowar: How did your collaboration with George come about?
Casandra Carson: It was totally random and by chance. George and I first met in 2019 when I attended one of his shows with my boyfriend, Jaron Gulino, and his band at the time, Tantric. The owners of the club snuck us in the back of the VIP line to meet George, and as conversation was flowing, he ended up inviting me on stage that night to sing “Street Fighting Man.” Fast forward to 2023, Jaron ended up stepping into the role as Lynch Mob’s bass player. I attended one of their shows in October of that year to support Jaron (on one of my rare weekends off), and George asked if I would like to sing “Street Fighting Man” again. Of course, I happily agreed!
After the show, I drove George back to the hotel from the venue, and jokingly said, “next time we should do some Dirty Shirley.” He acted shocked, and said he was going into the studio the following week to record the second Dirty Shirley record, but Dino Jelusick wouldn’t be singing on it, so he was looking for a singer, and promptly suggested I do it. One thing led to the next, and here we are one year later, releasing our album.
Describe the songwriting process for Garden Of Earthly Delights.
The whole process started with George writing the foundation of all the songs, and recording all of his guitar tracks to a pretty basic drum loop. From there, his tracks were sent to Jordan Cannata (drums), Alessandro Del Vecchio (bass/keys), and myself for completion. I would listen to those tracks on repeat almost every single day, mainly at the gym, and would write down little lyric ideas and record melodies into my phone as they came to me. Once I felt like I had a good handful of ideas on a song, or was feeling particularly inspired by one, I would focus in and tackle it until I had a complete song written. Then, I would record a demo, and send it off to George for feedback.
What will be your strongest memory of the recording of the album?
One of the strongest memories I have was when I sent the first demo of “Closer to Heaven” to George. He called me almost immediately and was so over the top about how much he loved the song. That was a real confidence boosting moment for me, and it’s probably one of the songs I’m most proud of from this record.
What was the biggest challenge in its creation?
The biggest challenge was probably when I had like 3 or 4 songs left to write. Writing lyrics can be difficult and a little daunting when you have a large amount to write in a short amount of time, and even more so when it’s on a schedule, as opposed to just writing music as it comes naturally. Luckily, Jaron is a great lyricist, so I asked for his help on the songs I had left to work on, and he was able to help me finish the rest of the album within a few days.
How would you characterize its style/sound?
It’s hard to put a finger on it! The album is pretty eclectic, but we mainly capture elements of hard rock, heavy metal, and bluesy rock.
What lyrical topics do you cover?
Some of the lyrics reflect personal relationship experiences, addiction, career aspirations, and some of it is just sci-fi storytelling. It’s a little all over the place, but I like to think there’s something in there for everybody.
How did you come to sign with Frontiers?
I was just an independent contractor, technically. George was already contracted to record a second Dirty Shirley album for Frontiers, so that’s what this project started as. It wasn’t until all the songs were written that we all agreed this project deserved its own name.
What are your goals and expectations for the album?
My ultimate goal is to perform and write music for a living, so I’m hoping this album will allow me to continue booking shows, and that the attendance of those shows will continue to rise. I’m also hoping that this will open some doors for me overseas, so I can travel and bring my music to the rest of the world.
Are there any plans to play live shows in support of the record?
Paralandra and Lynch Mob are doing a bunch of tour dates together January-March of 2025, so I’m hoping we can learn a song or two to perform live at those shows.
What was the response to Paralandra’s latest album The Body Electric?
It’s been an overwhelmingly positive response so far! We’ve generated over 1,000,000 streams, sold almost 1,000 physical copies, and are on the road more than ever. Being that we are an independent band and have achieved this all solely by hard work, I genuinely couldn’t be happier or ask for more. I’m super blessed and proud of our success.
What are your upcoming tour plans with them?
Paralandra is on tour for the rest of the year, primarily with Tantric and Scotty Austin (former singer for Saving Abel). We also have a few headlining dates scattered in there, and will be opening for Lynch Mob once in November. After that, we will be joining Lynch Mob on their Final Ride Tour January-March of 2025.
What’s the status of the next The L.I.F.E. Project release?
I was actually just in the studio last week recording 3 more songs for the next release! I go back into the studio in December to record a few more songs, and after that we are looking at releasing music in 2025.
Are you currently involved in any other bands/projects?
Not really any bands or projects, but I do like to record guest vocals every once in a while when I have time. I was featured on a single by Beyond the Grey that came out in August called “Unconditional” that sounds pretty awesome.
What are some of your non-musical interests and hobbies?
I love to play volleyball! I rarely have the time anymore, but when I’m home and available, I always try to at least play a few games of indoor or sand volleyball.
What’s the best thing you binge watched lately?
Believe it or not, I just got on the Breaking Bad train! Now, I see what everybody’s been talking about all these years. (laughs)
What’s currently in your musical heavy rotation?
The last few days, I’ve been listening to the Tony Iommi and Glenn Hughes album Fused on repeat.
Anything else you’d like to mention or promote?
As always, I just want to say thank you to all of the listeners out there that continue to encourage and inspire me! And if you ever wondered what the best way is to support an independent artist, purchasing physical items like concert tickets, T-shirts, and CDs goes a long way.
(interview published October 2024)
Listen To Casandra’s Crossing – “Closer To Heaven”
