Casandra’s Crossing: Gardening via home-office
Casandra’s Crossing is the name of the new musical alliance between the guitar legend George Lynch and the powerhouse singer Casandra Carson. The musical chemistry between these two talented artists has created a magnificent Modern Hard Rock album ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’.
George Lynch emerged from the ’80s hard rock scene with the L.A.-based group Dokken and later with his own band Lynch Mob. He has released solo albums and collaborated with eg. Doug Pinnick (King’s X) and Ray Luzier (Korn), Corey Glover (Living Colour) and Michael Sweet (Stryper).
Casandra Carson is best known for her work fronting the Midwestern hard rock band Paralandra, founded in 2013. The band supported national tours of Saliva, Tantric, and Dokken, and even found themselves performing aboard the KISS Kruise!
Casandra, how did you meet George Lynch and how did Casandra’s Crossing form?
George and I met for the first time back in 2019 at one of his shows in Colorado Springs. Long story short, I ended up getting on stage and singing Street Fighting Man with them; which ultimately led to my boyfriend, Jaron, getting the gig as Lynch Mob’s bass player. In 2023, I went to one of their shows to support Jaron. George asked me to sing with them again, and afterwards, I told him we needed to do some Dirty Shirley next time, just joking around. His eyes lit up, and he told me he was going into the studio the next week to record the second Dirty Shirley record, but they were looking for a singer since Dino had parted from Frontiers. He just flat out asked me if I’d be interested in singing on the next record, and of course, I said yes! Once all of the songs were written, George, Frontiers, and I agreed we should give this project its own name. After about 100 suggestions, George tossed out “Casandra’s Crossing”, and to my surprise, everyone loved it, so that’s what stuck.
Had you been a fan of Dokken?
I knew a few of the Dokken hits before working with George, but I never really immersed myself into their catalog growing up. No reason in particular, but I actually felt like that gave me an advantage going into the Casandra’s Crossing record because I didn’t have their sound ingrained into my head. I was able to just create freely based on how the music made me feel, rather than trying to replicate what’s worked before.
Any favorite bands, Casandra?
My all time favorites are Alter Bridge, The Beatles, and Foo Fighters.
How would you describe the music of Casandra’s Crossing?
Bluesy Hard Rock.
What was it like recording the latest album from Casandra’s Crossing “Garden of Earthly Delights”?
It was unique and fun, that’s for sure. All members of the band are located in different parts of the world/country, so it was written and recorded without ever being in the same room as my band mates. And to take it a step further, I never heard Jordan’s drums or Alessandro’s bass until I was laying down my final vocals in the studio. That threw me for a loop a couple times, and had to do some adjustments on the fly which always makes it fun. I recorded all my vocals at my hometown studio in Springfield, MO with Kevin Gates at REACH Audio; which is always a pleasure. We would knock out two songs a day, and got the whole record done in a matter of about three weeks.
Who wrote the band’s lyrics? What inspires you to write?
I wrote the lyrics to all of the songs, with special thanks to my boyfriend, Jaron Gulino, who helped me write the lyrics to Stranger, Just Business, and Run For Your Life. My lyrical inspiration typically comes from a personal experience that’s closely tied to the feeling or emotion I get when listening to a particular song. Other times, music inspires me to create a fictional story, and sing about the characters within it. Sometimes it works the opposite way, and lyrics pop into my head, and just the words inspire melodies. Inspiration can come at any time of day and from any angle, I just try to be open and ready for it.
Will you and George be playing any live dates?
Nothing on the books as of now, but I would definitely love to do some Casandra‘s Crossing shows.
Any future plans and projects?
Always! My band, Paralandra, is on tour for the rest of 2025 in the US, and we’re gearing up to go back into the studio this August. My other band, The L.I.F.E. Project, is slated to release 2 EPs before the end of the year. Aside from that, I’m about to launch my own website, and start offering vocal and guitar lessons, so I’m really excited about that!
Bandwebsite
Casandra Carson’s FB
Interview: John Wisniewski
Photos: Adrienne Beacco
