A collaborative effort between George Lynch and vocalist Casandra Carson, Casandra’s Crossing is a new act that seems to straddle both retro and modern. Merging Lynch’s signature guitar sound and Carson’s soaring vocal work, its a hard rock album with plenty of appeal across the rock/metal spectrum. We spoke with Carson about how this project came to be, balancing time between projects and her main band Paralandra, as well as her thoughts on the hard rock scene moving forward.
Dead Rhetoric: Where did the idea for this collaboration between the two of you stem from?
Casandra Carson: It was totally random. It all kind of came from when I was in Florida last October. My boyfriend, who plays bass for Lynch Mob, and I went to a show and George asked me if I wanted to sing “Street Fighting Man” and I had done it once before in 2019, so I said sure, let’s do it. So I sang it with them that night and it was really fun. After the show, I was driving George back to the hotel from the venue and we were talking about how much fun we had performing with each other and George really enjoyed my energy on stage and loved my voice.
So I told him that next time we need to do some Dirty Shirley and that would be really cool. He was surprised I knew it, and I was like, “yeah, Dino Jelusick is like my favorite singer.” He paused and said that it was funny that I mentioned that because he was planning to go into the studio the following week to record the second Dirty Shirley record. Dino was not going to be singing on it, because he had parted ways with Frontiers. So they were looking for a singer. So he said I should do it. He asked if I wanted to sing on the album, so I said “alright, sure!” I was not expecting it by any means. But two weeks later, I had a full album in my email from George and I immediately started working on lyrics and melodies. Here we are a year later and the album is coming out. It’s kind of crazy!
Dead Rhetoric: So is this a full-time band or more of a studio piece? Where does Cassandra’s Crossing really lie?
Carson: It’s more of a studio thing. George has so many projects that he does. It was supposed to be Dirty Shirley part two. He was already going to be making the record. There’s no touring with that band as it is. I don’t think we will probably tour. It’s more of a studio thing. I would love to do more albums. Paralandra and Lynch Mob are doing shows together in the beginning of next year, so I’m kind of hoping we can do some songs live. We’ll see. I know he is also trying to retire. The poor guy.
Dead Rhetoric: I know Frontiers does a lot of the ‘put a few people together and make an album’ kind of things.
Carson: Yeah, that’s exactly what it was. I don’t know what will come from it. But I’m happy to be here [laughs].
Dead Rhetoric: How do you describe Garden of Earthly Delights as your debut to someone just passing by?
Carson: It’s a bluesy rock record but it has a lot of familiar sounds. A lot of people have compared it to the early Dokken and Lynch Mob type stuff. It’s very much in that heavy metal and rock, bluesy rock vein. But also with a kind of a modern touch.
Dead Rhetoric: It’s nice that it can kind of flirt between those. Having an old school sound but with a modern finish on it.
Carson: Exactly! It sounds clean and pristine but it’s very obviously George Lynch playing guitar. It doesn’t sound like his other works, it’s unique but it has that signature sound of his. So it blends the past with the present.
Dead Rhetoric: I know you have done things outside of Paralandra too. What would be your dream collaboration if you could just pull in people together and make music?
Carson: The first person that pops in my head is Miles Kennedy. I would love to collaborate with that man. It would be so cool! He’s been my hero since I was 11. That would be crazy.
Dead Rhetoric: Paralandra, L.I.F.E. project, Cassandra’s Crossing – how do you market time to each?
Carson: Paralandra is my full-time job, so I spend the majority of my time touring and on the road with that. Plus everybody is located in the same place [laughs], so it’s easier to get together. As L.I.F.E. Project stuff comes up, I’m just kind of writing behind the scenes anyways, whether it’s for Paralandra or L.I.F.E. Project, or just little ditties I am singing into my phone when they come to me. It’s always on.
I just have my schedule laid out and fill in the blanks as needed. Whenever Cassandra’s Crossing came up, all of a sudden every ounce of my free time was delegated to writing music. It always changes but I love that about being a musician since I don’t do the same thing every day. It keeps it interesting.
Dead Rhetoric: In that regard in being a musician, what inspires you about the hard rock/metal scene?
Carson: My dad raised me on all the ‘80s guitar gods so I just love that music. Queensryche Operation Mindcrime was my soundtrack to middle school. Alter Bridge was entering my life at the same time. Of course, Eddie Van Halen was almost a family member in our household for how beloved he was. I was always around that type of music and I have really enjoyed my dad’s taste in music in rock and all those areas. I just of just followed suit.
Dead Rhetoric: At this point, that ‘80s sound has almost taken off again with the retro groups, how do you feel about that?
Carson: I love it, to be honest. I am not really into modern music or the digital sound of bands nowadays. I prefer that raw performance you used to get from older music. You listen to the recordings and it was almost like being at the show. I prefer that. There’s something human and more relatable about it. I love that all these bands are coming back around. They are all out touring and it’s like a resurgence.
Dead Rhetoric: You’ve been going with Paralandra for over a decade, and you had a new album this year. What are the goals of where you want it to go at this point?
Carson: My ultimate goal with Paralandra was always to become a full-time musician. To be able to pay my bills and sustain myself with music. That has been the goal and I transitioned to full-time musician in 2019, so I’m just riding that train and it’s a lot of hard work. But the shows keep getting better. We are making more money and gaining a larger fanbase. It’s a lot of work since we are independent and we do everything ourselves, but it’s really rewarding to have everything pay off and be able to do this because I love it. I have been able to succeed!
Dead Rhetoric: What are the challenges with getting yourself out there in known, especially post-COVID?
Carson: It’s hard. It’s so oversaturated with social media. Now anyone and everyone can record at home. Everyone has a band. There’s way more out there than there has ever been. It does make it difficult to sift through, but how do I deal with it? I stay active and post fun things that I enjoy. People will follow you or not, the only thing I can do is be authentic. People can enjoy the journey or not [laughs].
Dead Rhetoric: In the press sheet you were labeled as the “Next singing sensation,” how did you feel about that?
Carson: I didn’t write that, so it feels like, “Wow!” It’s an honor [laughs]. Hopefully I live up to all of the press.
Dead Rhetoric: What do you want to see from the hard rock scene, moving forward?
Carson: I want to see people moving away from tracks, and lots of members in their band playing multiple instruments. I want to see people really bring back having horns or something. There’s too much digitized stuff out there, and it makes it sound the same. I want people to embrace other instruments and having fun with their live show.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you establish yourself as a vocalist?
Carson: It’s a weird question, because I never really saw myself as a vocalist. I was always a guitar player. Then I had to sing [laughs]. Now I love it and its so much fun. I guess when I sing, i try to do what I want to hear. I’m not trying to sound like anyone in particular, but look at what the song needs, and whatever comes out comes out. People seem to like it, so that’s great!
Dead Rhetoric: So are there any particular challenges with doing both guitar and vocals when playing live?
Carson: There are so many riffs that I have to put on autopilot. I don’t have to focus on what my fingers are doing, I just focus on singing. I’m making sure I am breathing, that’s a big thing. But I love playing guitar, so it’s really fun for me and it’s a challenge. It’s something I enjoy, to play something difficult or technical, and be able to sing on top of it. It’s like doing gymnastics or something.
Dead Rhetoric: What are your plans for 2025?
Carson: Paralandra will be on the road throughout the rest of the year. We are going on tour with Tantric and Scotty Austin, the former singer of Saving Abel. We are going all over the states. We have a few headlining shows sprinkled in there, and we will be opening for Lynch Mob once in November. After that, we will be touring with Lynch Mob on the rest of their Final Ride tour in January to March of next year.
So we will be on the road a lot. In the meantime, I’m also in the studio. I was just in there a few weeks ago working on the next L.I.F.E. project release. I’ll be back to work on it some more in December. I might do some guest vocals on other projects. I’m staying busy out here, there’s always something going on!