BIO
Casandra Carson
A woman who has made her dreams reality. Casandra has taken the rock industry by a storm, leaving music fans from all over the world stunned. From her humble beginnings in Paralandra, to her collab with Josh Rand, The L.I.F.E. Project, to her most recent collab with George Lynch, Casandra's Crossing, Casandra continues to create, evolve, and raise the bar, paving her own legacy into music history.
Photo by Joe Schaeffer Photography
Most of the Story...
Casandra Carson was born in Springfield, Missouri, where she was raised by a very musical family. She was constantly submersed in music, between watching her Dad (Paul Carson) play on the church worship team and in different original/cover bands, combined with growing up in close proximity to her mother's side of the family; of which the women were known to burst out in 4 part harmony at every family function. From a young age of 3 years old, Casandra was singing with a strong and powerful vibrato that soon left her feeling embarrassed, and wouldn't sing in front of anyone until she was 17. However, on her 11th birthday, she got her first electric guitar and fell in love!
Casandra immediately put her head down and started learning everything she could from her dad. Just a year later, she joined her dad's cover band on the song "Walk This Way" by Aerosmith at a Back to School Bash. At 13, she joined his band again, but this time she played Hotel California by the Eagles. Casandra and Paul played all the harmony parts like they'd practiced at home, then Casandra took the entire outro solo, and received a standing ovation. This was the moment that set her on the path she still walks. At 14, she performed Eruption by Van Halen at her middle school Talent Show. Another standing ovation, and peers were starting to notice her in the hallway. That's when she truly believed "I'm gonna be a rockstar", and never looked back.
After numerous failed attempts with friends from school, at 17 years old, Casandra finally joined her first band, Chromestone. They were an 80s cover band made up of students in Palen Music Center's "Musician's University" program (similar to School of Rock). She cut her teeth quickly as the band's rhythm & lead guitarist, learning to emulate the guitar work of legends like EVH, Warren DeMartini, and Jimmy Page. Slowly but surely, the band learned Casandra could sing, and she was recruited for background vocals. After Chromestone ran its cycle, she joined another local 80s cover band called IROC; in which she took on even more vocal duties, singing backgrounds and occasionally leads. Meanwhile, Casandra and her father, Paul, had been writing songs together and playing them in the garage with her brother, Gabe, on drums. Paul ran the entertainment for their local 4th of July celebration, so just for fun in the summer of 2013, they decided to perform some of the songs they had been writing live. The reception was overwhelmingly positive, so they booked another performance at the Ozark Empire Fair a month later, this time under the name Paralandra, and they haven't looked back since.
Paralandra has since released a self-made album: Rise Up (2014), 2 EPs: All Fall Down (2016) and Ascension (2018), standalone single "Love Will Win" (2019), a covers cassette: Paradies LIVE (2020), 2 full length albums: Street Magic (2021) and The Body Electric (2024), with world renowned producer, Elvis Baskette, and are now slated to release a holiday EP titled "Hallomas" (2025). Their touring roster continues to grow, having shared the stage and toured the country with names like Yngwie Malmsteen, Lynch Mob, Warrant, Lita Ford, Sevendust, Last In Line, and performing at festivals like Rocklahoma, Rockfest, the KISS Kruise, INKcarceration, and SXSW to name a few. During much of this time, Casandra worked as a Sales Associate and the Lessons Coordinator at Palen Music Center (2013-2019). She even brought back the Musician's University program the summer of 2018, and taught two bands herself! Although, it was a great job and within in the music industry, Casandra still had the dream and belief that "One day I'm gonna be a rockstar". She worked hard and learned the innerworkings of running a band as a business, stretching her arms into marketing, merchandising, social media, and booking. Then one glorious day in 2019, she made her dreams a reality by quitting her day job, and becoming a full time musician.
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As one door shuts, another one opens... In April of 2020, during the pandemic, a mutual friend, Dave Rath (previously of Roadrunner Records, and active drummer of Heaven's Edge - who Casandra's boyfriend, Jaron Gulino, plays bass for) linked Casandra up with Josh Rand of Stone Sour, who was looking for a female rock vocalist/collaborator from the Midwest. After a FaceTime call of getting to know one another, they hit it off, and began exchanging musical ideas, and collaborating, thus starting The L.I.F.E. Project. Since then, The L.I.F.E. Project has released 2 EPs: The L.I.F.E. Project (2021) featuring 5 original tracks, and Big F.O.U.R. (2022) which features covers of Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, and Megadeth. They also toured the US with Alice in Chains, Breaking Benjamin, and Bush in 2022, gaining a new legion of fans. The L.I.F.E. Project has been brewing new music since then, and are slated to release 2 more EPs in 2025.
Amidst writing and touring with Paralandra and The L.I.F.E. Project, Casandra would also spend time on the road with her boyfriend, Jaron Gulino, when she could. He played bass for Tantric from 2017-2022, so over the years, she would join them on the road for a stretch, get up and sing a duet each night, meet venue owners, promoters, and fans, and kept sinking her teeth in and soaking up what she wanted so badly. One of those nights, in October 2019, Tantric had a night off, and Lynch Mob was performing just a couple hours away. George Lynch is Jaron's favorite guitar player, so they all decided to go. Tantric had played at this venue before, so they knew the owners, and discreetly got shuffled into the back of the Meet & Greet line. One conversation led to another, and by the end of the night, Casandra was up on stage with Lynch Mob singing Street Fighting Man. Jimmy D'Anda (Lynch Mob's drummer) demanded they stay in touch before she left the stage. A couple years later (2022), Jaron would get the gig as Lynch Mob's full time bass player. In October of 2023, Casandra attended a Lynch Mob show in Florida to support Jaron, and George immediately asked if Casandra would be singing with them, to which her reply was "I still know the words if you want me to!". This time the song went over even better. After the show, George asked Casandra if she would want to sing on the next Dirty Shirley record, to which her reply was an emphatic, "umm, YES!?". Approximately, one week later, Casandra received an email from George with a Dropbox link that contained 12 instrumental songs, and swiftly began writing melodies and lyrics. One year later (October of 2024), the project was renamed Casandra's Crossing, and a full length album titled, Garden of Earthly Delights, was released, scoring another monstrous addition to Casandra's ever growing resume. This album facilitated Paralandra being added as the direct support on Lynch Mob's Final Ride Tour in January-March of 2024. During this time, George invited Casandra on stage every night to play Mr Scary with him on guitar; saying it was the best and most accurate to the recording he'd ever heard it played live. George and Casandra are currently in the writing process for the second Casandra's Crossing record, which is slated for release in 2026.
While juggling Paralandra, The L.I.F.E. Project, and Casandra's Crossing, Casandra has still managed to lend her voice as a guest vocalist on a number of standalone tracks, such as: "No Name" by Nathan LaBee (2021), "Unconditional" by Beyond the Grey (2024), and "Leave a Light On" by Dellacoma (2025). Her most recent collaboration (2025) is with guitar virtuoso, Neil Zaza. After being connected by a mutual friend, Jeff Scott Soto, they released two singles, "Sweet Dreams" and "Every Breath You Take", in support of "One Dark Night"; Zaza's travelling Halloween show, which Casandra will be joining on tour in October of 2025.
When opportunity knocks, Casandra answers. She is easily one of the hardest working women in rock music, and never shies away from a challenge or a chance to further her career. Even with multiple releases stacking up and tours across the country, Casandra has started a new chapter, and is now offering private lessons. She's excited to share the knowledge and experience she's accumulated over the years to help the next generation of musicians achieve their goals.