Watch: STONE SOUR’s JOSH RAND Plays First Concert With THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT

THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT, the musical assembly of minds between Grammy-nominated STONE SOUR guitarist Josh Rand and PARALANDRA vocalist/guitarist Casandra Carson, made its dwell debut this previous Saturday evening (April 30) at The Riff in Springfield, Missouri. Becoming a member of Rand and Carson on the gig have been keyboardist/backing vocalist Diana Weishaar, bassist Jaron Gulino and drummer Celestino Ramirez.

Fan-filmed video of The Riff live performance may be seen beneath.

A number of days previous to the present, Carson commented on social media: “It is loopy to suppose that Josh and I began writing songs collectively 2 YEARS in the past and we’re lastly taking taking it to the stage! I could not be happier with the folks we have chosen to affix us on this journey. Completely unimaginable musicians and throughout nice human beings (considered one of which I could be a bit of biased in direction of). Rehearsals have been going superb, and I really cannot await you guys to see the present we have put collectively! See ya this Saturday in Springfield, MO at The Riff for THE LIFE PROJECT‘s dwell debut!”

In a current interview with HardDrive Radio‘s Lou Brutus, Rand acknowledged about THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT: “In a way, it was simply one thing that I began doing a few years in the past, simply writing music myself. After which I simply determined I wished to get a feminine vocalist, mainly, to work on these songs and sing on them. And I discovered Casandra by means of a mutual good friend — truly, STONE SOUR‘s A&R particular person, Dave Rath — and we hit it off. After which we have simply been engaged on stuff for the final two years type of simply right here and there. Clearly, with COVID and all that stuff happening on the planet, it actually restricted going out, so there’s actually not been a want to try this up till lately. So now we’re gonna find yourself being a full band and truly play our first present April thirtieth in Springfield, Missouri, which I am actually enthusiastic about lastly getting again on the market. ‘Trigger for me, it has been a bit, I assume — like, three years — since I have been on a stage.

“So, that is actually what it is about,” he continued. “It is simply me musically making an attempt completely different stuff, but additionally getting again to the place I initially got here from, so far as my musical journey. So it is type of getting again to my roots and simply having enjoyable with it. That is what THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT is for me — it is a completely different automobile to specific myself, I assume, artistically with actually no boundaries, however leaning extra in direction of, musically, I feel, coming at it as an informed teenager. What I imply by that’s it is the hearth of that teenager — that drive, that fashion of music that I used to be taking part in 30 years in the past — however now doing it with the expertise, the information and all that. So it is type of like revisiting the previous, in a approach, or going residence in some methods.”

THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT launched a brand new four-song EP, titled “Huge F.O.U.R.”, on March 18 by way of Bloodblast. The gathering encompasses a clutch of canopy variations, one every from heavy music’s pioneering icons METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX.

Rand beforehand acknowledged in regards to the EP: “Recording a ‘Huge F.O.U.R.’ cowl EP is one thing that I’ve wished to do for a really very very long time, and final fall I made a decision to lastly do it with THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT.

“With out these 4 bands (METALLICA, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX and SLAYER),my musical profession would not be the place it’s at present. In some methods, you could possibly say this mission is paying homage to them or, how I see it, a return to the place it began in my mother and father’ home as an adolescent making an attempt to study only a piece of the music.

“Every of the 4 songs that I picked have been pivotal in my improvement as a musician, whether or not it was studying the intro to ‘One’ on guitar, drums on ‘Symphony [Of Destruction]’ or bass traces in ‘Caught In A Mosh’.

“This EP was a real love and keenness mission for myself. I really feel I captured the vibe and the spirit of the unique however with THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT sound. Hopefully you hear it too!”

Stylistically, THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT is a fluid mixture of traditional metallic sensibility and Rand‘s penchant for pushing the boundaries of up to date heavy.

THE L.I.F.E. PROJECT‘s debut self-titled EP got here out final summer time and is obtainable completely by means of the band’s webstore or by way of the Nuclear Blast retailer.

Josh and Casandra‘s debut single, “The Nothingness”, was featured on a number of main playlists throughout streaming platforms, together with Rock Laborious on Spotify, Breaking Metallic on Apple Music, Break By Rock on Amazon and Metallic Radar on Deezer. “The Nothingness” was additionally included on SiriusXM Octane‘s “Check Drive” present on launch.