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All images courtesy of Jaron Gulino

By Andrew DiCecco

As challenging as it is to keep track of Jaron Gulino’s growing list of musical endeavors, it is nearly impossible to match his drive and determination.

When he isn’t touring with Tantric, the eclectic bassist can be found performing with Heavens Edge, George Lynch & the Electric Freedom, or his latest venture, The L.I.F.E. Project with Stone Sour’s Josh Rand and his girlfriend, Casandra Carson.

With a brand-new Heavens Edge album on the horizon, George Lynch gigs lined up for the remainder of the year, and The L.I.F.E. Project gaining traction – in addition to Tantric’s demanding schedule – Gulino has never been more in-demand.

Despite the prospects of a monumental breakthrough in 2023, the fast-rising Pennsylvania native remains focused on the present and is taking it all in stride.

Recently, I checked in with Gulino for an update on the upcoming Heavens Edge album, the latest happenings with Tantric and George Lynch & the Electric Freedom, and more.

Andrew:
Jaron, the release of a long-awaited Heavens Edge album is seemingly fast approaching. Are there any recent developments?

Jaron:
So, it’s pretty much done. Reggie [Wu], I think, just wrapped up the last little licks and extras that go into the behind-the-scenes stuff. It sounds like it’s gonna go off to mixing and mastering in the next week or two, and we’re also getting amped up to do this show the second week of October with Skid Row and Warrant. So, we have been talking the last couple of days about, “What songs are we gonna start adding to the set?” And how we can start putting that into the live aspect. So, after finally hearing everybody’s parts and their additions to these songs that we’ve been tracking over the last few months, the songs that I thought would be my favorite new ones turn out to be my least favorite of the bunch. And don’t get me wrong, there are no duds on the albums, but hearing them come to life with everybody’s personalities – after hearing demos for so long and then everybody putting their own touch on it – it’s a whole different thing now.

Andrew:
What is the plan for integrating the new material into the setlist as you guys begin mapping it out?

Jaron:
I would imagine, this year, before it comes out, we’ll probably stick to one or two. We’ve been playing “Had Enough,” which is a newer one; we’ve done it the last couple of shows. So, we’ll definitely be doing that one; we might be adding another one in there. But once the album comes out, we’ll really start adding a bunch of them in there. Everyone has their own favorites, and it’s really hard to pick, especially when you have the two other albums to pull from with classic and deep cuts that everybody wants to hear. Some of those songs are neglected as it is, you know? You don’t have enough time to play everyone’s favorites in a 45-minute set at a thing like M3 or something. You need a headlining show to get it all in there. So, that’s kind of our focus. We’re gonna do the album, put it out, and then we’ll do a big bang in Philly at the top of the new year in January to celebrate that, and hopefully, we’ll get everything in there that we wanted to do.

Andrew:
Heavens Edge is special in that it has a discernable camaraderie that reflects each member’s dedication to the craft.

Jaron:
Exactly. And you know what? It speaks volumes to, I would say, the material because at this point – at least for me, personally – when you show up somewhere, and everyone’s in and everyone’s enthusiastic, that’s really what you want. But when the music is also killer on top of that? No one’s doing it for the paycheck. So, for me, if I’m juggling four bands, I have to love all of the bands I’m playing with; otherwise, it’s not worth my time. When I show up to Heavens Edge, yeah, we might only do one or two shows a year, but I love playing that material, so it goes a long way and speaks volumes to what we’re doing. I would say that applies to everybody in the band; everybody’s very into it, laughing, and having a good time. It’s never a bummer at practice. It’s nice to play with veterans that appreciate and still respect the craft.

Andrew:
Given your wide range of styles, how have you incorporated your influences into Heavens Edge while maintaining that signature essence?

Jaron:
It’s a little tricky. Heavens Edge, G.G. [Guidotti], he played with his fingers, and it’s a different approach, and I come from a pick playing background; a little bit more aggressive, punk style, thrash. So, with this particular band and album that we’ve been working on, I try to keep myself in the mix, but I also found myself playing a lot of songs with my fingers just to keep that thump and a little bit of that original flavor there. I think, overall, I found a way to do both, but I think the guys are happy with it. The guitar and the vocals are a huge part of the band’s sound, as everybody else. Dave Rath is a killer drummer; he’s really ripping up, too. You’re gonna be surprised. So, I just try to do it justice, but at the same time, I respect the old and the new.

Andrew:
Do you get the sense that Heavens Edge is experiencing a resurgence of optimism and energy right now?

Jaron:
Definitely, within the guys, and I would say within the fanbase. I haven’t been in the band long enough to do a Philly show yet, so I can’t really say locally what the vibe is. And to me, that’s a lot of it because I grew up seeing them in Philly; it’s not like I’m from the west coast and happened to see them at M3 one time or whatever. It’s very much a local, Philly-style thing for me. So, until I can do a proper show here, I won’t feel complete in a way. But just seeing the reactions online to even fans from all over the world – internationally – people are just excited and can’t believe that this band is back and making new music.

Even when the original lineup was reunited and doing stuff from the last ten years, they weren’t really doing new stuff, at least not publicly. So, it’s a big deal, man. I don’t wanna say I took that for granted, but I was definitely surprised at the reactions, and I’m even more anxious now to get it out because I know people are starving for it. I know as a fan first of many different types of bands that have had comebacks or reunions over the years; when you’re into a band and they only have a couple of albums, and all of a sudden, out of the blue, you hear they’re making new music, it’s a thrill, man. It’s exciting as a fan. So, from that aspect of it, I would say that I’m excited for the fans as well.

Andrew:
We’re from the same neck of the woods, so it goes without saying that Heavens Edge will always be a big draw. A moment ago, you said you wouldn’t feel complete until you play a Philly show with Heavens Edge. Have you ever imagined what that moment would be like?

Jaron:
I’m sure it’ll be great. I have attended Philly Heavens Edge shows in the past, and just seeing the people, you can see that it means so much to them. You can just see happiness in their faces in the way they’re singing along. To be on the other side of that, looking out from the stage and into the audience, I think it’ll be very heartwarming and emotional in a way, because again, I know what it means to the fans, being one, and now on the stage, it’s just like, “I hope that it translates the same way.” Also, I’m filling a position of somebody that was loved by everybody, and his tragic passing was a big deal, so I don’t wanna do anything to take away or disrupt any of that. I just wanna do my part and pay tribute and hope that the fans feel the same way and that they’re happy to see the rest of the guys rockin’ out there.

Andrew:
What’s the latest on the Tantric front? You’ve been on the road quite a bit.

Jaron:
Right now, man, it’s business as usual. It’s touring, a lot of dates. Our last half of the year here is gonna see us out on the west coast in October and then wrapping up with some east coast stuff towards Christmas. There is talk of doing a record; it’s kind of getting to be that time.

Andrew:
As of our last conversation, you were preparing for your first gig with George [Lynch]. How has that transition been for you?

Jaron:
It was a dream come true, man. To be asked to it, it was a true honor. Originally, it was to do four shows to fill in, and we had a blast; everyone got along really well. We got put up there with a couple of singers that weren’t necessarily the best fit for the band, and that drove George, Jimmy D’Anda, and myself to go, “Okay, well, we gotta make the best of the band. We gotta find ways to get around the singer issue.” So, for us to bond over that and connect musically on stage and give the best musical side of the show as we possibly could, that was really cool, man. We really connected with that. We got some gigs lined up for the rest of the year, keeping me busy. I’m thrilled, man. We’re doing half Dokken, half Lynch Mob stuff, and a little solo stuff.

Andrew:
This may be a broad question for someone as busy as you, but is there anything else on your docket that we should look into?

Jaron:
The other big thing that’s been going on – which I was out for the majority of August – is that I was out with this new band called The L.I.F.E. Project. That’s with Josh Rand from Stone Sour, and my girlfriend, Casandra Carson from the band Paralandra, is the singer. It was a project they had formed together during COVID, while Josh had his downtime from Stone Sour. We were out with Alice in Chains, Breaking Benjamin, and Bush for all of August, and that tour was insane, man.

We did Camden, Jones Beach – all these legendary places – and to be on stage with some of those legends, man, it was very special. Though we went on early every night, it was still a really good crowd, and people showed up early. To get that kind of energy on an amphitheater stage was great, and to spend time and hang out with people like Jerry Cantrell and Mike Inez and guys that have been doing it for a long time on a big scale, was a little eye-opening. You never know how guys of that stature are gonna be, but they were hangin’ every day watching the show. Mike Inez pretty much gave me free rein to his gear and was like, “Hey, man. Anything you need, you go on our tractor trailer and take it out, and you can use it.”

So, he hooked me up with some bass gear to use for the tour, and they couldn’t have been nicer guys. That band is a little heavier; it’s modern metal but still melodic in that sense – different chops, different things to touch upon, and different drives and challenges. To go from doing the Tantric tour all year to Heavens Edge at M3 – which was a bucket list for me – straight into George dates, and then straight from George dates into being on tour with Alice in Chains. It’s just like, “What the hell is going on this year?”

Andrew:
Where can those interested find out more about The L.I.F.E. Project, Jaron?

Jaron:
L.I.F.E. Project Band is on all the socials; there are two EPs out already on Spotify, iTunes, and all that, and you can actually get a lot of that stuff on the band’s website if you wanna order a shirt, or CD, vinyl, or whatever. We just dropped the latest new single two weeks ago called “Dying Of The Light,” and it’s got footage from the tour, a nice little collage of stuff from the first show we did, and a bunch of other stuff that we would have been involved in. So, that single is gonna lead into a new record and maybe a couple of other singles as well.

Hopefully, people will start catching onto that, man. It’s weird because it’s really heavy; it’s got modern tinges; it’s got everything from Metallica to even heavier, but at the same time, powerhouse vocals make it very melodic and catchy at times. There’s not a lot of stuff out like it. There are a lot of rock bands with girls singing – let’s be honest – and there are a lot of metal bands with girls singing, but it’s either rock with melodic vocals or metal with screaming. So, I don’t think there are too many like this with very melodic over the heavy metal, as far as new heavy bands go. So, hopefully, people dig it, man. It’s kinda got its own little thing happening.

– Andrew DiCecco (@ADiCeccoNFL) is a contributor for vwmusicrocks.com and may be reached at adicecco5@gmail.com