About Newworldson

Living in a media saturated world where sensationalism is the norm, most of us respond to hype with great cynicism. When Newworldson burst on to the scene in 2007, they might as well have ridden into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey. The rhetoric surrounding the band at their coming out party in Nashville for Gospel Music Week bordered on messianic. This was the group with a fresh new sound that was going to revitalize the business. Their label president [Dale Bray, Inpop Records]pitched his new signing in a most unapologetic way saying, “If you don’t get it, you don’t get it!” Word quickly got around about those four Canadians that scored a standing ovation from the world’s toughest audience: the music industry.

The buzz train didn’t stop there. Back home they were nominated for two JUNO Awards (the Canadian equivalent to a Grammy) for Gospel Album of The Year (2008, 2009) and presented with four Covenant Awards for Roots Album of The Year (2007, 2008), Best New Artist (2007) and Group Of The Year (2009) by the Gospel Music Association. When their self-produced recording “Salvation Station” was released world-wide in February 2008, it elicited unanimous critical acclaim. Christian Retailing magazine said “if this album isn’t at least nominated for a Grammy next year, it will be a shocking omission – it’s just that good.” Christianity Today voted Salvation Station #3 on their list of Best Albums of 2008.

In the fall of 2007, the band was invited to open for the newsboys on their hugely successful GO Tour across America. Though their name was circling within the industry, they were virtually unknown to music fans around the country. Undaunted, they took the stage by storm night after night, blindsiding the crowd with the opening bars to their hit song “Working Man” (which soon afterwards shot to Number 1 on the Gospel Music Channel’s video charts). Seeing how rapidly the band was winning fans, the newsboys asked Newworldson to join them again on the tour’s spring leg the following year. Doors opened internationally in 2008 when they were booked to headline festivals in Australia, Germany, Holland and Sweden.

Right in the middle of a world tour, Newworldson returned to the studio in 2009 with the same team that helped make “Salvation Station” such a critical success, including veteran engineer/co-producer Justin Koop (Silverstein, Finger Eleven) and Grammy-winning mix engineer F. Reid Shippen (India.Arie, Jonny Lang). Inspired by their experiences playing arenas and festival mainstages, the band captured an even bigger, more dynamic sound than their previous effort. The up-coming new album, slated for release in February 2010, showcases a leap forward in songwriting, confidence and ferocity.

Determined to live up to their reputation as the must-see-live band of the day, the four members of Newworldson come together with all the force of an orchestra. The infectiously kinetic rhythm section of Mark Rogers (drums) and Rich Moore (bass/vocals) crossbreeds contemporary grooves with old-school timbres like Moore’s upright playing and Rogers’ weathered Slingerland bass drum circa 1930’s. The message is delivered by the tandem vocals of frontman/keyboardist Joel Parisien and singer/guitarist Josh Toal, mixing Spirit-filled lyrics with an atmosphere of sheer exuberance.

Looking ahead to a new decade, Newworldson will be touring internationally in support of their next release, expanding their fan base into new territories (United Kingdom, New Zealand and Scandinavia.) Plans also include revisiting major festivals all across North America, like Kingdom Bound and the Ottawa Bluesfest. Buoyed by the early support of their first single “There Is A Way”, which peaked at number 1 in Canada, and number 2 on the US Billboard Magazine’s Christian Music Charts, Newworldson are excited to see their profile growing worldwide.

Four sons of the New World and their story has just begun.

Joel Parisen - Vocals & Keyboards
Josh Toal - Guitar & Vocals
Rich Moore - Acoustic & Electric Bass
Mark Rogers - Drums & Cymbals