Guest Entry

Here's a guest entry to my diary: Alissa Vernon, longtime fan and incidentally the wife of percussion partner Scott Vernon, was so inspired by the Mighty Grace recording session that she wrote it up. Even though I'm techically her boss at work, I secretly suspect her of being sincere in her praise. But you can judge for yourself:

"Hey Newland fans, I'm just coming off a great weekend that involved a trip to Parry Sound to see David's latest live recording in a renovated turn-of-the-19th- century CP rail station. (You haven't lived until you've heard two guys jam with a roaring freight train passing by 15 feet away.) I gotta say it's a shame that at 28 I'm just getting introduced to Georgian Bay, it's gorgeous! But having spent most of my life as a Maritimer, the Canadian shield might as well have been a million miles away - I had Peggy's Cove and the Cabot Trail, after all.

Though a trip to Parry Sound from Toronto in cottage traffic may seem daunting, rest assured that it's totally worth it. We stayed at a fabulous B&B (Mariner's Rest with Julie and Edmond Lea), walked around the lakeside fitness trail, and took a jaunt to nearby Oastler Park — plus the concert! Rumor has it that David's planning on launching this third live CD (Mighty Grace) in Parry Sound once production is complete (sometime in early 2004). Even if it's the dead of January it would be a worthy adventure - the cross-country skiing is great (I'm told). Watch the website for details. And in the meantime, take a road trip to one of the other summer dates. What's the summer for if not travelling to see folk musicians?"