SOJA, also known as Soldiers Of Jah Army, is a band based in Arlington, Virginia in the Northern Virginia / Washington D.C. area. Starting as an active band in 1997, their music is produced under the Innerloop record label.
Biographyedit:
Jacob Hemphill (vocals, guitar) and Bob Jefferson (bass) met in first grade shortly after Hemphill had returned with his family from living in Africa, where Jacob's father was IMF resident representative in Monrovia, Liberia. He and Jefferson then met Ryan Berty (drums), Patrick O'Shea (keyboards), and Ken Brownell (percussion) in middle and high school. After forming SOJA, they recorded their first album, the self-titled Soldiers of Jah Army, independently with sound engineer Jim Fox at LION and FOX Recording Studios in 2000. The band released their first full-length album, Peace in a Time of War, in 2002. SOJA then released a Dub version of the album titled Dub in a Time of War in 2005. In 2006, the band released Get Wiser, their second full-length album. It debuted in the Top 10 Reggae Albums on iTunes and has remained in the top 100 since its release. The album release party was held on January 6, 2006 at The State Theatre in Falls Church, Virginia. It consisted of two separate sets, with the opening set being older songs, and the second set being Get Wiser in its entirety. The show was recorded and was released as a DVD, known as the Get Wiser Live DVD, on November 21, 2007. In January 2008, they released an EP titled, Stars and Stripes. That same month in Hawaii, SOJA recorded their live performances in Oahu, Maui, and Kailua-Kona. Those performances were released as a DVD, known as the SOJA - Live in Hawaii, on January 8, 2009. SOJA released their third full-length album Born in Babylon on August 25, 2009. The band released their latest album Strength to Survive on January 31, 2012; It sold over 50,000 copies, and topped the Billboard Reggae Album Chart.
Membersedit:
Jacob Hemphill (vocals, guitar),
Bob "Bobby Lee" Jefferson (bass, vocals),
Patrick O'Shea (keyboards),
Ryan "Bird" Berty (drums),
Ken Brownell (percussion),
Hellman Escorcia (saxophone),
Rafael Rodriguez (trumpet),
Trevor Young (guitar)
Washington, DC's SOJA have signed to ATO and will release their next studio album Strength To Survive on January 31. SOJA will support the album with ...
Reggae jamband SOJA will make their national television debut. The group--which recently signed to ATO records--will perform on The Tonight Show with ...
the past decade, 311 have performed on the Unity Tour with a diverse range of musical acts, including Snoop Dogg, The Offspring, Sublime with Rome, Ma...
moe.down has leaked its initial lineup on Facebook. The festival's first round of artists include: Umphrey's McGee, SOJA, Timbre Coup and Aqueous. Of ...
Relix and Jambands.com are giving away five pair of tickets to SOJA at The Warfield in San Francisco on Saturday, April 27th/ Rootz Underground and an...
