:For the city, see Soja, Okayama.
Soldiers of Jah Army
(SOJA
) is a reggae 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 record label Innerloop
.
|
SOLDIERS OF JAH ARMY TICKETS
|
Biography
Jacob Hemphill (vocals, guitar) and Bob Jefferson (bass) met in first grade shortly after Hemphill had returned with his family from living in
Africa. He and Jefferson then met Patrick O’Shea (keyboards), Ryan Berty (drums), 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 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. Now, SOJA is preparing to release their third full-length album
Born in Babylon
on August 25, 2009 exclusively on iTunes.
Members
- Jacob Hemphill (vocals, guitar)
- Bob "Bobby Lee" Jefferson (bass, vocals)
- Ryan "Bird" Berty (drums)
- Ken Brownell (percussion)
- Patrick O'Shea (keyboards)
Discography
Albums
- Soldiers of Jah Army
(2000)
- Peace in a Time of War
(2003)
- Dub in a Time of War
(2005)
- Get Wiser
(2006)
- Stars & Stripes
(EP) (2008)
- Born In Babylon
(2009)
DVDs
- Get Wiser Live DVD
(2007)
- SOJA – Live in Hawaii
(2009)