“I want to speak for people who don’t have microphones,” Jacob Hemphill says. “Our goal as a band is to stick up for the human race. We see the world and we try to make it better in the limited time we have here.” This is the philosophy behind SOJA’s music, a simple statement that has driven the D.C. area band, who blend reggae, go-go, D.C. hardcore, Latin, rock and hip-hop. Originally formed by a group of friends while still in middle school and has built a massive, dedicated fanbase around the world since. In the years following, SOJA has sold more than 200,000 albums, headlined shows in over 20 countries around the world, generated nearly 4 million Facebook fans, and over 90 million YouTube views. The band has toured with Dave Matthews Band, Incubus, 311 and appeared at major festivals including Bonnaroo where they attract an almost Grateful Dead-like international fan base along the way, with caravans of diehards following them from city to city.

After the release of their 2012 album Strength To Survive, the musicians started writing material for what would become their fifth full-length album, Amid the Noise and Haste. For Hemphill, who pens the lyrics, chords and melody, each song starts with an experience: meeting someone, reading something, experiencing something that seems pertinent to the human condition. On this album, the songwriter is suggesting that “all of life’s problems, and all of life’s answers are within us. We’ve been conditioned to accumulate, compete and break others down around ourselves — not inherent to the human condition, but rather taught. Those things can be untaught. The real us is in there, somewhere.” All of this is translated into short, sweet packages of music.

The writing and recording process for Amid the Noise and Haste stretched out over a year and a half, mostly because the musicians kept finding new collaborators and new ideas along the way. The aim was to engage as many guest artists as possible, with each working on a song that had a legitimate connection to them. The album was produced by Supa Dups (Bruno Mars, Eminem, Rihanna, John Legend) and recorded at Circle House Studios in Miami and Lion & Fox Studios in Washington D.C. throughout 2013. Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley appears on “Your Song,” a buoyant, hopeful number that asks fans to remind the band why they got into music by singing along, while “I Believe” brings Michael Franti and Nahko together to offer thoughts on how to control your own destiny. Collie Buddz, J Boog and Anuhea are also featured on various tracks. “We wanted to bring together people who would help demonstrate each song,” Jacob says. “We wanted people who could either relate to or convey the message. The whole album is about the human race relating to itself and connecting with itself.”

For SOJA, whose live show is an explosion of energy and positivity, music is a means of helping people relate in a more affirmative way. It also asks people to look inside themselves and really ask what it is they want to do with their life and how they can be happy. SOJA’s music is about finding that happiness and peace we all deserve and helping others do the same, something Amid the Noise and Haste aptly conveys in its songs. “I put words in my songs that I believe to be true,” Jacob says. “The point of the album is reconnecting people to the power inside themselves, getting them to fall back in love with life again. Look around, take a deep breath. All the answers are there.”

Past Shows


Jul
1
st
2017
Cabooze Outdoor Plaza
Jul
1
st
2017
Cabooze Outdoor Plaza

Dirty Heads and SOJA

with The Green and RDGLDGRN
Aug
25
th
2016
Cabooze Outdoor Plaza
Aug
25
th
2016
Cabooze Outdoor Plaza

Slightly Stoopid

with SOJA and Fortunate Youth
Oct
18
th
2015
Mainroom
Oct
18
th
2015
Mainroom

SOJA

with J Boog and Dustin Thomas
May
8
th
2013
Mainroom
May
8
th
2013
Mainroom

SOJA

with Los Rakas and Air Dubai
Feb
19
th
2012
The Cabooze
Feb
19
th
2012
The Cabooze

SOJA

with The Movement and Kids These Days
Feb
16
th
2011
Mainroom
Feb
16
th
2011
Mainroom

SOJA

with Mambo Sauce and Chris Boomer

More Shows

Jun
6
th
7th St Entry

The 99ers

with Bruise Violet, Surly Grrly and Black Widows
Jul
17
th
7th St Entry

Moken

with Zoë Says Go and theyself
Jul
29
th
Turf Club

Exciter and Midnight

with Wraith and Hellwitch
Jun
18
th
Turf Club

Nourished By Time

with urika's bedroom