Soldiers of Jah Army
Encyclopedia
Soldiers of Jah
Army (SOJA) 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 record label Innerloop.
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. Most recently, SOJA released their third full-length album Born in Babylon on August 25, 2009. The band has recently announced the release of their newest album "Strength to Survive", which has a release date of January 31, 2012.
Bob "Bobby Lee" Jefferson (bass, vocals)
Patrick O’Shea (keyboards)
Ryan "Bird" Berty (drums)
Ken Brownell (percussion)
Hellman Escorcia (saxophone)
Rafael Rodriguez (trumpet)
Richard Hertzer (turn tables)
Jah
Jah is the shortened form of the divine name YHWH , an anglicized version of the Tetragrammaton . The name is most commonly associated with the Rastafari movement or within the word hallelujah, although Christian groups may use the name to varying degrees. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses use a...
Army (SOJA) is a band based in Arlington
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in the Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia consists of several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in a widespread region generally radiating southerly and westward from Washington, D.C...
/ Washington D.C. area. Starting as an active band in 1997
1997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
, their music is produced under the record label Innerloop.
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, where Jacob's father was a defense contractor in Uganda. He and Jefferson then met Eric Rogers (keyboards, harmony vocals) (later replaced by Patrick O’Shea in 2003), 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 engineerAudio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Jim Fox at LION and FOX Recording Studios in 2000
2000 in music
See also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
. The band released their first full-length album, Peace in a Time of War, in 2002
2002 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002.-Events:*February 3 – U2 perform during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI...
. SOJA then released a Dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
version of the album titled Dub in a Time of War in 2005
2005 in music
-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
. In 2006
2006 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2006.-January:*January 10 – Eric Burdon releases his album Soul of a Man and begins touring with a new band....
, the band released Get Wiser
Get Wiser
Get Wiser is the fourth studio album by the reggae band, Soldiers of Jah Army that was released in January 2006. The album release party was held at The State Theatre in Falls Church, Virginia and was filmed for the Get Wiser Live DVD....
, their second full-length album. It debuted in the Top 10 Reggae Albums on iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
and has remained in the top 100 since its release. The album release party was held on January 6, 2006 at The State Theatre
State Theatre (Falls Church, Virginia)
The State Theatre is a restaurant and concert venue in Falls Church, Virginia. Built in 1936, the State Theatre operated as a movie theater until 1988...
in Falls Church, Virginia
Falls Church, Virginia
The City of Falls Church is an independent city in Virginia, United States, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The city population was 12,332 in 2010, up from 10,377 in 2000. Taking its name from The Falls Church, an 18th-century Anglican parish, Falls Church gained township status within...
. 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
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, known as the Get Wiser Live DVD
Get Wiser Live DVD
Get Wiser Live is a DVD recorded on January 6, 2006 by Soldiers of Jah Army at the State Theatre in Falls Church, Virginia. The show consisted of two separate sets, with the opening set being older songs, and the second set being Get Wiser in its entirety.-Track listing:# "Intro by Dermot...
, on November 21, 2007. In January 2008
2008 in music
2008 was a huge year in music history with the emergence of pop superstars Lady Gaga and Katy Perry into the mainstream. Also, this is the year that is widely agreed upon by critics as the start of the fall of hip hop from the mainstream and the rise of Synthpop into the mainstream due to acts such...
, they released an EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
titled, Stars and Stripes. That same month in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, SOJA recorded their live performances in Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
, Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
, and Kailua-Kona. Those performances were released as a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
, known as the SOJA – Live in Hawaii
SOJA – Live in Hawaii
SOJA – Live in Hawaii is a DVD recorded between January 9 and January 20, 2008, by Soldiers of Jah Army in Oahu, Maui, and Kailua-Kona...
, on January 8, 2009. Most recently, SOJA released their third full-length album Born in Babylon on August 25, 2009. The band has recently announced the release of their newest album "Strength to Survive", which has a release date of January 31, 2012.
Members
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)
Richard Hertzer (turn tables)
Albums
- Soldiers of Jah Army (album)|Soldiers of Jah Army (2000)
- Peace in a Time of War (2003)
- Dub in a Time of War (2005)
- Get Wiser (2005)
- Stars & Stripes (EP)|Stars & Stripes (Extended play|EP) (2008)
- Born In BabylonBorn In BabylonBorn in Babylon is the third full-length studio album by Soldiers of Jah Army . It was released August 25, 2009 exclusively on iTunes...
(2009) - Everything Changes (Single) (2010)
- Strength to Survive (2012)