SOJA’s first album was recorded independently with renowned sound engineer Jim Fox. Jacob notes, “Jim told us that he would work with us and so we could afford to make our first record, and when we ran out of money he started making up ‘discounts.’ It was awesome. I asked him why a while back, and he said ‘I didn’t want to see a good thing stop.’ What was even crazier was at the time he wasn’t working with bands that were from the US, just Jamaican artists. Big ones like Black Uhuru, Israel Vibration, Burning Spear, Don Carlos, and Inner Circle. Jim worked with us independently and recorded, mixed, and mastered the whole thing. That is how it all started.” SOJA’s first album, “Soldiers of Jah Army EP” was released at the beginning of 2000.
In 2002, SOJA released their first full-length album, “Peace in a Time of War.” Though the band was young, the album had hits. “True Love,” “Rasta Courage,” and “Peace in a Time of War” were the first songs to bring the band strong attention nationally and internationally and cement them in the reggae world. Tours became larger, their fan base expanded rapidly and they grew up smart in the independent music industry. In 2006, the band released “Get Wiser,” their second full-length album. The album was a break through for the band, as they explored the duality in their music, combining beautiful, longing melodies with hard drum and bass, and layered with intricate lyrics. SOJA created their musical style with a new complexity and depth that they would carry with them to their future albums. Jacob shares, “When you listen to an artist you can either have a series of one liners, or you can tell a story with your music. We set out to tell a story, it’s like poetry – dancing around an entire theme, but never putting a period on anything. It is like the two sides of a coin, but you can see them at the same time.” “Get Wiser” debuted in the Top 10 Reggae Albums on iTunes and has remained in the top 100 since its release. Singles off the album including “Open My Eyes, “You Don’t Know Me,” and “Can’t Tell Me” remain in heavy rotation on college radio across the United States, and have also received major radio play internationally in places such as France, Brazil, Argentina, Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Costa Rica, Mexico, Venezuela, Guam, and Tahiti. The success of “Get Wiser” took the band on three years of intense touring nationally, and internationally. In 2008 SOJA released their EP “Stars and Stripes.” They blended new sounds and new rhythms with their existing reggae sound, growing into what SOJA was becoming. The EP contained three new songs plus remixes and new versions of popular songs. In early 2009 the band released the documentary DVD “SOJA Live in Hawaii: A Marc Carlini Film,” showcasing the power and energy of their 2008 Hawaiian tour which included four islands, five cameras, four shows, and everything in between.
Now, SOJA is ready to unleash their third full-length album “Born in Babylon” - the culmination of all past efforts on their label DMV Records. Set to be released August 25, 2009 exclusively on iTunes, “Born in Babylon” focuses on telling the same roots story that reggae artists have been singing about for decades, but their way, from the flip perspective of kids who grew up not in poverty, but in a government saturated community in Arlington, Virginia, across Mason-Dixon Line from the White House. SOJA shares about their new album, “This is the album we’ve been wanting to make for ten years. At first we were hard-core old school, then we got new school and inventive. This is what we’ve learned from all that. ‘Born in Babylon’ is hard roots drum and bass, big wide guitar and vocal melodies, and two and three sided lyrics, with two and three sided messages.”
For the rest of 2009 and moving into 2010 – SOJA plans on touring the United States extensively while promoting “Born in Babylon” with mainstay horn players Hellman Escorcia (saxophone) and Rafael Rodriguez (trumpet). Currently, SOJA averages 150 shows a year and the group has toured every major city in the US and internationally throughout Canada, Puerto Rico (avg 2500), Brazil (avg 4000), Argentina, Uruguay, New Caledonia (16,000 in attendance) Palau, Saipan, Guam (avg 3500), Hawaii (avg 2,000 on each island), Sweden, Switzerland, France, Portugal (avg 2000) and Holland. The band has also shared the stage with notable artists such as Citizen Cope, Matisyahu, Ben Harper, Slightly Stoopid, Damian Marley, Govt Mule, Umphrees McGee, and Steel Pulse to name a few.
In addition to their new music and touring, the band remains committed to creating real music, music that cant be ignored. Jacob pauses, “Bob Marley’s fans all feel like when he is singing a song, it’s to them. You could be from anywhere, any situation, rich, poor – it doesn’t matter; the song is directed at them. He speaks to you, the love songs too. That is what we are after. Not one side of the story, the whole thing, both sides of the coin. Just listen to ‘Born in Babylon.’”
disambiguation:
If you're looking for a US act:
http://www.last.fm/music/Soldiers+of+Jah+Army
Over the years, the Washington, D.C. music scene has become best known for its hardcore (Minor Threat) and go-go (Trouble Funk) alumni, but as evidenced by the great Bad Brains, reggae has been represented as well. SOJA has risen to the forefront, picking up right where the Brains left off – creating their own blend of conscious roots music entwined with the traditional rhythms of reggae, it “comes across with passion and depth.” (Washington Post ’06)
That said, SOJA is not that easy to define. Although they are rooted in reggae, they are not limited to it; their fan-base reflects this with a very diverse population. The music includes and embraces all walks of life - it has no prejudice – it is for everyone. The band grew up listening to reggae, hip-hop, and rock. In their sound, reggae became the predominate influence because it is dedicated to a real message and promotes revolution.
The group, which includes a pair of lead singers who also pull double duty - Jacob Hemphill (guitar) and Bob Jefferson (bass) – as well as Patrick O’Shea on keyboard, percussionist Ken Brownell, and drummer Ryan Berty, originally came together in 1997. Since 2000, the quintet has issued three full length albums and one EP – their latest, ‘Get Wiser,’ is their third for the group’s own label, Innerloop.
Hemphill explains the meaning of the album’s title. “The new album is called ‘Get Wiser’ – that’s the idea. We as a society tend to have blinders on. We are trying to uplift peoples’ consciousness by breaking down what makes us blind. To do this, we got to bring back truth. People get wiser.”
“Every song is different of course.” Hemphill continues, “I found music to be a way to express myself - through my life I’ve never been able to express myself well in conversations, but I can do it through music. It’s like my way to talk.”
Ever the road warriors (SOJA averages 150 gigs per year), the group will be supporting their latest release with a healthy amount of live dates this year on the “Get Wiser Tour”. With such a list of accumulated live dates, a specific high point is hard to pin down, but Brownell remembers a particular performance. “One of the shows that remains in the front of my mind was playing in Guam for the first time for nearly 6,000 fans. That was an amazing experience.”
With SOJA calling their own shots, ‘Get Wiser’ proves that the band’s message and music will only continue to grow stronger with each successive release. In support of their latest album, “Get Wiser”, SOJA is embarking on a journey around the world.
The Band
Jacob Hemphill - Lead Vocals, Guitar
Bob Jefferson - Lead Vocals, Bass
Ken Brownell - Percussion
Ryan Berty - Drums
Patrick O’Shea- Keyboards
Used to Matter
SOJA Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Its all new. The old is gone
And I am too
Wishing I was closer to
Back when it used to matter
All my coins are gone,
Its plastic now
My ipod's got me asking "how
To back when it used to matter?"
Now it seems that we
Are all wrapped up so tight,
Light just can't get in
And I feel that we can't see
And I feel, its not "maybe"
See, my watch is worthless,
So is my pen
And it seems nothing is
Greater than
Something that takes me
Way back when, to
Back when it used to matter
All the words I write
Are on screen,
And the friends I have
Have "added" me
And theres no record
Of anything,
And now we all cease to matter
So you die when you turn 22
But they gonna wait to bury you
Cuz you got a 9 to 5 to do
And thats supposed to matter
So you replace your time
In between
With other peoples'
Hopes and dreams
And they live their lives on
Your TV
And now you don't even matter
I just want us to be who were
Supposed to be and who we are
Doesn't it seem like wer kinda
Far from the original plan
From the start back
When it used to matter
The lyrics of Soja's song Used to Matter are filled with nostalgia and a desire to go back to a time when life was simpler and more meaningful. The singer talks about how everything has changed, and it's not always for the better. The old ways are gone, and so is their sense of identity. The singer wishes they were closer to the past, back when it used to matter.
The first verses talk about how materialistic our lives have become, how everything is plastic and digital, and how it's hard to connect with the things that really mattered before. The singer's watch and pen are now pointless, and even their music has lost its magic. They miss the days when they could still feel something, when all their coins were still valuable, and everything seemed real.
The second verse talks about how we are all wrapped up so tight, so consumed by our busy lives and screens, that we can't see the light. We're losing touch with reality, and it's not just about the things we buy or don't buy. We're losing touch with ourselves, with our dreams and hopes. The last verse is especially poignant, talking about how we waste our lives on things that don't really matter, how we're supposed to have a 9 to 5 job and be happy with that. We're supposed to care about other people's lives more than our own, to live vicariously through them on TV or social media. But the singer doesn't want any of that. They want to be true to themselves and to connect with others in a meaningful way. They want to go back to the original plan, back when it used to matter.
Line by Line Meaning
See, these days its different,
The present times are unlike the past days.
Its all new. The old is gone
Everything has changed, and the past has vanished.
And I am too
The singer has changed as well due to the change in times.
Wishing I was closer to
The singer longs to be near to the past.
Back when it used to matter
The singer wants to return to the time when things held more importance.
All my coins are gone,
The singer has lost physical currency.
Its plastic now
Money has converted to electronic format.
My ipod's got me asking "how
The singer is surprised by how technology has progressed.
Could all my albums take me down
Listening to old albums makes the singer feel nostalgic.
To back when it used to matter?"
The past held more significance to the singer.
Now it seems that we
The present causes the singer to feel.
Are all wrapped up so tight,
The present is too restrictive.
Light just can't get in
The present is too dark, and there is no hope.
And I feel that we can't see
The current culture is blind to the world's issues.
And I feel, its not "maybe"
The singer is confident in this opinion.
See, my watch is worthless,
The singer's watch has lost its value in the present.
So is my pen
The singer's pen has also become obsolete.
And it seems nothing is
Nothing seems significant.
Greater than
There is nothing better or more important than this one thing.
Something that takes me
This one thing is transporting the singer.
Way back when, to
The thing is reflective of the past.
Back when it used to matter
The past held more importance than the present.
All the words I write
The singer's written words.
Are on screen,
The written words are now digital.
And the friends I have
The people the singer associates with.
Have "added" me
The people have added the singer as their friend on social media.
And theres no record
No proof or evidence exists.
Of anything,
There is no physical record.
And now we all cease to matter
The present renders us unimportant.
So you die when you turn 22
A person's life expectancy has shortened.
But they gonna wait to bury you
Society delays the inevitable death.
Cuz you got a 9 to 5 to do
The person has a job to work.
And thats supposed to matter
The job is believed to hold importance.
So you replace your time
An individual's time is substituted.
In between
In the interval of time.
With other peoples'
The person spends their time on someone else.
Hopes and dreams
The aspirations and ambitions of others.
And they live their lives on
Others succeed in life.
Your TV
This success is visible through the media.
And now you don't even matter
Those things which used to hold value have become worthless in the present.
I just want us to be who were
The singer wants to be the person they once were.
Supposed to be and who we are
The past ideal self and the present actual self.
Doesn't it seem like wer kinda
The two selves are vastly different.
Far from the original plan
The present does not align with the past's vision.
From the start back
From the beginning.
When it used to matter
When things held greater importance.
Contributed by David H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Tara Mashay
on Here I Am
This guy is in love with a girl and tries pushing her away. They both care a lot about each other, for her own well being he tries to ignore her. But due to his life style of traveling she knows when he's around (tour dates posted online,etc) "she sees on her screen I am so here I am, here I am" he can't keep from seeing her because deep down they both want to be there so here he is. Neither of them care if they date other people normally because they both know they can't be together (maybe distance? Or he cares more about his passion for music?) "She don't call me one and only no she just calls me when she gets lonely" she gets lonely when she's not getting attention from other people where she is so she calls him to feel better because she's lonely and be gives in a lot to talk to her because he enjoys it. "I'm just a passing plan" sometimes he's able to stay away because he doesn't want her to be dependent on him when she's lonely. She knows he's always come back.