The Pier reviews “Strength To Survive” Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 4:56

The new album Strength To Survive is out and we’re blown away by the great response people are having to it! The folks at The Pier had some great things to say about it:

strengthtosurvive

“Of all the upper echelon reggae bands hailing from The US, SOJA has one of the most loyal, persistently-growing fan bases in modern reggae music. As political unrest, war, and poverty spanned the globe in Bob Marley’s time, we have found the world in a similar spot in the new millennium. Then came SOJA with a universal message of love, hope, and faith, proclaimed through reggae music . With Strength to Survive, SOJA builds towards one overruling theme of world unity.”

Read the rest of the review HERE!

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Live Webcast - Wed. February 8th! Thursday, February 02, 2012 - 8:15

SOJA will perform an exclusive live webcast next Wednesday, February 8 at 2 PM EST / 11 AM PST as part of the Chevy Sonic Live concert series at Jambase. Plan for a special Q&A with fans along with a full concert featuring new “Strength To Survive” songs and old favorites! Check out this article below for more info.

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STRENGTH TO SURVIVE CONTEST Wednesday, February 01, 2012 - 4:56

**STRENGTH TO SURVIVE CONTEST—From 2/1 to 2/14, upload a photo on SOJA’s Facebook of your Strength to Survive album in the funniest/coolest place you can think of. Then, tag SOJA and include your location. Fans with the top 3 most “liked” photos as of 5pm EST on 2/14 will win a pair of tickets to any headlining 2012 SOJA concert, and set of Devil Stixx from our friends at 4Frolic

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LISTEN: ‘Strength To Survive’ w/ song intros by Jacob Hemphill Tuesday, January 31, 2012 - 1:00

Here’s a cool experience ->>> listen to the entire ‘Strength To Survive’ album along with introductions by Jake about the inspiration and stories behind every song! Share this special Soundcloud player if you dig it.

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The Maui News [INTERVIEW] Thursday, January 26, 2012 - 4:00

Maui News InterviewWhen the popular Washington, D.C. based reggae band SOJA began working on its new CD, “Strength to Survive,” the musicians took inspiration from the master, Bob Marley and his epic album “Survival.”

“It’s my favorite album of all time,” says SOJA’s lead vocalist Jacob Hemphill. “Bob wrote it after he went to Africa. He was desperate when he wrote it to save his homeland. Even the ballads were like ‘Africa Unite’ and ‘we’re not slaves any more.’ So we kind of set out to make that album.”

Read the full interview HERE.

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The Dub Side [INTERVIEW] Friday, January 20, 2012 - 3:00

TheDubeSide InterviewThe phone sat idle on the glass coffee table next to a laptop, a glass of water, an old iPhone with a cracked screen and the 100 Greatist Guitarists issue of Rolling Stone. It was mostly quiet except for the faint sound of SkillinJah’s new track “Reality” playing in the background. The song had drawn my attention away from the phone when suddenly the table shook and the clamor of the ringtone pierced the air, and nearly made me spill my water. I answered the phone; the person responded:

“This is Jacob, I think I may have missed an interview.”

Lucky for us, he didn’t miss it all.

Read the full interview HERE.

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Honolulu Pulse [INTERVIEW] Friday, January 20, 2012 - 3:00

Honolulu Pulse InterviewSOJA Bandleader Jacob Hemphill is one of those pleasant, intense guys who’s always a little bit “on” - and talking to him is almost as much fun as being at a SOJA show.

The band is known for passionate renditions of roots reggae, most of it original, with lyrics from Hemphill. In conversation, even over the phone, Hemphill comes across just as upfront and driven as he is on stage—jumping into high-flying discussions of SOJA’s music, and delivering upbeat, resolutely political descriptions of the band’s message in an energetic flow.

Read the interview HERE.

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SoundSpike [INTERVIEW] Thursday, January 19, 2012 - 5:00

SoundSpikeThe members of roots-reggae group SOJA are relieved to begin the next phase of their career, which begins with the opening of a tour on Saturday (1/21) to support their first album for ATO Records, “Strength to Survive,” set to hit stores Jan. 31.

“We’ve been touring withh the same material for about two years now and we finally get to do some new stuff,” singer/guitarist Jacob Hemphill told SoundSpike.

Read the full interview HERE

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‘Strength to Survive’  Video Premiere on Spinner Tuesday, December 06, 2011 - 2:12

Spinner is hosting the premiere of SOJA’s new music video for the title track off their upcoming album, Strength To Survive!

SOJA Video Premiere

“The song is about how and what we’re doing to the earth,” singer Jacob Hemphill tells Spinner. “It’s pretty scary to see what’s happening and how fast it’s happening. Our world is in a war over make-believe boundaries that we created ourselves, and it’s over money, which we also created. The truth is that there’s only one world and one people. If we don’t act like it, we’re doomed. That’s the inspiration for the video.

“I had an idea for this earth-versus-man thing. The tree man represents the earth, and he stops us from killing the earth. The video was directed by Joao Gargate, who we met and vibed with at the Sumol Summerfest in Ericeira, Portugal. His clay and photo and ability for creating models out of organics are what drew us to him. His work is

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Hellman Escorcia of SOJA Interview w/Venezuela Reggae Zine Thursday, October 13, 2011 - 8:10

Venezuela Reggae Zine recently sat down to chat with SOJA’s Hellman Escorcia for a great interview. Here’s a preview:

La banda de reggae Californiano SOJA, ofreció el pasado sábado 10 de septiembre un concierto en la isla de Aruba para presentar su tour “Every thing’s change’s"en el Piedra Plat Entertainment Center.

La ocasión sirvió para que el venezolano, Hellman Escorcia, saxofonista de la agrupación, nos contara cómo se siente por formar parte del staff de tan importante banda.

Sencillez, talento y amor por la música y por su país, son algunas de las cosas que irradia Hellman, nacido el 7 de febrero de 1985 en Barquisimeto y actualmente ciudadano del mundo.

CLICK HERE to read the entire interview!

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