DC 101 Presents SOJA: Amid The Noise and Haste Album Release Show

“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 over
three million Facebook fans, and 65 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.”