The hot-rod reggae grooves and zeitgeist themes of the band Soldiers of Jah Army@@http://www.irieites.de/interviews/SOJA_Interview.htm@@ will return to Eugene’s McDonald Theatre on Saturday. But this time the band will be promoting their new album, “Strength to Survive.”@@http://bigupradio.com/archives/3066@@
“It’s about black survival,” said SOJA’s lead guitarist, Jacob Hemphill.@@http://sojamusic.com/news/detail/21_questions_with_jacob_hemphill/@@ “It was about Bob Marley looking at his continent and examining what the future would be.”
He was inspired by Marley’s own survival as a teenager when he listened to the reggae artist for the first time.
“When I listened to it, it triggered all these long-forgotten memories of when I lived in Africa as a kid,” he said.
His father was an International Monetary Fund resident representative in Liberia, and Hemphill says he remembers when the 1995 coup@@http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/liberia-1985.htm@@ first started. He and his family had to hide in iron bathtubs for three days because the military was shooting at everything.
Luckily, the family made it out.
“Africa was always a big part of our lives ­— it defined our family,” he said. “Music came after that, so it was always tied to Africa and was always something powerful.”
Once Hemphill returned from Africa, he and the family moved to Virginia, where he met bass player Bobby Lee in the first grade. The two then met Ryan Berty (drums), Kenneth Bongos (percussion) and Patrick O’Shea@@http://www.facebook.com/soja?sk=info@@ (keyboard) in high school. Together they formed SOJA. They did shows in the Washington, D.C., area in the beginning because some of the members had to finish school.
But the group had big plans for their future after graduation.
Over the past few years, SOJA has sold more than 150,000 albums, headlined large theaters in more than 15 countries and garnered more than 20 million YouTube views. They have even opened for bands such as O.A.R.@@listed with periods–http://ofarevolution.com/@@ and shared the stage with Dave Matthews Band and Matisyahu.@@http://www.chartattack.com/news/78002/matisyahu-going-back-to-his-musical-roots@@
“Strength to Survive” is the band’s fourth full-length album, produced by John Alagia@@http://bigupradio.com/archives/3066@@ and will be SOJA’s first for “According To Our” Records, the label co-founded by Dave Matthews. The album calls for unity and change with universal songs about faith, hope and love. Among the album’s most popular song is “Let You Go,” which is essentially about the road not taken.
Hemphill said the band’s approach to music is what’s enabled them to break down the barriers of culture and distance.
“What’s the alternative — pop music?” he asked in a press release. “It’s funny because we actually sing about different things — things that matter.”
None of this would have been possible, though, without the hard work of the seven-piece band and its diehard fans.
“The audience is the only reason we do this,” he said.
Advance tickets for all ages are general admission and available for $17.50 at all Safeway TicketsWest outlets, online at ticketswest.rdln.com and mcdonaldtheatre.com. Tickets will be $20 the day of the show. The concert will begin at 8 p.m.