It’s hard to live in the D.C. Metro area and be unfamiliar with the local folk-reggae band, SOJA. The Arlington octet sold out the 9:30 club two nights in a row on May 18 and 19 as part of their Everything Changes tour.
The traditional Jamaican reggae band Rootz Underground opened for SOJA on the first night while Biz Markie opened the second night. At around 9:30, Rootz Undergound came on, ready and full of energy. The crowd didn’t seem to be too familiar with their songs, but nonetheless, they still managed to get everyone pumped.  Their electric vibe combined with soulful lyrics and Rastafari messages made for an amazing performance. But after about 45 minutes of singing, dancing and dread shaking, it was finally time for SOJA to come on.
As soon as the band marched out, the cheering was almost unbearable. Lead singer Jacob Hemphill came out sporting a “Rest in Power MCA” t-shirt to commemorate the late Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch of the Beastie Boys while three of the other band members, bassist, Bobby Lee, keyboardist, Patrick O’Shea, and drummer, Ryan Berty, wore shirts with pictures of the late Chuck Brown, D.C. native and the “Godfather of Go-go.” Accordingly, the first song the octet performed was “Gone Today” off of their latest album, “Strength to Survive.” The band incorporated songs from multiple albums and it still seemed as if almost every person in the building knew every lyric which frequently produced a grin across Hemphill’s face while singing.
The show was also packed with surprises.  Alfred “Black Boo” Duncan of local band, Mambo Sauce, came out and performed with SOJA during their song “Bleed Through” from their 2009 album “Born in Babylon.” A few songs later, the show had reached its end, or so we thought. The band slowly exited the stage but the fans stayed and begged for an encore. Then about five minutes later, Hemphill, Berty, and Lee all came out bearing their “Rest in Power MCA” shirts and did a Beastie Boys tribute to the song “No Sleep ‘Till Brooklyn”, which the crowd went absolutely crazy for.
All in all, SOJA is a must-see. Their honest lyrics of hope, family, and love will for sure change your perspective on music and on life. Not only do they make good music, they make music that you can learn from also.
The band is continuing their tour across the U.S. as well as making pit stops in Portugal, Poland, Germany and Switzerland and if you get the chance to see SOJA live, do it, you will not regret it.