The Movement

SOJA
SOJA
Jacob Hemphill (lead vocals \& guitar) met Bobby Lee (bass) in the first grade in Virginia, shortly after Jacob returned from living in Africa with his family. The two instantly became best friends, and in middle school found a common love for hip hop, rock and reggae music. Throughout middle and high school, they met Ryan Berty (drums), Patrick O'Shea (keyboards) and Kenneth Brownell (percussion). Together they formed Soja. In the formative years the band gigged locally in the DC area… Show more while a couple of the guys finished school. All the while making plans to hit the road after graduation...
In 2005 the band hit the road... and they hit the road hard. Often dubbed "road warriors", Soja has brought their unique sound and stage show to nearly every city in North America, as well as many cities throughout Europe, South America, the Pacific Islands and the Caribbean. While touring in Puerto Rico the band linked up with sax player Hellman Escorcia \& trumpet player Rafael Rodriguez. These two exceptional musicians earned their position as SOJA's mainstay horn section by helping further develop the band's eclectic sound.
With no signs of slowing down. Soja is planning a world tour for 2011/2012 in support of their upcoming album release. It's all about the message in the music for this band. "People think we write music about the earth for the earth's sake, but its not really like that. If we harm the earth, it will reject us. For all we know, its happened one hundred times before. This place gets too hot, that's it. Reset button. That's why I sing what I sing - to pull us all in the same direction, the same future. Without that, were finished (Jacob Hemphill)."
There is no doubt about it. This band is on the forefront of a Revolution with hopes to bring about positive change: environmentally, politically and socially. "Maybe we need to Want to fix it. Maybe stop talking, maybe start listening. Maybe we need to look at this world less like a square and more like a circle. Maybe just maybe God's not unfair, maybe we're all his kids and he's up there. Maybe he loves us for all our races, maybe he hates us when we're all so racist. Maybe he sees us, when we dont care, that its heaven right here, but its hell over there. Then maybe the meek will inherit this earth, cause it was written before... so..." Everything Changes - SOJA.
http://sojamusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/soja
THE MOVEMENT
Rock, Reggae and Hip Hop: Each is definable, recognizable and at once familiar to people the world over--but never before have those three forms of musical expression been blended into a sound that is as indefinable as it is recognizable and familiar. Enter the Philadelphia quartet known as The Movement.
Growing up with one another in Columbia, South Carolina, Joshua Swain and Jordan Miller spent time jamming in various high school bands together. Swain, a multi-instrumentalist versed in guitar, bass, and drums, left for Florida's Full Sail University in 2001, while Miller honed his freestyle rap, guitar, and keyboard skills in Columbia. Upon returning in 2002, Swain reconnected with Miller and the two began writing songs in Swain's garage using a drum machine and drawing from musical influences that ranged from Sublime to Tupac to Pink Floyd. The Movement was born.
Early incarnations of the band found them as a trio. It was Swain, Miller and DJ Jon Ruff. They developed a loyal following as a trio and went on to release their first full length album, entitled On Your Feet. That album, recorded and mixed in 24 studio hours, was released in March of 2004 and continues to be well received by new fans worldwide.
Fast forward to 2008. The band had built a loyal following while touring the Southeastern circuit nonstop and opening for national acts such as Steel Pulse, Blues Traveler, Slightly Stoopid, The Wailers, Ludacris, G. Love \& Special Sauce, Common, Long Beach Shortbus, The Wu Tang Clan, 311, and Rebelution. Things were good but stale; the band wasn't breaking any new ground and the members began to lose interest. DJ Jon Ruff left the band to pursue a family while Josh and Jordan came to a crossroads. Enter producer Chris DiBeneditto (G. Love \& Special Sauce, Slightly Stoopid, The Expendables), who had seen the band several times and was searching for new talent to work with. The Movement quickly teamed up with him at Philadelphonic Studios in Philadelphia to begin work on what would become "Set Sail". It was a creative tsunami--Josh and Jordan churned out eighteen songs within a week's time. Revived by the momentum, a commitment was made to relocate to Philadelphia in order to give the project every chance to blossom. The next step was to solidify the band's roster so Chris DiBeneditto contacted local drummer Gary Jackson. After one jam session together, Gary accepted an offer to join the band and promptly suggested bassist Jay "Smiles" Schmidt as the missing element. It clicked right away. The vibe was on. The Movement was reborn!
The prominent new additions to the group proved their worth immediately as the live music took on a potency it had never achieved with a looped beat. The band's dedication to touring virtually nonstop since the release of Set Sail has served to establish their increasing reputation as an unmissable live show. As a further result, Set Sail has thus far attained the number 7 spot on iTunes' Top 100 Reggae Albums, brushing shoulders with the releases of long-established icons of the genre. As the fanbase booms, the crowds reach a fever pitch--but this is only the beginning--The Movement is about to Set Sail!
http://www.themovementvibe.com/

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