Expresso Brasil packed to see the weight of American band Soldiers of Jah Army!

This week was marked by "presença ilustre" from the president of Estados Unidos, George Bush, and all the confusion that this visit would obviously bring. With his popularity waning, the American president was often received with hostility through demonstrations in various parts of Brasil, mainly São Paulo, where he stayed. On the last Friday of March, the 9th, other Americans attended São Paulo, but with a completely different mission: Play the good old Reggae and demonstrate their total disapproval of the authoritarian American government in management. It's the band Soldiers of Jah Army, or better known as SOJA! Sharing the stage with the bands Mato Seco and Sensimilla Dub, "Soldados" were eager to present their sound to the Brasileiro audience, who knew how to welcome them very well, not only with the number of people present, but with the warm ovation. The band returned all the affection with a sound of attitude, "pra cima", proving why there is so much spotlight on their music. In a climate of "Dub in a time of War", the songs often took on this "sinistra" reggae aspect, all under the control of the sound engineer Shanon Craig, who also manages the sound of another renowned American band, Groundation. "Peace in a Time of War", the album that opened all the doors for SOJA, brings to this presentation two of the songs that stood out on the night... "Peace in a Time of War" itself and the beautiful "Rasta Courage". With their "bem cultivados" dreadlocks, Bob Jefferson (bassist) and Jacob Hemphill (Vocalist and Guitarist) always made it clear what they thought about their president, and Bob said in clear Portuguese: "Fora Bush"! Preceding another "pedrada" from the band, Jacob gave a moral lesson, in English, to some brawlers infiltrated in the crowd: "Não briguem, isso não faz parte da filosofia... resolvam as coisas na conversa, não briguem... vocês são irmãos... Jah Rastafari VIVE!" "True Love", an exciting song that raised chilling choruses among the crowd, and the danceable "Sorry", from the latest album "Get Wiser", left the public drooling to check out much more of SOJA, as several dates are closed. In the dressing rooms, the band responded to several autograph requests and chatted freely with fans. Vocalist Jacob Hemphill wore a MST (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais sem Terra) t-shirt. Those who couldn't attend this presentation, don't worry, the Soldiers of Jah Army has a good schedule at the Brasil, which you can see below. Special thanks to Israel, one of those responsible for the arrival of SOJA together with Surforeggae, Duke, and all those who somehow make our work possible. Don't be left out of Surforeggae in Concert 3, which will also feature SOJA. Irie!

IMAGENS OF THE EVENT

Check out some images from the Rio de Janeiro presentation and the latest from São Paulo.

NEXTXQ0QXZS DATES

10/03 - Jundiaí - Clube Uirapuru 11/03 - Curitiba - Era Só o Que Faltava 14/03 - Mafra (Interior of Paraná) - House name to be confirmed 15/03 - Porto Alegre - Bar Opinião 16/03 - Florianópolis - Drakar 17/03 - Bragança Paulista - Galpão Busca Vida 21/03 - Buenos Aires (Argentina) - Niceto Club 22/03 - Montevidéo (Uruguai) - House name to be confirmed
23/03 - São Paulo - Espaço Interlagos (Surforeggae In Concert III with Mato Seco and Leões de Israel)
24/03 - Guarulhos - Internacional Eventos (Formerly Phillips) 24/03 - Santo André - Status Show 25/03 - São Paulo - Espaço das Américas

MULTIMEDIA

Click and watch Soldiers of Jah Army with clip "Sorry". Click and watch Soldiers of Jah Army with clip "Peace in a Time of War".

MAIS INFORMATION

Click here and find out more about this band.

CONTRACTORS

Those interested in booking the Soldiers of Jah Army show should contact the following email: rafael@surforeggae.com.br