Get Wiser Tour 2006
Featuring SOJA (Soldiers of Jah Army)

In support of their second full-length album, "Get Wiser", SOJA is embarking on a journey around the world. Their pure roots reggae will pulse within Hawaii, California, Oregon, Guam and all over the east coast for the next few months, spreading "equal parts (of) blazing fire and healing water, full of locked in riddims and quietly powerful vocals" (The Beat, Feb 05). Not only will you find them in your favorite local club - SOJA's playing the big summer festivals as well - check them out at Reggae on the River & the All Good Festival! Go to www.sojamusic.com for more details!

Get Wiser 2006 Tour Dates:

• Thur, May 4: Pipeline Café - 805 Pokukaina Honolulu, HI

• Fri, May 5: Club Bliss - 327 Keawe St., Kaka'ako, HI - SECRET SHOW!

• Sat, May 6: Uncle Mikey's - 400 Hualani St # 22 Hilo, HI

• Sun, May 7: VFW's (Veterans of Foreign Wars Bldg) - 2502 Uluniu Rd. Kihei, HI

• Tues, May 9: Casanova's - 1188 Makawao Ave Makawao, HI

• Thur, May 11: Winston's - 1921 Bacon Street San Diego, CA

• Fri, May 12: Longshot Saloon - 843 Grand Ave San Marcos, CA

• Sat, May 13: The Roxy - 9009 W. Sunset Blvd. W. Hollywood, CA

• Sun, May 14: The Blue Café - 210 Promenade Long Beach, CA

• Thur, May 18: The Drink - W. 281 W Main St Ventura, CA

• Fri, May 19: Downtown Brewing Co. - 1119 Garden St San Luis Obispo, CA

• Sun, May 21: Moe's Alley - 1535 Commercial Way Santa Cruz, CA

• Mon, May 22: Club Dread Studio Z 314 11th St San Francisco, CA

• Wed, May 24: Ukiah Brewing Co 102 S. State St Ukiah, CA

• Fri, May 26: Domino Room - 51 NW Greenwood Ave Bend, OR

• Sat, May 27: WOW Hall - 291 W. 8th Ave Eugene, OR

• Tues, May 30: Lola's Room - (Below Crystal Ballroom) - 1332 W. Burnside Portland, OR

• Fri, June 3: Island Sessions - More info TBA Soon - Guam

• Fri, June 16: Grape Street - 4100 Main Street Philadelphia, PA

• Sat, June 17: Lion's Den - 214 Sullivan St. New York, NY

• Sun, June 18: Fager's Island - 201 60th Street on the Bay Ocean City, MD

• Sat, June 24: Starscape Music & Arts Festival Sonar - 407 E. Saratoga St. Baltimore, MD

• Fri, June 30: State Theater - 220 N. Washington Falls Church, VA

• Fri, July 14: 10th Annual All Good Festival - Marvin's MountainTop Mason Town, WV w/ The Black Crowes, Ween, Les Claypool, The Wailers, Galactic, The Greyboy Allstars, The Disco Biscuits, Umphrey's Mcghee, and many more

• Fri, July 21: Alley Katz - 10 Walnut Alley Richmond, VA

• Sat, July 22: The Jewish Mother - 31st and Pacific Ave. Virginia Beach, VA

• Sun, July 23: The Pit - 1209 S. Croatan Highway- Milepost 9 Kill Devil Hills, NC

• Mon, July 24: Dr. Unk's - Monteray Plaza - 803 Albacore St Corrolla, NC

• Sun, August 6: Reggae on the River - Dimmick Ranch Humboldt County, Piercy, CA w/ Ziggy Marley, Sinead O'Connor, Sly & Robbie, Sizzla, Warrior King, Sean Paul, Anthony B, Don Carlos, Barrington Levy, Gyptian, Sanchez, Dezarie, Ozomatli, Salif Keita, K-Naan, Ikahba, and many more

Over the years, the Washington, D.C. music scene has become best known for its hardcore (Minor Threat) and go-go (Trouble Funk) alumni, but as evidenced by the great Bad Brains, reggae has been represented as well.

SOJA has risen to the forefront, picking up right where the Brains left off - creating their own blend of conscious roots music entwined with the traditional rhythms of reggae, it "comes across with passion and depth." (Washington Post '06)

That said, SOJA is not that easy to define. Although they are rooted in reggae, they are not limited to it; their fan-base reflects this with a very diverse population. The music includes and embraces all walks of life - it has no prejudice - it is for everyone. The band grew up listening to reggae, hip-hop, and rock. In their sound, reggae became the predominate influence because it is dedicated to a real message and promotes revolution.

The group, which includes a pair of lead singers who also pull double duty - Jacob Hemphill (guitar) and Bob Jefferson (bass) - as well as Patrick O'Shea on keyboard, percussionist Ken Brownell, and drummer Ryan Berty, originally came together in 1997. Since 2000, the quintet has issued three full length albums and one EP - their latest, ‘Get Wiser,' is their third for the group's own label, Innerloop.

Hemphill explains the meaning of the album's title. "The new album is called 'Get Wiser' - that's the idea. We as a society tend to have blinders on. We are trying to uplift peoples' consciousness by breaking down what makes us blind. To do this, we got to bring back truth. People get wiser."

"Every song is different of course." Hemphill continues, "I found music to be a way to express myself - through my life I've never been able to express myself well in conversations, but I can do it through music. It's like my way to talk."

Ever the road warriors (SOJA averages 150 gigs per year), the group will be supporting their latest release with a healthy amount of live dates this year on the "Get Wiser Tour". With such a list of accumulated live dates, a specific high point is hard to pin down, but O'Shea remembers a particular performance. "One of the shows that remains in the front of my mind was playing at the Tito Puente Amphitheater in Puerto Rico with Gomba Jahbari. It was amazing to see thousands of people; many that may not speak English, singing along to the songs."

With SOJA calling their own shots, ‘Get Wiser' proves that the band's message and music will only continue to grow stronger with each successive release!

Check out www.myspace.com/soja for music samples

Plantains are a firm, large banana that is sometimes called a 'cooking banana'.

Ingredients

• 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk
• 1 Egg
• 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar
• 6 Tablespoons of all purpose flour
• Pinch of salt
• Corn oil for frying
• 1 Large or 2 medium ripe plantains (with almost black skin), peeled and cut diagonally into 1/2 inch thick slices

Method

Mix milk, egg, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Dip each plantain slice into batter, then drop into oil. Fry until browned, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towel. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe courtesy of ReggaeTrain.com

Greetings,

This new age of information and technology has certainly connected humans from around the globe. Ever since the invention of the telephone, technology and human communication have been inseparable. For better or worse, the marriage of communication and technology through the airwaves and wired worlds are here to stay. The fact is the internet, satellite radio, and HD frequencies will guarantee that free speech will remain in tact and continue to grow. Unfortunately, the sad part is we are losing our manners!

It seems that people find it easier to be rude to each other when we are not in the presence of each other. Have you ever had someone write you a nasty email or hang up on you while on the phone? I have.

Everyone has dealt with someone like this at sometime. Surely, it's not the end of the world when someone is obnoxious when responding to us, but wouldn't it be wonderful if we simply considered all communication to be personal? When we pray, we communicate to a force we cannot see, yet we are pleasant. Even in our angered petitions, we usually remain humble. In the scriptures, we are told that how we treat the least of those around us reveals our true heart toward our creator. The way we treat each other matters.

This week I took two preteen girls to an open market area to shop. One was my daughter Hannah , the other her friend Emily. As we sought to buy a pair of sandals, we passed a young man who was obviously traveling and without shelter. He held a sign that read, "Homeless, anything you can give will help". Upon passing the young man, Emily said aloud, "I think I'm going to give that man my money instead of buying sandals." And then she did. Later on the way home, I asked her why she did that. She responded by telling us that her teacher, Mrs. Pedigrew had shown the class a movie called, "Pay it Forward". A movie about the karmic rewards of practicing random acts of kindness. Emily then finished her response by saying that she did this because she thought it would be better to act upon this belief than to just do nothing. Wow! Thank you Jah, for children and teachers like these. May we learn from their example. May we consider those around us to be worthy of our best intentions.

As we become aware of needs and issues, we are not to judge, we are to act. In the weeks following we will be focusing our prayers and attention on the crisis in Darfur. We have to face the facts that atrocities such as genocide and rape are taking place in Sudan. So far, 250,000 people have died. If any of you would like to contribute to the upcoming articles focusing on Darfur, feel free to email me. Thank you.

Peace and Love,
Curt

Passionate for human rights and politics, bourgeoning writer Curt Byrum keeps his readers abreast of current news events. In addition to being a writer, he is a Respiratory Therapist residing in California. Curt also has a passion for music of all genres, writes experimental music and is a poet/lyricist. Reach Curt at curtreggaefestivaleguide.com. Website: www.jamescurtbyrum.com.

Courtesy of Roots Music Report "where only the music matters". This chart reflects the radio airplay spins of some of the most prominent people in the genre, worldwide. Reporters to the chart include over 100 radio stations who are playing reggae; record stores and distributors selling the reggae; clubs booking blues artists; and key music correspondents throughout the world.

For further information about the Roots Music Report, visit www.rootsmusicreport.com
 

Generated on: Wednesday 03rd of May 2006 10:20:33 PM
TW	LW	Artist:	CD Title:	Label:	Weeks On:	Location:
1	1	SUGAR MINOTT	DANCEHALL BUSINESS	BLACK ROOTS	6	JAMAICA
2	2	MISTY IN ROOTS	WISE AND FOOLISH	MIR	2
3	3	BOB MARLEY & WAILERS	SLOGANS	ISLAND	7	JAMAICA
4	4	JR REID	ONE BLOOD	VP	6
5	6	LIKKLE LION	BLOODSUCKER RIDDIM	JAHSOULJAH	2
6	8	MIDNITE	JAH GRID	I GRADE	6	ST CROIX
7	18	BURNING SPEAR	OUR MUSIC	BURNING MUSIC	6	JAMAICA
8	9	DENNIS BROWN	SUPER REGGAE AND SOUL HITS	TROJAN	6	JAMAICA
9	NEW	CHRONICLE	FEEL THIS ONE	LOCAL WORKS	1
10	NEW	ZIGGI	HIGH TIME	ROCK'N VIBES-DAS VIBES	1
11	20	RANKIN SCROO	ABOVE DEM	CRUCIAL YOUTH/PULL UUUP	2
12	23	BINGHI GHOST	STREET HITS	STREET SCHOLAR RECORDS	2
13	25	DENNIS BOVEL	DECIBEL	PRESSURE SOUNDS	2
14	26	PETER BROGGS	IGZABIHIR YAKAL	KING SHILO	2
15	10	LIVE WYYA	SOLID MEDITATION	YAAD MUZIK	2
16	5	NIGHTSHADE	MEETS SCIENTIST	ORGANIZED ELEMENTS	2
17	NEW	BOB MARLEY & THE WAILERS	AFRICA UNITE (THE SINGLES COLLECTION)	ISLAND	1	JAMAICA
18	14	FAT FREDDY'S DROP	THE DROP	WANDERING EYE	6	AUSTRALIA
19	15	LUCIANO	JAH WORDS	RAS SANCTUARY	6
20	16	BURRO BANTON	RISE AND SHINE	MASSIVE B	6	JAMAICA
21	17	MICHAEL ROSE	BABYLON 9/11	LOVE INJECTION	6	JAMAICA
22	19	JOSEY WALES	COWBOY STYLE	SELF	6
23	48	BEAT PHARMACY	CONSTANT PRESSURE	DEEP SPACE MEDIA	2
24	49	LEROY SMART	DREAD HOT IN AFRICA	MAKASOUND	2
25	50	ABIJAH	SAMPLER	KRUCIAL REGGAE	2
26	NEW	DILL-IN-JAH & PITT	ORIGINAL SONGS OF	AFRICAN DESCENDANTS	1
27	NEW	THE VICEROYS	INNA DE YARD	MAKASOUND	1
28	NEW	BIG YOUTH	MUSICOLOGY	VISION SOUNDS	1
29	NEW	JAH-N-I	RASTAFARI LIVE	HIGH HOPES	1
30	21	EVERTON BLENDER	MY TIME	EXPLORER	2
31	28	JAH MEEK	TOUCHED BY AN ANGEL	VELOCITY SOUNDS/HOUSE OF RIDDIM	2
32	12	MESHACH	AWAKE	WEVOLUSION	2
33	13	STEVIE CULTURE	BLESSEN	KING STEP RECORDS	2
34	35	DEZARIE	GRACIOUS MAMA AFRICA	AFRIKAN ROOTS LAB	2
35	41	NATURAL BLACK	BE PATIENT	P G MUSIC	6	JAMAICA
36	42	JAH CURE	NEVER DIE LIKE A FOOL	DANGER ZONE	6	JAMAICA
37	43	ANTHONY B	SMOKE FREE	BOGALUSA	6	JAMAICA
38	44	MISTY IN ROOTS	FORWARD	KAZ	6	UK
39	45	LACKSLEY CASTELL	PRINCESS LADY	NEGUS ROOTS	6
40	46	YAMI BOLO	MINISTRY	SELF	6
41	NEW	JR. KELLY	FIVE DESCIPLES- PT4	PENITENTIARY RECORDS	1
42	NEW	MESSENJAHZ	JOURNEY TO ZION	ONYXION	1
43	NEW	MUGZEE	OUTHOUSE VOL1	ODC/BOO RECORDS	1
44	NEW	RAS PENCO	RIGHT PLACE	5TH ELEMENT	1
45	NEW	M	CD SINGLE	5TH ELEMENT	1
46	22	JAH MASON	RISE	UPRISING MUSIC	2
47	24	VAUGHN BENHAMIN & RAS L	THRU & TRUE	FASTAFARIA	2
48	27	LUCIANO	GIDEON	VISION SOUNDS	2
49	11	MONO & NIKITAMAN	FUR IMMER	ROOTDOWN	2
50	NEW	RICHIE SPICE	SPICE IN YOUR LIFE	5TH ELEMENT	1

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