SOJA

One of my favorite aspects of music festivals is discovering new bands that leave you speechless. SOJA. How had I never heard of them before?

They remind me of some of my favorite jam bands like Slightly Stoopid, Sublime and Rebulition but with lyrics about peace, love and devotion. They utilize instruments like the trumpet and sax and had the perfect sound to match their surroundings on the beaches of HangOut Fest.

Drummer, Ryan Berty, had an amazing drum solo that had the crowd jumping and their keyboardist, Patrick O'Shea, was unbelievably talented also.

Jacob Hemphill, lead vocals, said "We are so happy to be here today playing with The Avett Brothers, Jack Johnson and.. Okay, that's an iTunes playlist of mine right there!"

Their lyrics spoke of how we are taking this beautiful earth for granted and we need to be more appreciative of the things we have right in front of us. The words of this band spoke to me and it was hard not to have a few tears in my eyes as I looked around and saw just how lucky we actually are. The sun was shining, the ocean waves were crashing on the beach and everyone was happy and dancing along to their music.

I loved when they mentioned sometime's it is okay to "turn down." Turn down the music, turn down your voices, turn down your stresses and take a deep breath and appreciate what nature has right in front of us.

"Take care of one another, that's what we are here for, we are all family," Jacob reminded the crowd.

If you haven't already, check out their music. They are a perfect summer time jam band. Their song "I Believe" will have you dancing and smiling the entire time you listen to it.