Disappear fear
Encyclopedia
disappear fear is an American Indie Pop
/Indie Folk
band formed in Baltimore, MD in 1987. Even though the band has gone through different incarnations, they still make music for audiences around the world.
rights, and progressive
political issues. The pair released four albums as a duo. (According to the band's official website bio, more than a half million copies of disappear fear records have been sold through 2009.) In 1994, after self-releasing their music via their own disappear records label, the band was signed to Rounder/Philo Records
. Two years later, Cindy stopped performing regularly with the band in order to focus on her growing family. Occasionally she still provides harmony vocals for the group, and of late, Cindy's teen son Dylan Visvikis has shared his talents on vocals and piano. From about 1996 through 2004, Sonia Rutstein started a solo career (as "SONiA") that took her across the nation and around the globe. She released four well-received LPs under her own name and established herself as a compelling, captivating and popular attraction in the world of LGBT
, Lilith Fair
, and alt-folk artists, thanks to her passion for her subjects, the honesty of her lyrics, and her warm, positive, and eclectic blend of folk, pop, rock, blues, global sounds, and Americana. In 2005, Sonia re-formed disappear fear with Laura Cerulli on percussion and vocals, Angela Edge on bass guitar
and trumpet
. Rutstein provided lead vocals, guitar
, harmonica
and piano
. The band released its first album (DF 05 LiVE
) in its new incarnation in October 2005 on disappear records, and took SONiA's songs to diverse audiences at home and abroad. Among the major events Rutstein has graced either alone or with band are the March on Washington for Woman and the Concert for Peace at the Lincoln Memorial
in Washington, DC with Peter, Paul and Mary
(March 2003). Her performing destinations have taken her as far away as Jerusalem (where she toured bomb shelters), Fiji
, and Australia
's Sydney Opera House
. The newest disappear fear disc is 2011's Get Your Phil
, an album steeped in folk and Americana sounds. Playing on the album are SONiA (songwriter
, lead vocals, acoustic guitar
, harmonica
, piano
), CiNDY (vocals) and Tony Correlli (piano). It is a cover album
of the late folk singer/songwriter Phil Ochs
's music.
Rutstein's 2006 Middle East
tour led to the founding of Guitars for Peace, a non-profit foundation that delivers instruments to children in impoverished or war-torn nations.
Media Award for Best Album in 1994. Both No Bomb Is Smart and Tango
garnered multiple Grammy Award
nominations for Rutstein in the pop and folk categories. Sonia's songs are featured in the teen movie Frog and Wombat and in the independent film Wave Babes. SONiA also scored the entire soundtrack for Dave Marshall's documentary film Autumn's Harvest. In 2002, the Santa Cruz Guitar Company created its SONiA model guitar in Rutstein's honor.
Indie pop
Indie pop is a genre of alternative rock music that originated in the United Kingdom in the mid 1980s, with its roots in the Scottish post-punk bands on the Postcard Records label in the early '80s, such as Orange Juice, Josef K and Aztec Camera, and the dominant UK independent band of the mid...
/Indie Folk
Indie folk
Indie folk is a music genre that arose in the 1990s from singer/songwriters in the indie rock community showing heavy influences from folk music scenes of the 50s, 60s and early 70s, country music, and indie rock. A few early artists included Lou Barlow, Beck, Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith...
band formed in Baltimore, MD in 1987. Even though the band has gone through different incarnations, they still make music for audiences around the world.
Biography
The original band consisted of sisters Sonia Rutstein and Cindy Frank and expanded the following year to include guitarist Howard Markman. Their lyrics often addressed love, life, Baltimore, LGBTLGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
rights, and progressive
Progressivism
Progressivism is an umbrella term for a political ideology advocating or favoring social, political, and economic reform or changes. Progressivism is often viewed by some conservatives, constitutionalists, and libertarians to be in opposition to conservative or reactionary ideologies.The...
political issues. The pair released four albums as a duo. (According to the band's official website bio, more than a half million copies of disappear fear records have been sold through 2009.) In 1994, after self-releasing their music via their own disappear records label, the band was signed to Rounder/Philo Records
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
. Two years later, Cindy stopped performing regularly with the band in order to focus on her growing family. Occasionally she still provides harmony vocals for the group, and of late, Cindy's teen son Dylan Visvikis has shared his talents on vocals and piano. From about 1996 through 2004, Sonia Rutstein started a solo career (as "SONiA") that took her across the nation and around the globe. She released four well-received LPs under her own name and established herself as a compelling, captivating and popular attraction in the world of LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
, Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair
Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. It...
, and alt-folk artists, thanks to her passion for her subjects, the honesty of her lyrics, and her warm, positive, and eclectic blend of folk, pop, rock, blues, global sounds, and Americana. In 2005, Sonia re-formed disappear fear with Laura Cerulli on percussion and vocals, Angela Edge on bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
. Rutstein provided lead vocals, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
and piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. The band released its first album (DF 05 LiVE
DF 05 LiVE
-Personnel:SONiA & disappear fear*Sonia Rutstein - lead vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica*Laura Cerulli - percussionist, backing vocals*Angela Edge - bass, trumpet...
) in its new incarnation in October 2005 on disappear records, and took SONiA's songs to diverse audiences at home and abroad. Among the major events Rutstein has graced either alone or with band are the March on Washington for Woman and the Concert for Peace at the Lincoln Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...
in Washington, DC with Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary
Peter, Paul and Mary were an American folk-singing trio whose nearly 50-year career began with their rise to become a paradigm for 1960s folk music. The trio was composed of Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey and Mary Travers...
(March 2003). Her performing destinations have taken her as far away as Jerusalem (where she toured bomb shelters), Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
, and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
. The newest disappear fear disc is 2011's Get Your Phil
Get Your Phil
-Personnel:*Sonia Rutstein - vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, harmonica*Cindy Frank - vocals*Tony Correlli - piano, engineer...
, an album steeped in folk and Americana sounds. Playing on the album are SONiA (songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
), CiNDY (vocals) and Tony Correlli (piano). It is a cover album
Cover Album
-Tracklisting:#Misono to Utaou! Animedley I # #...
of the late folk singer/songwriter Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
's music.
Rutstein's 2006 Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
tour led to the founding of Guitars for Peace, a non-profit foundation that delivers instruments to children in impoverished or war-torn nations.
disappear fear
- Echo My Call (1988)
- Deep Soul Diver (1990)
- disappear fear (1994)
- Live at the Bottom Line (1994)
- Seed in the Sahara (1996)
- Get Your PhilGet Your Phil-Personnel:*Sonia Rutstein - vocals, acoustic guitar, piano, harmonica*Cindy Frank - vocals*Tony Correlli - piano, engineer...
(2011)
SONiA
- Almost Chocolate (1998)
- Me, Too (1999)
- Live at the Down Home (2001)
- No Bomb Is Smart (2004)
SONiA & disappear fear
- DF 05 LiVEDF 05 LiVE-Personnel:SONiA & disappear fear*Sonia Rutstein - lead vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica*Laura Cerulli - percussionist, backing vocals*Angela Edge - bass, trumpet...
(2005) - TangoTango (SONiA & disappear fear album)-Personnel:SONiA & disappear fear*Sonia Rutstein - lead vocals, guitar*Laura Cerulli - percussionist, drums, backing vocals*John Grant - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, programming*Christopher Sellman - bassGuest artists...
(2007) - Splash (2009)
- Blood, Bones & BaltimoreBlood, Bones & Baltimore-Personnel:The disappear fear orchestra*Sonia Rutstein - lead vocals, guitar, harmonica*Howard Markman - lead guitar, vocals on "Biggest Baddest Heart"*Laura Cerulli - drums, vocals on "Pack of Newport" and "Biggest Baddest Heart", backing vocals...
(2010)
Current Members
- Sonia Rutstein (SONiA) - lead vocals, guitar, piano, harmonica (1987–present)
- Cindy Frank (CiNDY) - vocals (1987–present)
- Tony Correlli - piano, engineer (2010–present)
Past Members
The disappear fear orchestra:- Howard Markman - lead guitar, vocals (1988–2010)
- Laura Cerulli - percussion, vocals (2005–2010)
- Helen Hausmann - violin, backing vocals (2007–2010)
- Michael Bowie - upright bass (2010)
- Seth Kibel - tenor sax, baritone sax, clarinet, flute (2010)
- Dylan Visvikis - piano, backing vocals (2010)
Awards and Nominations
SONiA is an award-winning artist: She was presented with the award for Best Female Artist of the Year in 1999 for Almost Chocolate and her Me, Too won for Best Acoustic Album in 2001. The band's disappear fear won the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against DefamationGay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is a non-governmental media monitoring organization which promotes the image of LGBT people in the media...
Media Award for Best Album in 1994. Both No Bomb Is Smart and Tango
Tango (SONiA & disappear fear album)
-Personnel:SONiA & disappear fear*Sonia Rutstein - lead vocals, guitar*Laura Cerulli - percussionist, drums, backing vocals*John Grant - electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, programming*Christopher Sellman - bassGuest artists...
garnered multiple Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations for Rutstein in the pop and folk categories. Sonia's songs are featured in the teen movie Frog and Wombat and in the independent film Wave Babes. SONiA also scored the entire soundtrack for Dave Marshall's documentary film Autumn's Harvest. In 2002, the Santa Cruz Guitar Company created its SONiA model guitar in Rutstein's honor.