'Disappear Fear' Draws on Jewish Roots in Sunday Night Concert

Performing in a Baltimore-area synagogue couldn’t be a more appropriate gig for Disappear Fear front-woman Sonia Rutstein.

Having been raised in Pikesville and getting her Bat Mitzvah at Beth El Congregation of Baltimore, Judaism and Sephardic melodies had a huge influence on Rutstein’s music. She’s even based a few songs around Jewish prayers.

“My Judaic roots are definitely a big part of my music, the philosophic part,” she said. “I’ve played in lots and lots of Unitarian Churches, so it’s sweet to be able to play in synagogues.”

Disappear Fear performs Sunday at Adat Chaim as part of the Uptown Concerts series. It will be the last Disappear Fear show for Rutstein’s younger sister, Cindy Frank, an original member of the band.

For the past 15 years, Frank has not traveled all around the United States, Europe and Middle East, with her sister. She would come perform at certain festivals, and record albums with her sister, but she mainly spends her time in Seattle being a full-time mother.

“She really wants to do her own thing,” Rutstein said. “She really wants to have a different lifestyle than being on the road.”

It’s bittersweet for Rutstein, who wants to empower her sister, but will miss sharing the stage and creating harmonies with her.

“We’ve been singing together since we were big enough to splash around in the bathtub,” Rutstein said.

In the 80s, Rutstein was working at the Baltimore Center for Victims of Sexual Assault while playing in rock bands and punk bands. Her sister joined her, and was all about getting the band on the road.

After the band they were in broke up, they were left with guitar and vocal harmonies. They built a band around songwriting, and Disappear Fear was born.

Rutstein lives in Rodgers Forge when she’s not on the road. But she’s on the road quite a bit. In addition to performing all over the U.S., she tours in Europe, and has performed in Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East.

She sings in English, Spanish, Hebrew and Arabic, and has performed in Israel and Palestine.

“When I went into the Palestinian village to perform…I just thought it would be cool to be able to sing to them in their native language, just to kind of bring people together,” Rutstein said.

And bringing people together is one of the main objectives of her music.

“We all want the same thing. We want respect, we all want a safe place to live, we want to be able to hug our children,” she said. “Whatever language I’m singing in, it reinforces that possibility.”

While her music has carried her around the world, and garnered performances at premiere venues like Red Rocks in Colorado and the Sydney Opera House, she is still reaching for the sky.

“I’d like to perform at the Newport Folk Festival. I haven’t played at that yet,” she said. “And I’d like to play at Madison Square Garden, and to a giant stadium.”

Disappear Fear performs Sunday at Adat Chaim in Reisterstown. The show starts at 7 p.m. and tickets are $24. For tickets and other information, visit the Facebook event page.