This site too slow? Try a mirror  --  Subscribe to the Guide  --  Find artist:
the Ectophiles' Guide: * Guide Home* What's new* * Alphabetical* Genre* Commentator* Location* Random artist* Search* Contact the editors* Credits

disappear fear


Country of origin:

U.S.

Type of music generally:

Contemporary folk, folk/rock

Status:

Recently re-formed with SONiA and new members. DF05 LiVE appeared in 2005. Final album with Cindy Frank, Seed in the Sahara, 1996.

See also:

SONiA / disappear fear site

Solo Ectophiles' Guide entry for SONiA

Comparisons:

Indigo Girls, The Story. (Sherlyn.Koo, paul2k@aol.com)

Indigo Girls, Odd Girl Out. (Matt.Bittner)

Covers/own material:

Most songs written by Sonia Rutstein, very occasional covers

General comments:

disappear fear started in Baltimore in the late 1980s as an acoustic duo consisting of Sonia (SONiA) Rutstein and her sister Cindy Frank. Their wonderful harmonies and Sonia's intensely powerful songs about feminism, love, politics and the politics of love soon earned them a loyal fan base (both gay and straight) in the U.S. After releasing three independent recordings (two recorded in the studio, plus the excellent Live at the Bottom Line), disappear fear were signed to Rounder/Philo and released their self-titled album in 1994, having acquired a full band along the way. In the mid-'90s Cindy retired to part-time band member status in order to devote more time to her family. The band continued touring with Sonia in the lead, and Cindy again joined her sister in the studio for the recording of 1996's Seed in the Sahara. In 1998 Sonia also released a solo album titled Almost Chocolate under the name "SONiA of disappear fear". (Sherlyn.Koo)

disappear fear is a band from Baltimore Maryland whose core was the sisters Sonia and Cindy Frank. They performed as a duo and had various band members come and go around them. I am fondest of them as a duo. You could compare them to the Indigo Girls and you wouldn't be too far off, but they don't sound exactly like them either. Sonia writes all the songs and does most of the lead vocals, and she looks kind of tough but has a definite sensitive side. As a duo they are a bit folky, but with the band they seem to rock more. I saw them all the time when I lived in Maryland, and they were one of my favorite bands.
     I learned all these songs live before the discs came out. I think the band is more notable for its emotions, rather than the actual words, and many of the words seem much more alive when Sonia sings them.
     Sonia always performs everything with passion. What has moved me and drawn me to the band has been how affecting her musings on relationships have been. "Box of Tissues" and "Postcard From Texas" strike me as the most compelling and powerful songs in their catalog. I don't think they rise to those heights too often, but I still feel that tingling at scattered moments in other songs. On the other hand, most of her purely political songs carry little weight with me. From my brief time on the disappear fear list (about 5 years ago), I was surprised to learn that "Washington Work Song" consistently was listed as people's favorite disappear fear song. It, and other songs like it, are also quite popular in concert, and though I've found them passionately performed and sometimes quite catchy and melodic, I've never found any of them moving or inspirational. (neal)

I don't know how to describe them/her. It is Sonia Rutstein on vocals and guitar with her sister in the studio harmonizing and sometimes a band backing in the studio and on tour. Kinda sound like the Story and Indigo Girls. (paul2k@aol.com)

I liked them at first but their disappear fear album turned out to be a big disappointment for me. It hasn't done anything for me. My biggest problem is that Odd Girl Out and disappear fear sound too similar. However, I *really* like Odd Girl Out, but can't stomach disappear fear. Maybe because Odd Girl Out is a trio, and disappear fear was just a duo? Hard telling. (Matt.Bittner)

Sonia has always written and performed political songs since the early days...always full of both strength and passion. (melsouth@mindspring.com)

Comments about live performance:

I've never actually seen disappear fear live (unfortunately I missed them when they were touring with the Indigo Girls in 1994). However, I do have their live album and I've seen Sonia play solo and she is one of the best performers I have ever seen--she's charming and funny and obviously takes a lot of joy in the music. I would definitely recommend going to see either disappear fear or Sonia play solo if you get the chance. (Sherlyn.Koo)

I saw disappear fear shortly after Cindy left the band. disappear fear was characterized as having incredible harmonies and impassioned vocals. The latter is still true, but the incredible harmonies were sorely missed. I think anyone unfamiliar with the band wouldn't have any complaints about their current show (which I still recommend), but if you then saw them with Cindy, you would marvel at how much well-placed backing vocals can do to a performance. Sonia said she was not retiring from music, which I hope means that she will still record with the band, just not tour. Despite my complaints, the show at the Birchmere was a pretty typical night for disappear fear. Some very touching love (or love gone awry) songs, a bunch of earnest political songs, and a fair amount of gay politics. Since the last time I saw them they were an acoustic duo, this show seemed most notable for how hard it rocked. I still think the band is pretty pedestrian, but Sonia reaches deep inside herself to bring a lot of emotion and feeling to her songs, and that goes a very long way. I would recommend them to anyone here. They put on an energetic and entertaining show. They still occasionally pop up as a duo though--those shows are definitely the more satisfying ones. (neal)

Recommended first album:

Live at the Bottom Line or disappear fear or Seed in the Sahara. (Sherlyn.Koo)

If I were recommending a disappear fear disc to people I'd say get Live at the Bottom Line Deep Soul Diver is my next fave. I wouldn't recommend anybody getting the self-titled disc before the others, just for fear of them never returning and finding the music I like better. (neal)

Recordings include:


Deep Soul Diver

Release info:

Independent release 1989--disappear records--DR1004CD
Re-release 1995--Rounder/Philo--PHILO CD 1173

Availability:

Available in the U.S., may also be available in other countries where Rounder products are distributed

Ecto priority:

Recommended for disappear fear fans

Group members:

Sonia Rutstein--vocals, guitar
Cindy Frank--vocals, tambourine

Guest artists:

Shirley Purvis--drums
Steve Raskin--drums
Dominic Viglietti--bass

Produced by:

John Grant with Sonia Rutstein

Comments:

Deep Soul Diver isn't my favourite disappear fear album however it does contain some excellent songs, including a studio version of the live favourite "Sexual Telepathy" and the beautiful title track. If you liked any of the other disappear fear studio albums (especially Seed in the Sahara) you will probably like this album. (Sherlyn.Koo)

ok, I admit it, this is way better than their eponymous release. I will need to listen some more. (mjmjminla@yahoo.com)


Live at the Bottom Line

Release info:

Independent release 1992--disappear records--DR1005CD
Re-release 1995--Rounder/Philo--PHILO CD 1172

Availability:

Available in the U.S., may also be available in other countries where Rounder products are distributed

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended for folk fans

Group members:

Sonia Rutstein--vocals, guitar, harmonica
Cindy Frank--vocals

Guest artists:

Jeff Thall--guitar
additional unlisted musicians on the studio tracks

Produced by:

Tom Durack, John Grant/disappear fear, Steve Tveit

Comments:

Live at the Bottom Line is an excellent introduction to the world of disappear fear. Eight powerful live acoustic songs plus an additional five studio tracks showcase both sides of the band. The live tracks especially do a great job of capturing the spirit and talent of sisters Sonia and Cindy. The songs here focus more on the personal than on the political aspects of Sonia's songwriting, with the exception of "Sink the Censorship (Letter to Jesse Helms)", which bears the message that people are people no matter who they are. Other standout tracks include the upbeat "Sexual Telepathy", the poignant "Box of Tissues" and the groovy "Love Insurance". Highly recommended to anyone who has even the faintest interest in folk music. (Sherlyn.Koo)

disappear fear

Release info:

1994--Rounder/Philo--PH CD 1171

Availability:

Widely available in the U.S., may also be available in other countries where Rounder products are distributed

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended for folk/rock fans

Group members:

Sonia Rutstein--vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica
Cindy Frank--vocals
Kenny Greenberg--electric guitar, acoustic guitar, dobro
Don Kerce--electric bass, acoustic bass
Craig Krampf--drums, percussion
Pete Wasner--piano, organ

Guest artists:

Mike Alexander--bass
Jon Carroll--synthesizers
Bill Cuomo--synthesizers
Janis Ian--vocals, acoustic guitar
Marc Lawrence--drums
Howard Markman--electric guitar
Amy Ray (Indigo Girls)--vocals
Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls)--vocals
Brian Michael Simms--keyboard, accordion

Produced by:

Craig Krampf

Comments:

This self-titled album is disappear fear's first recording as a full band. The songs (as usual) are a blend of political commentary and love songs, with a couple of groove tunes thrown in for good measure. Sonia Rutstein's songwriting continues to reach new heights--the first two tracks on this album in particular ("Washington Work Song" and "Who's So Scared", which is based on a verse by Harlem Renaissance poet Countee Cullen) are in my opinion two of the most powerful and moving songs ever written. Other standout tracks include a cover of Phil Ochs' song "Is There Anybody Here" and the poignant "The Missing Song". (Sherlyn.Koo)

It sounds to me like disappear fear were taking themselves *much* too seriously on this album. In my opinion, their more "playful" songs are their best. There's a vitality on Deep Soul Diver or Live at the Bottom Line that's missing on this. (ishara@blarg.net)

As a long-time disappear fear fan, I agree that the self-titled album is also in my opinion their worst. Mostly it's just erratic. Half the tracks I really like, while the remaining half are either mediocre of just plain annoying. I recently bought a cd player that will remember how you program a disc, and now I can turn this into something worth listening to. I was surprised at how good it sounds once you throw away the 4 or 5 crummy songs. The impression you get is totally different. So, I'd recommend this as half an album that is definitely worth having. (neal)


Seed in the Sahara

Release info:

1996--Rounder/Philo--PHILO CD 1180

Availability:

Widely available in the U.S., may be available in other countries where Rounder products are distributed

Ecto priority:

Highly recommended for folk/rock fans

Group members:

Sonia Rutstein--vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica
Marc Lawrence--drums, percussion
Chris Sellman--bass
Brian Michael Simms--keyboards, accordion, harmonica, vocals

Guest artists:

Roy Bittan--piano
Cindy Frank--vocals
Doug Pettibone--guitar
Klaudia Promessi--saxophone

Produced by:

Roy Bittan

Comments:

With E. Street Band keyboardist Roy Bittan at the helm, disappear fear have produced their most polished album to date. The musical arrangements on Seed in the Sahara are far more complex and subtle than on previous albums, employing a far greater variety of instruments including accordion and saxophone. The track which benefits the most from this treatment is the eminently groovable "Millions of Rope", which is probably the closest thing to a dance tune df have ever done. As with previous albums, the songs are a mixture of personal and political material, with political commentary on subjects such as drugs, religion and homophobia. The album is littered with excellent tracks, with some of the best including the title track, "Laura", "Laws of Nature" and the above-mentioned "Millions of Rope". Highly recommended. (Sherlyn.Koo)

Further info:

For mailing list information write to In Your Face Promotions, Box 158435, Nashville TN 37215 or email IYFP@aol.com.


Thanks to Sherlyn Koo for her work on this entry.

the Ectophiles' Guide: * Guide Home* What's new* * Alphabetical* Genre* Commentator* Location* Random artist* Search* Contact the editors* Credits

DISCLAIMER: Comments and reviews in the Ectophiles' Guide are excerpted from the ecto mailing list or volunteered by members of the list. They are the opinions of music enthusiasts, not professional music critics.

Entry last updated 2005-12-08 19:29:07.
Please request permission if you wish to
reproduce any of the comments in the
Ectophiles' Guide in any context.

The Ectophiles' Guide to Good Music is copyright © 1996-2004 by the editors.
Individual comments are copyright © by their authors.
Web site design and programming copyright © 1998-2004 usrbin design + programming.
All rights reserved.