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SONiA: Baltimore’s Own Troubadour by Jody Nusholtz Perhaps in a past life, SONiA was one of the original troubadours, a poet-musician roaming Europe in the 11th-13th centuries, singing songs of courtly love. She certainly is a contemporary troubadour, crooning folk songs about romantic love, often forbidden. This time around it’s different; she’s not talking about adultery, but rather equality. SONiA has always spoken out against oppression, choosing to “love out loud” with all of the accompanying pains and passions. Jeep has recognized this. They named SONiA the Troubadour—the featured artist—representing the Mid-Atlantic region, one of eight singer-songwriters in the country selected to travel around in the new Jeep Compass and perform not for the aristocracy but on street corners. Can’t you see SONiA pulling up in her Marine Blue Compass, plugging into the refitted stereo system, and putting on a performance fit for a king, though not intended for one? The tour kicked off in New York on August 24, 2006, with a free concert in Central Park, headlined by G. Love and Special Sauce. This four-week campaign and concert series—Uncharted: The Jeep Compass Music Tour— promotes the artists and the new vehicle, so everyone wins. According to Jay Kuhnie, Director, Jeep Communications, “The artists in Uncharted: The Jeep Compass Music Tour were selected for their ‘true to themselves’ sound. Similar to the Jeep brand, they are authentic and original.” SONiA will perform in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; College Park, Maryland; Washington, DC; Annapolis, Maryland; Landover, Maryland; Upper Marlboro, Maryland; Largo, Maryland; Rehoboth Beach, Delaware; Dewey Beach, Delaware; Baltimore, Maryland; Charlottesville, Virginia; Norfolk, Virginia; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. For more details, visit www.myspace.com/jeep or http://www.SONiAdf.com/concerts.php. Not all of SONiA’s travels have shared this lightness of purpose and being. Recently, SONiA spent two weeks in Israel—before and after the ceasefire—traveling mostly through central Israel, but also venturing to the south and then the north, “where the bombs were.” SONiA explained that after checking with the State Department about the possibility of traveling to Israel during such a tumultuous time, she took the planned trip. SONiA says it best herself. “I have friends there. I have people that I love there. . . . I did a concert in a miklat, a bomb shelter. The people in the bomb shelter were unbelievably grateful and very surprised.” She says of her choice to enter such a dangerous situation, “They’re [firing] bombs, and rockets, and bullets. What I put into the air is music. That’s good—that has to go on. . . . I named the band disappear fear, and it wasn’t a whim. I live into that, and it’s important.” This trip, sponsored by Orbitz, was SONiA’s fourth trip to Israel and her third tour there, the previous two in 1999 and 2005. Among her new projects, SONiA has written the soundtrack for the documentary Autumn Harvest. Directed by Dave Marshall, the short film chronicles the life of Douglas, a migrant worker who is HIV positive. The “amazing piece of art,” as SONiA referred to it, reveals the deplorable labor camp near Ithaca, New York, where Douglas lives. Only 2-3% of migrant workers are aware of medical services available, so most suffer more than is necessary. “It makes you very angry,” SONiA says. “It’s got to.” Perhaps we should call SONiA a political troubadour, her passions extending beyond traditional romantic bounds to love in all its forms, especially compassion. SONiA was one of fifteen female singer-songwriters to donate a song to the CD project Needle in the Groove: Women Singing for Social Change. Compiled to support the Palestinian girls’ group Flowers Against the Occupation, the CD also includes songs by Ani DiFranco, Buffy St. Marie, Toshi Reagon, Holly Near, and Michelle Shocked. All proceeds from the project will go to young Palestinian girls who want to further their education by attending college and might not otherwise have the resources to do so. Working hard for social change and peace requires a hard look at the status quo, which unfortunately includes war and its trappings. When asked about the title cut from her most recent CD, No Bomb is Smart, SONiA says, “We’re taught in kindergarten to love each other, to be nice to each other.” She continues, “How could a bomb be smart? A bomb would be the stupidest thing ever. So it really bothered me that [a smart bomb] is what they call it.” SONiA currently has two CD projects underway, a blues album that’s coming along at the appropriate tempo for its genre, and a CD of songs featuring multiple languages, with segments in Spanish, Hebrew, and Arabic. She’s headed into the studio to record this CD in October. Referring to her band’s name and her life’s work, SONiA says, “When you disappear fear between people, what you have is love, and that’s the essence of my music. That’s where I’m coming from.” disappear fear is graced with Laura Cerulli on percussion and harmonies. Laura’s contribution is the perfect multifaceted complement to SONiA’s vocals and guitar. In fact, Laura contributes so much sound that it’s difficult to believe there’s only one other person on stage with SONiA. You can hear and feel all this for yourself: SONiA and disappear fear are in concert at the Patterson Theatre in Baltimore on September 30th (410-276-1651, http://www.creativealliance.org or http://www.soniadf.com/concerts.php). Tickets are $18.00 in advance and for members of Creative Alliance, and $20.00 at the door. Advance purchase is recommended. Our Troubadour has wandered home to sing for peace and love. |