SONiA Rutstein: The Hippie Chick
When Sonia Rutstein was 13 and still a student at Pikesville Middle School, a friend
taught her to strum three chords of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" on
the guitar. "It was early afternoon at the time," recalls Ms. Rutstein, "and I didn't stop
playing for about 10 hours. I didn't want to put the guitar down because I didn't want my
hand to forget how to do it."
Ms. Rutstein hasn't let go of the guitar ever since. She is so accomplished at playing the
instrument, in fact, the Santa Cruz Guitar Co. has even named one of its guitars in her
honor. (And her name is inscribed in oyster shell on the 12th fret). As a singer-songwriter
whose contemporary folk-rock music is most often compared to the Indigo Girls
and Suzanne Vega, Ms Rutstein was one part of the sister act Disappear Fear until her sister, Cindy, turned
in her microphone for motherhood. Now Ms. Rutstein is known around the world - from
Australia to Israel to Italy - simply as Sonia.
For Ms. Rutstein, whose mellifluous melodies belie the seriousness of her songs about
politics, prejudice, peace and passion, the message is just as important as the music. "Being
an American and singing the message that I'm singing, it's important to be able to reach people
in other countries directly, to show them the true heart of America," says Ms. Rutstein,
sipping coffee at Big Sky Bread in Baltimore. Her latest album, "no bomb is smart", examines
a post -9/11 world and the elusive pursuit of peace after "violence has blown off my door."
Despite a long list of accolades and accomplishments that include GLAMA awards for
Best Album of the Year, Best Acoustic Album and Best Band, A GLAAD Media Award for
Best Album and sharing the stage with folk veterans Arlo Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Peter, Paul and Mary,
Ms Rutstein, who lives in Rogers Forge, has not forgotten her Baltimore base. She is as likely to be
found teaching a guitar workshop at her alma mater Camp Louise, (where one of her songs, "The Washington Work Song" has been adopted as
an official camp song) as she is rallying against the death with Susan Sarandon, lobbying for Amesty
International or holding vigil for Matthew Shepard.
Her love of family also comes first. When her nephew, Dylan, was in first grade at
The Park School, Ms Rutstein turned down an opportunity to participate in Eva Ensler's "Vagina Monologues" alongside Oprah and Barbra Streisand because of a
promised commitment to sing at The Park School talent show. "I never regretted it for a
minute," she says.
Of course, with a huge international fan base, it's likely that work will keep coming Ms Rutstein's way.
"When I was in Northampton, Mass, a woman told me her brother, who had recently died
of AIDS, loved my music and had shared it with her," says Ms Rutstein, her blue
eyes welling with tears at the memory. "She wanted me to know that it helped her because
she could come and hear me play, and my music was still alive. It gave her this beautiful continuum.
That's the wonderful thing about music, especially recorded music. It has gone to people I've never met
and will never meet. And yet we're touching each other. That in itself is complete for me"
Sonia appears at the Gordon Center on Jan 15 '