LEA MORALES
Spotlight
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SONiA’s Virtual Tour
ONIA RUTSTEIN IS FEELING THE LOVE. ON roughly hour-long shows from her home music room. Produced Facebook Live, her “DiGiTAL ACTS OF KiNDNESS” on Facebook, with the help of her wife and manager, Terry appearances result in a “constant stream” of heart emo- Irons, the first few shows have attracted over 10,000 viewers jis from fans. “I get a few during a song that bubble up, but — with “the numbers just tripling each time.” The concerts are when a song’s over, I get a ton,” she says. This free, though donations through PayPal are accepted. spring, the Baltimore-based singer-songwriter, who There’s also a ton of newly designed t-shirts, stickClick Here records and performs as SONiA disappear fear, ers, and other memorabilia available for purchase, for Details was supposed to be on her annual concert trek along with music recordings and downloads. “People through Germany. Instead, homebound for what she refers to have been buying merchandise,” she says, “and that feels like a as COVID-19’s “induced Shabbat for X amount of weeks and good exchange for me, because then fans get something.” months,” the singer has entered the brave new world of livesThe virtual concerts also offer chances for the world-touring treaming. While many of the physical appearances in Germany musician’s far-flung fans to reconnect with one another — years are being rescheduled for later this year or early 2021, all the after they might have met and hung out at a past concert. Calling virtual concerts are being performed on their original dates, this “the most distracting, difficult part” of the whole experimost organized to celebrate a different album from SONiA’s ence, SONiA smiles as she explains the situation. “I can really thirty year-plus recording career. [only] read their comments when I’m talking, I can’t do it so “At each concert, I’m doing about eight songs total, with at much when I’m singing because I have to focus. It’s a good probleast three or four songs from a particular album,” she says of the lem, so I’ll take it.” —Doug Rule Highlights from upcoming DiGiTAL ACTS OF KiNDNESS concerts include a celebration of SONiA’s first solo album, 1997’s Almost Chocolate, on Friday, April 17; a toast to 2004’s No Bomb Is Smart on Thursday, April 23; an all-requests concert on Thursday, May 14; and a look at Small House No Secrets, SONiA’s new musical co-developed with playwright Jody Nusholtz, on Sunday, May 17. All are livestreamed at 2 p.m. EST and available afterwards at www.facebook.com/disappear.fear. APRIL 16, 2020 • METROWEEKLY.COM
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