"Under the Same Moon"
by Suzannah (Thana) Harris

[ review by ColdCoffeeandCocaine ]

Sometimes our lives are touched by extraordinary people who teach us about art, creativity and beauty in many forms; who leave lasting impressions on us as human beings, and who affect and transform our destiny. Thana Harris has been lucky enough to have many of these people in her life. Her recently published book, "Under the Same Moon -- My Life with Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Bob Harris and a community of other artistic souls" -- chronicles her life from the age of 13 when, as the daughter of a pioneering Methodist missionary preacher, she moved from the jungles of Brazil to the seductive and turbulent environment of the late 60s in the USA. It details her adolescence in a time of counter-culture, the Vietnam war, free love and drug experimentation, through some very fortunate twists of fate, to her meeting and work with Frank Zappa, Steve Vai and Zappa band member Bob Harris with whom she fell in love and married.

Through time spent with these people, Thana was able to observe real geniuses at work. Her recollections of Frank Zappa in the studio are intriguing and her vocal performances on "Sleepdirt" are the wonderful result. Her time spent living with Steve Vai, Bob Harris, and a number of artists who lived together at the infamous Wayward Inn -- Steve Vai's house in Sylmar, California -- are richly funny and fascinating. Thana's description of the dynamic relationships between all these people 'making it' in the music and entertainment industry stand as an extraordinary early documentary of artistic development. Her detailed memories of Steve Vai's rigorously disciplined 14-hour-a-day practise sessions are an amazing account of determined brilliance -- early beginnings of an artist who stands today as one of the greatest rock guitar players of recent times.

But of course, it's not just the artists Thana has worked with who provide the narrative for this engrossing read but also of her own personal story, which is at once so 'everyday', yet also a long road, full of twists and turns. I really appreciated Thana's candid recollections, her profound insight, her very personal and intimate storytelling, and her sense of humour.

Thana has, of course, worked on projects with other artists and her book describes this work and how it came about. She is currently working on a solo record, which she is producing with husband Bob Harris (who will also appear on the record), with hopes of releasing it in September 1999. Currently planned to be an 8-track EP, it will feature a song called "Fingers", written by Bob Harris during the Steve Vai "Flex-Able" sessions and produced/engineered by Vai, who also plays an incredible backwards guitar solo on the track.

If you're an artist, "Under the Same Moon" is for you. If you're a Zappa fan it's for you too. If you're a Steve Vai fan, it's a must!

You can order "Under the Same Moon" from Thana's website: thanaharris.com