Philip Harris and Anne Marie Turske met back in the 1990s in Pittsburgh, PA where they were both fans of a band called Stone Soup (every city has a band named Stone Soup, of course). Eventually they got to know each other and and began managing the band. Ron Esser of Moondog Records became a fan and bankrolled their first CD, Self Titled Debut. (Self Titled Debut was produced by Rick Witkowski at Studio L in Weirton WV.)

Cue montage.

Many years later Philip and Anne Marie began talking on FB after Philip lost his sister Paula to a heart attack. Anne Marie’s sister Lisa had passed away years before due to complications from rheumatoid arthritis, and she shared her experiences of grief with him.

Later that year, Anne Marie, who had moved to Melbourne, FL years before with daughter Sara Jane was coming home to visit her family in Pittsburgh for Christmas. She invited Philip to come over and visit with her family and meet her two adopted daughters Sonya and Irena, and back a cake.

Expecting the worst re: a dressing down that was well within her rights and that he felt he truly deserved, his fears were unfounded.
In fact, as he was leaving, Anne Marie proposed marriage.

Philip had just recently been divorced for the third time and laughed her off and told her she would come to her senses after the holidays had passed. Nonetheless she persisted and began to write him letter after letter. Not emails or texts, but actually handwritten, multipage letters delivered by the US Mail.

In the spirit of full disclosure he gave her every reason that she should NOT marry him. It didn’t work. Anne Marie and Philip were married. In a church. By a priest. It was Philip’s first religious wedding.

Philip moved from Pittsburgh to Melbourne . Anne Marie took Philip’s last name (also a first!) but her three teenage daughters, still in school, remained Turskes. So they became the Harriskes.

When we started to do our video and music projects, we decided to call it  Harriske House.

We do a couple regular programs including His Left Her Right where Philip and Anne discuss family life and politics, Don’t Be Dumb No More which is a parody “How To” show hosted by Ira “The Irregular” Mr. Fidgett, and Cruces Cubanos, stories about Philip’s trips to Cuba.