Eva Haze

Virgin records decided to release her last album days before her death.

The following was written by Eve Hars’ sister, Anne Hars.

In news at once uplifting and tragic, Hudson musician/artist Eve Hars signed to Virgin Atlantic Music mere days before her death. Let’s backtrack for a moment through a life of musical and artistic passion and achievement…

Eve Hars was born on November 1, 1967 to Carol and Anthony Hars. She grew up in Groton, Massachusetts with older sisters Adele and Maria, and younger sister Anne. She studied at Bard College and The New School, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Literature.

Eve displayed prodigious musical talent from an extremely young age, first with piano and later with guitar, voice, and songwriting. Her parents, both classically trained pianists, were instrumental in encouraging Eve’s lifelong love of music. She got her first guitar at age 12 and spent her teen years developing the manual dexterity and formidable technique she displayed throughout her musical life.

Her noteworthy guitar technique was essential in performing the quirky and intricate musical structures that marked her songwriting style. While in high school, Eve acquired a Tascam 4-track recorder and began engineering and taping her own compositions—frequently playing all instruments herself. This was a time in which Eve discovered her artistic passions and began to solidify her compositional style.

Moving to New York City in the 90’s, Eve met drummer Rob Pfeiffer and bassist Rich Liegey, with whom she formed the indie rock band Eva Haze. In February 1996, under the management of Will Tanous, Eva Haze put out the critically acclaimed album State-Of-Freak, playing the NYC indie club circuit in support of the release. Due to typical music industry machinations, Eva Haze’s second album, Under the Tin Sky, was never released and Eve lost the rights to the music in a dispute with the record company.

Listen to Under the Tin Sky here: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/eva-haze/1715820039

In a display typical of Eve’s drive and determination, she quickly formed a new band, Spinster, and continued to play the east village club scene, again, garnering much critical acclaim. However, by this time, Eve, now in her early 30s, was starting to become more introverted, and began devoting more energy to composing and recording in her home studio. Her passion for good songwriting never abated…

The next decade saw another shift in Eve’s artistic pursuits: from 2007 to 2013, she produced and directed the critically acclaimed theatrical satire, Point Break Live! Eve grew Point Break Live! from its small-venue beginnings to a nationally recognized cult theatrical sensation, running the production successfully in New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles. Notably, in Los Angeles, Point Break Live! became the city’s longest running theatrical production.

During this time Eve also began writing and recording the music for what was to become Rock Opera, a five-act musical theater production inspired by the Nicholas Roeg movie, Performance (starring Mick Jagger). She wrote and recorded the opera’s entire score and then directed and filmed the first act in 2014. It can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/104781549

Tragically, Eve was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2015. This unexpected development effectively ended the production and filming of Rock Opera. She moved from Los Angeles to Hudson, NY in 2016 to rest and recover from cancer treatment. Hudson proved to be the perfect place for Eve to recuperate; she loved the small-town vibe combined with the world-class arts and culture the town attracted. Hoping to rebuild her life there, Eve struggled with illness and fatigue, both hallmarks of cancer’s after effects.

In 2020 her doctor at New York Oncology in Hudson discovered that Eve’s cancer had returned and metastasized, spreading to her bones and organs. Ever the undeterred artist, Eve began writing ”The Mansion Vignettes,” a collection of stories that intertwined childhood memories with the history of the house where she grew up and the family that built it. Sadly, this creatively conceived memoir would not be completed…

Eve entered hospice in the fall of 2023 and died November 2, 2023, just days after finding out that Virgin Atlantic was set to release the two Eva Haze albums produced in the 1990’s. One very small silver lining to Eve’s life cut short by cancer: she died knowing her music was finally available to a worldwide audience. You can find the two Eva Haze albums on Spotify and Apple Music. https://hitsdailydouble.com/news&id=338491&title=A-BITTERSWEET-RELEASE-FROM-EVA-HAZE-

Eve is survived by her sisters Anne Hars and Maria Hars. Her sister Adele Hars passed in July 2023, also of breast cancer. Eve will be sorely missed by those that knew and loved her. Her art, in all its forms, will serve as a reminder of what a creative, driven, and artistic person she was. 

A BITTERSWEET RELEASE FROM EVA HAZE

The second album by Eva Haze, recorded 25 years ago, was finally released Friday (11/10), days after the death of the band’s singer-guitarist-songwriter, Eve Hars. Hars died of cancer on 11/2.

The band broke up after completing the album, Under the Tin Sky, which has finally seen the light of day via East Iris Records/Virgin.

Universal Music Group EVP Will Tanous produced the set for his indie label DText and avidly supported Eva Haze in the late 1990s, making them one of the first independent bands to be featured on HBO’s live music series Reverb, which Tanous produced. HBO commissioned the band to compose the show’s theme song and licensed several tracks from their debut album, State of Freak, for additional theme music for the show.

“Though we made the album what feels like a lifetime ago and on a shoestring budget, remarkably the music still holds up and, in many ways, seems more relevant than ever,” Tanous writes in an email.

All proceeds from the album go to Hars’ family and band members.

HitsDailyDouble.com