MetaBeat is a project created by life-long Beatles fans Les Harris, Jr (Drums) and Mark Shilansky (Keyboards), to explore the music of the Beatles and their contemporaries in an improvisational and historically interesting context. The repertoire includes songs recorded and written by the Beatles, as well as Beatles solo material and collaborations, and music which was inspiring to the Beatles.

The "Meta" aspect of the band comes in the arrangements, as an early Beatles tune will be rendered in a late-period style, or vice-versa, and in medleys and "mashups" in the style of the Giles and George Martin remix project "Love." This band should appeal to die hard Beatles fans, who will revel in the musical references and attention to detail, as well as fans of jazzy, improvised music and groove.

Band Leader Mark Shilansky says, “I call the Beatles band "The Meta-Beat," because we play "meta" versions of Beatles tunes... jazzified, or combined into interesting medleys and mash-ups, or tunes that the Beatles wrote with other people.”

The current lineup:

Taylor O’Donnell (Berklee, Phillips Exeter faculty) on vocals; 

Chris Klaxton (UNH faculty) on trumpet, guitar and vocals;

Mark Shilansky (Berklee, UNH faculty) on piano and vocals;

Les Harris Jr.(UNH, USM, Phillips Exeter faculty) on drums and vocals;

Eric Byers (Berklee faculty) on guitar and vocals;

Mark Poniatowski (Berklee Faculty) on bass

$17 advance | $22 day-of

*fees not included ($2 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)