The Metabeat plays music of the Beatles, music of the Beatles as solo artists, and often music of the Beatles’ contemporaries or influences.

They don’t wear mop top wigs or matching turtlenecks, but their love for this music and acumen in performing it is not diminished. The Metabeat started as an attempt in the early 20-teens by founding keyboardist/vocalist Mark Shilansky to impress his friend Les Harris, Jr.

Les was one of the world’s foremost Beatle fans and scholars (as well as being a profoundly swinging jazz drummer and educator). Les and Mark would coordinate their UNH teaching schedules to have lunch together, and Mark would drop some bit of knowledge that he had learned from Sirius XM or a Beatle biography or podcast, and Les would invariably say “Oh yeah, I have a bootleg of that,” or “Check out what Paul had to say on this 1976 interview I happen to have saved on my phone.” This led to Les and Mark curating a shifting repertoire of Beatle music incorporating a variety of band members and special guests over the years, including Les’s daughter Aubrey Harris on bass, guitar, and vocals; jazz vocal virtuoso David Thorne Scott, Berklee professor and fellow Beatle scholar Lauren Passarelli (whose dedication to their special “mostly George Harrison” concert was so profound that she spoke in a Liverpool accent all day long even off-stage), and Berklee Roots Music Institute Director violinist Matt Glaser, who praised the band’s “Karl Stockhausen meets free jazz meets Sonic Youth” mashup of “This Boy” and “Tomorrow Never Knows” called “This Boy Never Knows.” The band gigged at the Press Room, Phillips Exeter Academy, Dance Hall at Kittery, and the University of New Hampshire, sometimes joined by members of other Beatle tribute bands which Les had started, such at Merseyside (with Phillips Exeter colleagues Andy Inzenga, Eric Sinclair, and Robert Squires).

Members of the most recent incarnation of the Metabeat appear on this October 16th concert. Les drafted insanely talented wife and husband team Taylor O’Donnell (voice) and Chris Klaxton (trumpet, guitar, voice) to join the Metabeat upon hearing voice memos that Chris would record of he and Taylor serenading their newborn children with Beatles tunes to lull them to sleep, and revealing brilliant trumpeter/multi-instrumentalist Klaxton to be a deeply moving vocalist. Guitarist Eric Byers has been a treasured musical companion of Shilansky and Harris in this band and elsewhere, and his gift for transcription and arranging brings authenticity, as well as his blazing improvisational chops.

The band played several gigs a year until Les’s untimely passing in October 2025. The Metabeat made an appearance at Les’s final concert at Phillips Exeter Academy, accompanied by many other drummers who studied with Les or were treasured colleagues. One such treasured colleague is legendary drummer Dave Mattacks. Dave rose to international fame playing with Folk/Rock innovators Fairport Convention, and went on to grace records and bands of artists such as Everything But the Girl, XTC, Elton John, Jethro Tull, and one (checks notes) James Paul McCartney. New England is grateful that Dave relocated to Marblehead, MA, from England, in the early 00’s, and he has been a valued addition to the scene as a studio musician, touring bandmate to artists such as Mary Chapin Carpenter, and an interactive and sensitive jazz drummer with such artists as Tim Ray and Cassandra McKinley.It is a strange sensation to be playing this music without Les, but the band feels that Les would want his work and the beauty of this music to continue, and Dave Mattacks is someone we are sure he would be happy to have preserving and contributing to his legacy. Jesse Williams, a truly grooving and versatile bassist and enthusiastic colleague in jazz (Howard Alden, Cassandre McKinley, Karen Allyson) and more bluesy rocking settings (Jimmy Vivino, North Mississippi All-Stars, and Duke Robillard), will be joining the band on bass.

Playing an opening set (and joining in on the band’s trademark finale of side 2 of Abbey Road and “With a Little Help From my Friends”) are Les Harris’s sister and brother-in-law Melissa and Thomas Moore, performing as their duo “Two of Us.”They played a beautiful set at Les’s farewell concert, and we are happy they can celebrate this music and our fellowship in it once more at The Dance Hall at Kittery.

$20 advance | $25 day-of | $12 student
*fees not included ($3 facility fee per ticket + cc processing fees)

“2 of Us Beatles Acoustic Duo”

is a husband-and-wife team that brought their lifelong passion for the Fab Four to the stage in 2018. When Tommy and Melissa first met, their voices locked in automatically, harmonizing together effortlessly and laying the musical foundation for their 35-year love story. Today, Tommy and Melissa Moore have fun performing the nostalgic songs they grew up with, appearing at a variety of venues across the North Shore. They focus on capturing the true essence of each song, utilizing lush vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar, and hand percussion to create full, vibrant arrangements.

Melissa Moore Melissa grew up in a musical home, rooted in the legacy of her father and brother, the late legendary drummers and educators Les Harris Sr. and Les Harris Jr. Developing a keen ear for harmony at a very young age, she found incredible joy in deciphering complex vocal arrangements and intricate instrumental parts by ear. Her lifelong devotion to The Beatles began when Les Jr. introduced her to "She's Leaving Home," sparking a deep, music-centered bond between the siblings. Active in school bands, choirs, and local musical theater, Melissa always found her biggest champion in Les Jr.

Years later, their shared journey came full circle. At his retirement concert last year at Phillips Exeter Academy, she performed “She’s Leaving Home” alongside several of tonight’s talented musicians. Tonight, we will all honor his memory by performing the Abbey Road medley—the final piece we had the privilege of sharing onstage with him.

Melissa is proud to keep her childhood love for music alive. Every performance honors her father and brother, serving as a beautiful tribute to their memory, deep bonds, and musical spirit.

Tommy Moore Tommy knew he was destined to be a musician at just seven years old after watching the movie HELP! Music is deeply rooted in his heritage; his father, Raymond Moore, was a legendary Recording Engineer and Editor at Columbia Records. Over an illustrious career that set the industry gold standard, Ray earned an incredible 18 Grammy nominations and won 6. Carrying this world-class legacy forward, Tommy spent his youth playing bass in the UNH jazz band and popular regional rock bands before launching a full-time music career immediately after graduating in 1981.

He quickly forged his own successful path, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Instrumental Performance with the track "Back to Earth" by the rock group Northern Star. A dedicated scholar of the Fab Four’s catalog, Tommy spent years as a core bassist for the prominent regional Beatles tribute band "All Together Now!" Today, he brings decades of elite professional stage experience, a steady rhythm, and deep-seated passion to every performance.

The musical bonds between their families run deep. Tommy proudly shared the stage with Melissa’s brother, Les, in the Beatles tribute band Get Back! In a beautiful passing of the musical torch, he also served as the very first bass teacher for Les’s daughter, Aubrey. Today, Aubrey has taken that family legacy to incredible heights as a world-touring bassist. She is currently touring as the bassist for Gigi Perez, performing at major legendary venues across North America—including Fenway Park and BC Place—before heading overseas for highly anticipated international debuts.