HARPTALLICA: Spring Tour Dates Announced

March 3, 2008

The clasically trained harp duo HARPTALLICA — which performs a series of arrangements based on the music of METALLICA — has scheduled the following dates:

Apr. 27 - Metairie, LA @ Keystone's Lounge
Apr. 28 - Little Rock, AR @ Juanita's Cantina Ballroom
Apr. 29 - Kansas City, MO @ The Record Bar
Apr. 30 - St Louis, MO / In-Store Teaser Performance @ Vintage Vinyl
Apr. 30 - St Louis, MO @ The Underground
May 02 - Lawrence, KS @ The Gaslight Tavern
May 03 - Denver, CO @ Quixote's
May 04 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Burt's Tiki Lounge
May 06 - Spokane, WA @ The Blvd
May 07 - Seattle, WA @ The Funhouse
May 09 - Portland, OR @ Balcony Bar at Hawthorne Theatre
May 11 - Fairfax, CA @ 19 Broadway Niteclub
May 12 - San Francisco, CA @ Elbo Room
May 14 - Malibu, CA @ The Malibu Inn
May 15 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Mint
May 16 - Long Beach, CA @ Dipiazza's
May 17 - Tuscon, AZ @ Club Congress
May 18 - Mesa, AZ @ Hollywood Alley
May 19 - Albuquerque, NM @ Atomic Cantina Rock Bar
May 21 - Dallas, TX @ The Curtain Club
May 22 - Baton Rouge, LA @ The North Gate Tavern

Video footage of one of HARPTALLICA's fall 2007 performances can be viewed below.

Ashley Toman and Patricia Kline of HARPTALLICA recently answered the following questions for The Charlotte Observer.

Q: What drew you to METALLICA as opposed to other mainstream acts or metal bands?

Toman: My husband got me into heavy metal. We had a lot of METALLICA CDs, so I found myself listening to them a lot. I grew to really love the songs, and I wanted to play them myself. But now, there are other bands such as MEGADETH and BLACK SABBATH that I would like to someday cover.

Q: What is it about METALLICA's music that lends itself so well to classical interpretation?

Kline: Part of it has to do with the density of the music. There are a lot of parallels between metal and classical music that people are eager to explore — the intensity of emotion, fascination with gothic and dark themes, and also some structural things. You could easily draw a comparison, for example, between guitar solos in metal music and cadenzas in symphonic music.

Q: What's it like having gone from nice theaters to small clubs?

Kline: The biggest change for me hasn't been the venues, but the audiences. Classical audiences are kind of distant, both literally and figuratively. It's been very cool for me to be able to interact with the audience while we're playing, to have them yell out requests or sing along and just to be able to see them.

Toman: I enjoy the clubs and bars. I love playing with the harp amplified. The harp can never be loud enough.

Q: Is part of the point to introduce people to the harp?

Kline: Definitely. One of the cool parts about playing live is getting to kind of give the tour after concerts. It's neat to show someone around the instrument for the first time and let them see how it works up close and personal.

Toman: Many have never seen a harp in person. I hadn't until I was 15. If I can get someone who would never dream of giving harp music a chance to listen to it, then I've done my job.

Q: How are fans reacting?

Kline: The music has been really well received. I always worried a little about how this was all going to go over, especially with the die-hard metal fans, but they seem to be the ones who actually really enjoy it.

"Fade to Black":

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)":

Find more on
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).