article by Sarah Grant via rollingstone.com
Unlocking the Truth, a metal band composed of three African-American seventh graders, is the subject of the acclaimed documentary Breaking a Monster. The music doc follows the unlikely trio – Alec Atkins, Malcolm Brickhouse and Jarad Dawkins – that scored a $1.8 million record deal with Sony Music Entertainment.
Breaking a Monster was directed by Luke Meyer, who follows the middle school metalheads around from the moment their first video went viral on YouTube. But like many young performers who stumble upon sudden success, the road to fame is fraught with uneasy demands, stress from parents and friends and tough life decisions.
“Originally I was asked to make a short film about the band when they were still gaining traction as street performers,” Meyer told film website IndieWire. “The short focused on what it’s like to be young and have unrestricted dreams about who you want to be in the world. In the case of Unlocking the Truth, because they’re so talented, those dreams didn’t feel as far-reaching as they might for some other kids.”
Breaking a Monster will be released this summer nationwide starting with a June 24 release in New York City and a July 1 release in Los Angeles.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ICnJdMApbdE&w=560&h=315]
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/metal-trio-unlocking-the-truth-unveil-emotional-doc-trailer-20160603#ixzz4AkGcNfG5
Posts tagged as “African-Americans in heavy metal”
Unlocking the Truth, a heavy metal band comprised of three 8th-graders from Brooklyn, has been signed to a two-album recording contract with Sony. The deal comes with a $60,000 up-front advance and an option for four additional LPs.
The band, made up of guitarist Malcolm Brickhouse, 13, bassist Alec Atkins, 13, and drummer Jarad Dawkins, 12, was founded in 2007 and has been riding the lightning to metal fame thanks to a steady run of heavy-beyond-their-years busking in Times Square and Washington Square Park. Now the Daily News reports that the boys have finalized a deal with Sony that could net them as much as $1.7 million over a possible six albums.
“What started out as play dates went to Times Square and now this. It’s been one great thing after another,” Dawkins’s mother, Tabatha, told the News. The boys competed in the Apollo Theater’s amateur night (under the name Tears of Blood, no less) and have unleashed their middle-school riffage at venues like Webster Hall and the Coachella music festival. Unlocking the Truth is currently touring the country as a part of the Vans Warped Tour and recently took time off from pre-algebra class to open for Gun N Roses in Las Vegas.
Having scored the deal as minors, the 8th graders’ Sony contract had to be approved and filed in Manhattan Supreme Court. The deal is remarkable on account of more than just the band’s age, band manager Alan Sacks affirmed. “Sacks says the boys have a chance of becoming the new face of rock because they are unique — black artists excelling in heavy metal, a genre typically dominated by white musicians,” the Post writes.
Watch Brickhouse, Atkins, and Dawkins shred Times Square below:
article via gothamist.com