Brooklyn’s Seriously Talented Sixth Grade Heavy Metal Band

Unlocking The Truth is the most hardcore, musically talented, and surprisingly eloquent trio of sixth graders around. A few months ago, videos of the young metal band playing in New York City’s Times Square went viral on YouTube almost immediately, and with good reason: the band can really tear it up.

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With what appears to be overnight fame engulfing the band, you might be wondering who these boys are, and where they come from. According to the band’s website, “Unlocking the Truth is a young heavy metal/hard rock band from Brooklyn, New York, who write and create their own lyrics and music.” The band is made up of three members; Malcolm Brickhouse plays electric guitar, Jarad Dawkins is on drums, and the newest band mate is bass player Alec Atkins. Dawkins and Jared formed their first band Tears of Blood back in 2007 (when they would have been around five years old!), a few years later added Atkins on bass and evolved into what is now Unlocking the Truth. The group is a truly driven heavy metal band with enough music to make multiple albums. Bands like Metalica, Chelsea Grin, Disturbed, and others influence the group’s sound and style.

In a recent interview with Noisy, a Vice Magazine affiliate, the boys discuss their incredibly supportive parents, school, and what it’s like being a sixth grade metal band with big dreams for the future.  Their advice to other younger musicians is very genuine, in that is seems to be paying off for the band. Dawkins says, “Believe in your dreams. Hard work pays off and do what you do best.”

If you haven’t seen or heard of Unlocking the Truth yet, check out a clip of them performing, ahem, tearing it up in Times Square, here.  

Tertulia Marries Chamber Music with Dining in NYC

Julia Villagra wants you to enjoy your meal served with a side of chamber music. More specifically, she wants to bring classical chamber music and dining together, in an effort to make this genre of performance more accessible and appealing to all.

Founded in 2011, Tertulia is Villagra’s answer to the literal gap that exists between artist and audience in classical music performance. ‘Tertulia’ is a Spanish term that describes a social gathering with an artistic edge, and is the namesake for Villagra’s chamber music series, which takes classical concerts out of traditional concert halls and into modern New York City restaurants. She hopes to inspire a new appreciation for chamber music in audiences who might not have sought access to it outside of a dining environment.

Villagra explains on her website,

“We believe that anyone, young or old, can fall in love with classical music. Musicians’ passion for their art is contagious, which is why removing the distance between artist and audience is so critical. While beautiful concert halls will never be obsolete, there are limiting factors that make it challenging to engage new, younger listeners. It is Tertulia’s mission to bring classical music to broader audiences by diversifying the concert experience through creative presentations using non-traditional venues.”

The most recent Tertulia took place at Harding’s in the Flatiron District last Sunday evening, where the audience enjoyed classical compositions played by pianists, violinists, and cellists in between three courses of a prix fixe meal. Villagra played host that evening, a role she’s grown accustomed to, after past Tertulia performances at various Greenwich Village restaurants.


Villagra’s efforts have increased visibility for this genre of performance, challenging traditional ideas of how chamber music should be performed, while simultaneously attracting audiences that might otherwise have missed out.

Keep a lookout for more Tertulias around the city during the Spring 2013 Season.