A 9-year-old boy fronts a backing band of teenagers on a cover of the Metallica classic “Seek & Destroy” in the latest video from the O’Keefe Music Foundation.
As it has done in the past, the nonprofit O’Keefe Music Foundation has produced a slick video for the performance, this time giving it a vintage VHS-tape look. The foundation provides top of the line instruments and a video crew at no cost to children looking to record and film their music performances. Several of the videos have gone viral, including a performance of Tool’s “Forty Six & 2” that has more than 20 million views on YouTube.
While the performance of “Seek & Destroy” was just posted on July 1st, it was filmed prior to the pandemic in October 2019, thus the crowded scene at a local bar.
Dylan Blaich, age 9, handles vocals, with 14-year-old Eli Riecks on lead guitar; 13-year-old Sam Ruether on rhythm guitar; 14-year-old Will Bright on drums; and 17-year-old Andrew Cole on bass.
Little Dylan doesn’t try to do a James Hetfield impression, instead singing in his natural kid’s voice, offering an endearing contrast to the heavy playing by the teenaged band. Lead guitarist Eli, sporting a Red Hot Chili Peppers t-shirt, delivers an impressive solo that would likely make Kirk Hammett proud.
The Metallica performance comes a few months after another 9-year-old, Colt Shedden, led a band of teenagers on a cover of Pantera’s “Walk”, also produced by the O’Keefe Music Foundation.
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If you want to check out the real Metallica, the band has been posting full concert streams every Monday during the pandemic as part of its #MetallicaMondays series. The latest stream spotlights the band’s 1999 concert in Bogotá, Colombia.
Watch young Dylan and company rock “Seek & Destroy” below. And if you’re looking to get your kid into playing music at a young age, pick up a Kirk Hammett signature guitar and other gear here.
