‘Balloon boy’ Falcon Heene now fronting ‘world’s youngest metal band’

The Lookout

Three years after being exploited by his father in a hoax involving a homemade flying saucer that floated across Colorado, captivating millions of live television viewers who thought he might be inside, Falcon Heene is once again part of a questionable family-driven project: fronting a metal band.

The 9-year-old Falcon and his brothers Ryo, 12, and Bradford, 13, are collectively known as the Heene Boyz, or "the world's youngest heavy metal band," as their notorious father, Richard Heene, calls them.

According to the Broward-Palm Beach (Fla.) New Times, which published a 4,000-word profile on the Heenes, the "Boyz" practice and perform near their home in Spring Hill, Fla., where the family moved in 2010.

The homeschooled Heenes learned to play their instruments from lessons on YouTube: Falcon on bass, Ryo on drums and Bradford on guitar. And Falcon—who accidentally revealed the balloon saga was a reality-show-baiting stunt in an interview with Wolf Blitzer and then threw up during one with the "Today" show—serves as the lead singer.

More from the New Times profile:

All three are dressed in black T-shirts and jean shorts. They have long, luxurious black hair that falls to their waists and would make a Kardashian look bald by comparison. These manes whip around like windmills as the boys thrash.

Falcon wails, "What do we do? Hang out in the park/Joey's out playing in the dark/Oh my God—bored out of my mind/Adults don't treat kids so effin' kind."

When it's time for the guitar solo, Bradford nails it one-handed, Eddie Van Halen style. Falcon plucks bass strings with his teeth. When finished, they grin, make devil horns, and do handstands.

[...]

The walls are covered with faded family photos, kids' paintings, chore charts, to-do lists, printouts of scientific data, and schedules ("Get up, read books, work out, do schoolwork, rehearse, rehearse, rehearse"). Then there are the typed affirmations on plain white office paper. A couple of these say, in all caps: "HEENE BOYZ WANT RECORD DEAL!" and "HEENE BOYZ WILL TOUR WITH METALLICA."

The band's website includes a link to buy its debut album, "Chasing Tornadoes," a list of influences (including Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Dio) and press photos of the boys with scantily clad women who apparently starred in their music videos ("Candy Cane" and "Latte Vampiress").

But Richard Heene, who was sentenced to 90 days in federal prison and fined $47,000 for the balloon hoax, claims to be unaware of criticism that he's once again exploiting his children for a chance for fame. (Heene's wife, Mayumi, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for her involvement in the stunt.)

"Exploitation?" Heene, who works as a handyman in addition to his role as their manager, told the paper. "Nobody has said anything about that."

Almost as astonishing: The Heene Boyz say they don't know who Justin Bieber or the Jonas Brothers are:

Bradford: Who's Justin Bieber?

New Times: Seriously, you don't know who Justin Bieber is?

All three boys [dead serious]: No.

New Times: Have you ever heard of the Jonas Brothers?

Boys [blankly]: No, uh-uh.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • Minnesota legislators propose banning book bans

    Last fall, Shae Ross and fellow students in Bloomington, Minnesota successfully persuaded their district not to ban certain books dealing with sexuality, gender and race. Now, legislators are pursuing a prohibition on similar bans in schools across the state. (AP video: Mark Vancleave)

  • Deadpool & Wolverine trailer confirms surprise X-Men returns

    The action-packed new trailer for Marvel's Deadpool & Wolverine has teased a surprise return for two X-Men characters.

  • Trump called this visa 'very bad' for Americans. Truth Social applied for one

    MIAMI (AP) — The social media company founded by former President Donald Trump applied for a business visa program that he sought to restrict during his administration and which many of his allies want him to curtail in a potential second term. Trump Media & Technology Group, the company behind Truth Social, filed an application in June 2022 for an H-1B visa for a worker at a $65,000 annual salary, the lowest wage category allowed under the program. Federal immigration data shows the company was

  • Starbucks takes on the federal labor agency before the US Supreme Court

    After Starbucks fired seven workers who were trying to unionize their Tennessee store, a U.S. government agency obtained a court order forcing the company to rehire them. Now, Starbucks wants the Supreme Court to curb the government’s power in such cases. On Tuesday, justices are scheduled to hear Starbucks’ case against the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that protects the right of employees to organize. If the court sides with Starbucks, it could make it tougher for the NLRB

  • Israel's military intelligence chief resigns over failure to prevent Hamas attack on Oct. 7

    TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The head of Israeli military intelligence said Monday he would resign because of Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, becoming the first senior figure to step down over his role in the stunning failure to anticipate or quickly respond to the deadliest assault in Israel's history. Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva's decision could set the stage for more resignations among top Israeli security officials. Hamas militants blasted through Israel's border defenses on Oct. 7, rampaging through communiti

  • AIMCo's balanced fund earned 8.0% in 2023, falls short of benchmark

    EDMONTON — Alberta Investment Management Corp. says its balanced fund earned a net return of 8.0 per cent for 2023, short of its benchmark return of 9.3 per cent. The investment manager says its public equity investments earned 15.8 per cent, while its fixed income holdings earned 7.7 per cent. The firm's private equity portfolio generated a return of 6.7 per cent, while infrastructure investments earned 3.8 per cent and its renewable resources portfolio returned 1.6 per cent. AIMCo's real estat

  • Review of UN agency helping Palestinian refugees found Israel did not express concern about staff

    UNITED NATIONS (AP) — An independent review of the neutrality of the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees found that Israel never expressed concern about anyone on the staff lists it has received annually since 2011. The review was carried out after Israel alleged that a dozen employees of the agency known as UNRWA had participated in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks. In a wide-ranging 48-page report released Monday, the independent panel said UNRWA has “robust” procedures to uphold the U.N. principle

  • In Vietnam, farmers reduce methane emissions by changing how they grow rice

    LONG AN, Vietnam (AP) — There is one thing that distinguishes 60-year-old Vo Van Van’s rice fields from a mosaic of thousands of other emerald fields across Long An province in southern Vietnam’s Mekong Delta: It isn’t entirely flooded. That and the giant drone, its wingspan similar to that of an eagle, chuffing high above as it rains organic fertilizer onto the knee-high rice seedlings billowing below. Using less water and using a drone to fertilize are new techniques that Van is trying and Vie

  • INSIGHT-Ukraine launches military charm offensive as conscription flags

    Far from the trenches, at orderly new centres across Ukraine, civilian recruiters armed with laptops and info packs offer patriotic volunteers opportunities to join the war. As Ukraine's efforts to conscript enough men to fight Russia are stymied by public scepticism, defence officials and military units are embarking on a multi-pronged charm offensive to recruit a citizens' army to resist the invasion. This softer call-up is being conducted on job-search sites and outreach centres, as well as billboards and social media, and offers a wartime novelty: an element of choice.

  • UBS Dials Back China Fund Plans on High Costs, Grim Outlook

    (Bloomberg) -- UBS Group AG is postponing plans to build its own mutual fund business in mainland China due to high costs and a dim profit outlook, people familiar with the matter said.Most Read from BloombergRay Dalio’s Famous Trade Is Sputtering, Investors BailingTrump Has Only $6.8 Million for Legal Fees With Trial UnderwayElon Musk’s Robotaxi Dreams Plunge Tesla Into ChaosZimbabwe’s ZiG Wipes Out 330% Stocks RallyApple’s China iPhone Sales Dive 19% in Worst Quarter Since 2020The Swiss bank w

  • UBS Lifts Chinese Stocks to Overweight in Rare Upgrade Call

    (Bloomberg) -- UBS Group AG raised its recommendation on a key Chinese stock index to overweight in a rare upgrade call this year, underscoring the tentative optimism that the market is finally on the mend.Most Read from BloombergRay Dalio’s Famous Trade Is Sputtering, Investors BailingApple’s China iPhone Sales Dive 19% in Worst Quarter Since 2020Trump Has Only $6.8 Million for Legal Fees With Trial UnderwayZimbabwe’s ZiG Wipes Out 330% Stocks RallyElon Musk’s Robotaxi Dreams Plunge Tesla Into

  • What is the true cost of the UK state pension?

    If you want to get a sense of the true value of the state pension, you can look at how much you would need to save into your own pension to match it.

  • Compared to Estimates, RLI Corp. (RLI) Q1 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics

    While the top- and bottom-line numbers for RLI Corp. (RLI) give a sense of how the business performed in the quarter ended March 2024, it could be worth looking at how some of its key metrics compare to Wall Street estimates and year-ago values.

  • Abu Dhabi Returns to Eurobond Markets as Lower Rates Grow Remote

    (Bloomberg) -- Abu Dhabi is selling its first eurobonds in about three years, as expectations fade that US interest rates will fall soon. Most Read from BloombergRay Dalio’s Famous Trade Is Sputtering, Investors BailingTesla Stock in ‘No Man’s Land’ After 43% Rout Ahead of EarningsApple’s China iPhone Sales Dive 19% in Worst Quarter Since 2020Zimbabwe’s ZiG Wipes Out 330% Stocks RallyBillionaire Pinaults Fight to Pull Gucci Off the Discount RackThe oil-rich sheikhdom, which is part of the United

  • UK Grocer Asda Seeks to Tackle Debt Wall With New Loan, Bond

    (Bloomberg) -- Asda Group Ltd. is planning a bond and loan issuance to help refinance the debt pile that supported its acquisition by gas-station entrepreneurs Mohsin and Zuber Issa, according to people familiar with the matter.Most Read from BloombergRay Dalio’s Famous Trade Is Sputtering, Investors BailingApple’s China iPhone Sales Dive 19% in Worst Quarter Since 2020Tesla Stock in ‘No Man’s Land’ After 43% Rout Ahead of EarningsZimbabwe’s ZiG Wipes Out 330% Stocks RallyTrump Has Only $6.8 Mil

  • Gildan replacing five directors ahead of AGM, will back two Browning West nominees

    MONTREAL — Gildan Activewear Inc. is making changes to its board of directors in an attempt to head off a move by an activist shareholder looking to replace a majority of the board at its annual meeting next month. U.S. investment firm Browning West wants to replace eight of Gildan's 12 directors with its own nominees in a move to bring back founder Glenn Chamandy as chief executive. Gildan, which announced late last year that Chamandy would be replaced by Vince Tyra, said Monday it will replace

  • Should You Buy Shopify While it’s Below $100?

    Here's why Shopify (TSX:SHOP) remains a top long-term growth stock investors should consider buying below the key $100 level. The post Should You Buy Shopify While it’s Below $100? appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

  • ‘Trying not to die’: Tourism operators face heavy debt, even as business roars back

    Maureen Gordon has weathered hard times before. She and her husband began running ecotourism outfit Maple Leaf Adventures out of Vancouver about a month before the 9/11 terrorist attacks devastated international travel in 2001. The rebound was relatively quick. Fallout from COVID-19 has proven much more prolonged. “The pandemic of course was incredibly tumultuous and scary, as it was, I think, for most tour businesses in Canada,” said Gordon, who runs week-long sojourns on a schooner, converted

  • Strong Earnings Will Give S&P 500 a Boost

    (Bloomberg) -- Robust earnings from Corporate America will pull the S&P 500 Index out of its latest morass, despite rising concerns about a significant jump in bond yields, according to Bloomberg’s latest Markets Live Pulse survey.Most Read from BloombergTrump Has Only $6.8 Million for Legal Fees With Trial UnderwayTikTok to Remove Executive Tasked With Fending Off US ClaimsRay Dalio’s Famous Trade Is Sputtering and Investors Are BailingUS Dollar’s Extended Reign Delivers Stark Wake-Up Call for

  • Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?

    SHERBROOKE, Que. — On Monday morning in Sherbrooke, Que., dozens of tractors slowly rolled along a stretch of road between the regional offices of Quebec's farmers association and the Agriculture Department a few hundred meters away. Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December. "It's pretty hard to get farmers out of their farms, because they've got so many hours to put in, but to se