Toddler Puts Heavy Metal Spin on His ABCs

Most children sing their ABCs a cappella, like they're taught in school, or maybe with a little flair, the way they may hear it on "Sesame Street."

Ethan Conrad is not like most children. When he sings his ABCs, he rocks out, heavy metal style.

Video posted to YouTube on Tuesday showed Ethan, then 1, singing what could be recognized to be his ABCs, but the boy had supercharged his rendition, even adding a bit of head banging.

When he started out singing his pacifier made it hard to hear the lyrics, but once he removed it, he really got going.

Ethan loves to hang out in the basement where there's a music studio, his father, Sean Conrad, 27, said in a Wednesday interview with ABC News.

Conrad works in a bank but is a music enthusiast. He plays in a hard rock/heavy metal band called Acid Reign, and regularly holds jam sessions in the basement of his home in Canal Winchester, Ohio.

Ethan loves to be part of those sessions, his father said.

Conrad's wife, Katelyn, happened to be recording video on her phone one day last year when Ethan decided to go for his metal solo, his father's music playing in the background.

"And he just randomly decides to go up and start singing ABCs," Conrad said. "We had been working a lot with him on his ABCs, you know, singing the regular ABC song, but for some reason he just felt an urge to rock out to that, just a complete spur of the moment. … We're just completely shocked, like, 'What is happening? Where did he get this from?'"

Conrad only decided to post the video online after friends who saw the clip encouraged him to share it, and he's stunned by the response. The video had been viewed more than 8,000 times as of Wednesday night.

"I love it. It's really surreal, it's amazing," he said. "I just keep asking myself, 'Is this really happening?' You know, I'm kind of dumbfounded by it. It's amazing. It's a great ride, so far."

Ethan, who'll be 3 next month, is still rocking out. His father said the boy has the family's musical genes.

"Even just today, he was downstairs playing drums and he insisted - he loves to insist - that I go play along with him. So today, he was demanding that I play guitar," Conrad said. "He's playing the whole drum set. … He whales on the drums. I'm kind of impressed. That's my boy!"