King Youngblood
BIOGRAPHY
Fresh off a ground-breaking month-long October 2025 National Tour and an explosive set of performances at their signature Black & Loud Fest Seattle/Portland shows, Seattle-based alt-rock band King Youngblood is celebrating a plethora of newness – unleashing new music, new videos, new multimedia projects, fresh merch, and bold social justice initiatives. King Youngblood, led by founder, bandleader, and guitarist, Cameron Lavi-Jones, have built their reputation on electrifying, take-no-prisoners performances, intentional songwriting, fearless leadership championing alternative Black artists via the Jack Daniel’s–sponsored Black & Loud Fest, now expanding across the country. A commanding voice both onstage and off, Lavi-Jones has emerged as a generational voice in the fight for social justice and authenticity in art. The buzz is undeniable: across the United States and certainly at home in the Pacific Northwest, King Youngblood is receiving the torch of Seattle’s grunge and alt-rock legacy. They’re reclaiming rock’s roots with thunderous precision, focused afro-punk energy, and a live show that leaves crowds breathless.
After recently booking the band sight unseen on the recommendation of the producers of New Colossus Music Festival, Paul Rizzo, owner of New York City’s Bitter End, declares “given they are just getting going with national touring, it is safe to say, no one wins over a cold audience like King Youngblood; they packed the place and turned the Bitter End into a mosh pit during their encore. I can’t wait to have them back.” KISW/Audacy’s Wyatt Olney, a 20-year veteran of the Seattle rock scene and a lifelong champion of the artists within that community adds, “as soon as they say go, we start pushing national rock radio through the Audacy network. King Youngblood is putting out one banger after another.”
In 2022, King Youngblood expanded into the world of comics with their rock and roll, sci-fi, afro-punk graphic novel, AFROTHUNDA, debuting with Volume I – New Tomorrow. Teaming up with Bahamian-based artist Maz Joachin, a diehard fan who reached out after discovering the band on Instagram, the group is expanding the universe with AFROTHUNDA II – All of Us Over Our Heads. The new installment is complete with print and digital releases, plus a cinematic audiobook where the band and their friends step into character to bring the story to life through a full dramatic performance packed with Marvel/DC–style sound design.
The accompanying AFROTHUNDA II Soundtrack LP showcases much-awaited new music, starting with their first single “garden of conviction” co-written with the up-and-coming Justin Harden. Another standout track, “SOUL JUNCTION,” pairs Lavi-Jones with the iconic New Orlean’s Uptown Ruler, Cyril Neville of The Neville Brothers, and his rocker son Omari Neville. The record also features reimagined versions tied to the comic’s storyline, paying homage to Seattle’s grunge legacy — including Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” and Bam Bam’s “Ground Zero” inspired by the godmother of Seattle grunge, Tina Bell herself. In solidarity and salute to Tom Morello, Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name Of” joins the list as well. Produced by Lavi-Jones and mixed/mastered by Justin Armstrong (Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Matthews, Soundgarden), this new music is building a defined sound for King Youngblood that is both cathartic and melodic.
Alternative Press dubbed King Youngblood “Seattle’s Alt-Rock Princes,” and Pacific Northwest fans resoundingly agree. AFROPUNK Magazine acknowledges “King Youngblood’s skill at transforming a small phrase into a massive hook is at this point unparalleled in the world of heavy but melodic music.” Lavi-Jones, along with, drummer Paul “Styqx” Stoot, cellist Chet Peterson, and bassist Sam Garcia have a singular mission: to grab heavy guitar-and-drum rock by the collar, fuse it with hard-hitting lyrics and soulful melodies, and deliver it to a fresh new generation fueling rock’s world-wide resurgence.
Their breakout album, BIG THANK, earned critical acclaim and was listed among the Seattle Times’ Top 20 Albums of 2022. Now, the band is releasing singles and videos from the AFROTHUNDA II soundtrack ahead of the full album drop on February 20th, 2026. Following that, fans are eagerly awaiting their new studio album, outrun your shadow, co-produced by Eric Lilavois (co-owner of London Bridge Studios, home to Ayron Jones, Brandi Carlile, and My Chemical Romance) and Lavi-Jones. Mixed again by Armstrong, outrun your shadow is slated for a Fall 2026 release.
If that weren’t enough, King Youngblood is the founder and centerpiece of the Black & Loud National Tour and Festival project in partnership with Jack Daniel’s and Ariel Rider E-Bikes. Over the last four years, Black & Loud has reached new heights, evolving into a cultural movement celebrated for its musical excellence, diversity, and community impact, including most recently featuring Living Colour co-headlining in Seattle and Portland.
Amidst the music making, touring, comic book/graphic novel development, festival producing blizzard that is King Youngblood, at the band’s heart is Cameron Lavi-Jones. As a determined public speaker and activist, and a recent graduate of the University of Washington with a degree in Communications, Lavi-Jones speaks truth to power focused on connecting deeply with America’s disillusioned and disempowered youth. Since the November 2024 election, Lavi-Jones, an independent voter, has been empowering young people at Indivisible rallies, speaking to 20,000-75,000 people at a time. Lavi-Jones answers the question fellow rocker/activist Tom Morello once asked: “Where is the moral courage in the music industry?” If we buy in to the premise that we need a new generation of voices who are not only passionate, but relatable, authentic, and effective, Lavi-Jones is the guy to watch as an advocate for non-partisan coalition building focused on local issues where social change is more attainable in a world on fire. One thing is certain, Lavi-Jones is positioned exactly where he should be. Buckle up, as King Youngblood, led by Lavi-Jones break all the rules, and fight the good fight as true believers that Black Art Is Resistance.
PRESS RELEASES
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