King Youngblood is a Juggernaut of Youthful Determination
Cameron Lavi-Jones, Chet Peterson, and Samy Garcia performing with King Youngblood at Treefort Music Festival. Photo by April Massey
King Youngblood is knocking down alt-rock’s palace walls and stealing the crown. The Seattle-based foursome, composed of Cameron Lavi-Jones, Samy Garcia, Chet Peterson, and Alex Daniel, embodies the spirit of late ‘80s DIY with a sound and energy that echo back to the early days of The Red Hot Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction. King Youngblood is ridiculously adept at elevating simple phrases to the level of proverbs while coaxing the sounds of primordial rock n’ roll from their instruments. Combining raw, Pacific Northwest alternative with afropunk, the group aims to reclaim hard rock for the masses. Although they have purposely remained entrenched in Seattle’s local music scene, King Youngblood is also strategically knocking down industry doors. The foursome spent 2022 dropping videos and singles every 30 to 45 days, with their breakthrough album, Big Thank, released in March last year. Never lacking in ambition, the band also spent most of 2022 touring and released their graphic novel, Afrothunda. The comic mixes camp with underlying themes of climate change and gentrification while depicting band members as superheroes from the planet Xenon. Following in the footsteps of predecessors like Love And Rockets, the novel manages to weave an ambitious storyline while keeping the group’s music at its core. King Youngblood has built themselves around a legacy of activism and community engagement. In 2018 the band founded the nonprofit, Hold Your Crown, which works to destigmatize mental illness in teens and young adults. The group also recently signed a deal with the music creation and management platform, Vydia. We sat down with King Youngblood during this year’s Treefort Music Festival in Boise, Idaho, to discuss how the band came together, their multiple endeavors, and the future. The band’s latest EP, Afrothunda-The Soundtrack Vol. 1, is available now on all streaming platforms.
AM: This is your second year performing at Treefort Music Festival. What keeps you coming back?
Cameron Lavi-Jones: The first year we played Treefort, we saw how much the people here care about not just attending concerts but being a part of a scene. This massive lineup is full of artists from all different places on the spectrum. Big, small, just starting, whatever. To be a part of that was such an honor. Being invited back as a Treefort alum to carry that torch and showcase what can happen when you commit to a scene. The Boise music scene is something that we are not only happy to take part in but to represent everywhere we go.
Chet Peterson performing with King Youngblood at Treefort Music Festival. Photo by April Massey
AM: How does it feel to have community-led festivals like Treefort and Freakout Fest in the Pacific Northwest to take advantage of?
Chet Peterson: Having all these community-led festivals in our little corner of the country is fantastic. We are fortunate to be nearby. We drove 40 hours to take part in SXSW. We got there, and the shows were so far apart; I was just wishing we were in Boise. It was thrilling to be there, but here feels like home. There is not a lot of corporate influence, and people can just be themselves.
CL: There is a real intentionality here that is much more community-based. It is the difference between feeling more stagnant and less flexible versus seeing our friends play the main stage for the first time this year. It is more personal here, and that is something the Pacific Northwest music community has always done well.
CP: We are lucky; not a lot of people have that.
AM: As a band, you are very community-minded. Is that an essential part of your music career?
CL: Absolutely. We have a non-profit under the Allied Arts Foundation in Seattle called Hold Your Crown. It centers on dismantling stigmas tied to mental illness in teens and young adults and reminding young folks that it is okay to talk about and seek help for their mental health. Being a brown-dominant band, music and activism have always gone hand in hand. It is an integral part of who King Youngblood is. Whether in songs, our non-profit, political movements, or protests. That is something that needs to be spoken on and talked about in all capacities. Not just acknowledging problems but also celebrating solutions.
AM: You come from a legacy of activism.
CL: My father was a Black Panther. Both of my parents were in a band called The Song Catchers, which was a 20-piece Native American, jazz, rock, and blues-infused band. Showcasing what you believe in within your music and how you move through the world is not only important, but it also makes your art better. When you find other people with those same beliefs, it makes you a stronger person.
AM: You are obviously reflecting that with things like having a cello in your lineup.
Samy Garcia performing with King Youngblood at Treefort Music Festival. Photo by April Massey
CL: We had a cello in our band before we had drums. The cello has always been an integral sound for us, not just a feature. Chet, what is it like being a cellist in a rock band?
CP: I have done behind-the-scenes work for bands from all genres, but having the opportunity to play live and work on the performance side is really refreshing. It is cool to see people’s reactions live instead of getting a text about a song we released. It is a lot more fulfilling.
AM: Do you think your influences growing up gave you a broader view to include a cellist in your rock band?
CL: I do, absolutely. I am glad I got that start with The Song Catchers because it allowed me to see that you can do anything. It will work if you are authentic and believe in what you are doing.
AM: Your music is often described as afropunk. What does that phrase mean to you?
CL: Having the power, ability, knowledge, and the right to be who you are. Black artists, in particular, are often shoved into boxes, especially when it comes to more abrasive art forms like rock, metal, and punk, even though we are the people who created those genres. Afropunk is very liberating. It allows us to be who we have always been and always will be. We put together a music festival in Seattle called Black and Loud Fest. It centers around afropunk and other black abrasive artists. Afropunk is not a new thing, but there are a lot of young people who are getting hip to living that lifestyle.
AM: What does afropunk mean as a lifestyle?
CL: Being community-focused, paying attention to mutual aid, and being involved in any way possible. In the context of the stage, it means when we get up there, we are not just putting on a show but throwing an experience. There is a reason why we jump off stuff, tear things up, smash stuff, and light guitars on fire. Being afropunk means allowing yourself to have expression. You do not have to be black to be afropunk or support an afropunk message. That is why I have this incredible crew around me. We can push a message forward that is bigger than just one person.
Cameron Lavi-Jones and Samy Garcia performing with King Youngblood at Treefort Music Festival. Photo by April Massey.
AM: Afrothunda, the comic book you created, ties into that. You depict yourselves as superheroes. Why was that important?
CL: I have always been a big Marvel fan. I wanted to depict communities that have championed those kinds of media but have yet to have a chance to shine in them. We got to flex our imaginations and represent who we are.
AM: It reminds me of the comic series Love and Rockets.
CL: Yes! Our EP, Afrothunda Soundtrack, ties in with the comic. Depending on the section, there are prompts to turn on songs from the EP. Love and Rockets was definitely an inspiration for us.
AM: You just signed with Vydia and performed a well-received showcase in LA. You are also recording again. Ideally, what does the future look like for this band?
CL: Norwood from Fishbone surprised us with an intro at that showcase; it was beautiful. The future looks like more touring. We are playing Bumbershoot for the first time this year. We have a lot of big things in mind, but it all starts with the music. With this new album, we are carrying the torch that began with Big Thank. Putting forward not only what we believe in but reflecting on the journey. We have grown so much as a band. We want to talk about and share that with the world.
AM: Are you making the music that you want to make?
CL: Yes. Without a doubt. So many bands come together as canvases for someone else’s creativity rather than amplifying each other's creativity. All four of us have made each other better musicians and artists. But I do not want to speak for everyone. Alex, are you making the music you want to make?
Alex Daniel performing with King Youngblood at Treefort Music Festival. Photo by April Massey.
Alex Daniel: Yes.
AM: Most musicians go through a few bands in their careers. You are still relatively young, so is this your forever band?
CL: For me? Definitely.
AM: For all of you?
CL: I will keep speaking for Samy. My poor baby is so sick. This is the first band Samy has ever been in. Chet, is this your first rock band?
CP: Yes. I have played with people on stage, but this is the first band I have been a part of.
AM: With that, are you settled? Can you see yourself with this band 20 years from now?
CP: I definitely have an insatiable hunger for all genres of music. I always love doing rock stuff, but I supplement that with hip-hop, string arrangements, and classical. I will never stop working on other genres of music but being in a rock band feels great.
CL: All four of us come from very diverse musical backgrounds. Getting to scratch those other itches just makes King Youngblood stronger. We get different perspectives and inspirations. I listen to jazz to get ideas for guitar solos. We are all really students and fans of music. That is one of the things that bonds us together.
Cameron Lavi-Jones performing with King Youngblood at Treefort Music Festival. Photo by April Massey.
Samy Garcia: I learned everything about music in church. It taught me how to improvise and work under pressure. It has enabled me to add my own elements. When we started playing shows, I worried I was doing too much. I was so used to changing up the original song because that is what we do in church. But everyone said, “No, bring your flavor; that is what this is about.”
AD: Just piggybacking off of what Sam said. Playing music in church gave me a good foundation for this project.
AM: What is the overarching message of your music and everything else you do?
CL: Regardless of who you are or where you are from, especially if you are a young brown kid, you are allowed to be into whatever you are into. We all grew up in environments where being into the things that we are open about now was taboo. It is okay to be who you are. If you feel alone, there are other people out there who feel the same way. Find them, get loud with them, just like we did.
This article has been edited and condensed.
