Cameron Lavi-Jones, lead singer and guitarist in the band King Youngblood is the artist at the helm of Black and Loud, an annual festival in Seattle designed to uplift and celebrate Black musicians across genres. Lavi-Jones talks true inclusion, art as activism, and a new album this year.
In the heart of Seattle’s remarkable music scene, a vibrant revolution is unfolding. Cameron Lavi-Jones, a dynamic artist at the helm of Black and Loud, a movement designed to uplift and celebrate Black musicians across genres. This endeavor is more than just a passion; it represents a mission steeped in personal experience and a deep-seated commitment to community.
Lavi-Jones is also the lead singer and guitarist in the band, King Youngblood. As a bandleader he saw the need for more representation of Black musicians in genres like rock and country music – genres rooted in Black traditions that have come to be perceived as racially white genres. Racial gatekeeping has shut out the wealth of Black talent from the mainstream for a longtime.
“King Youngblood still plays a lot of shows where we’re the only Black fronted band on the bill,” he shared.
They have been the sole representation in these spaces, which helped Lavi-Jones realize that “Black folks and everyone else in these musical spaces deserve better.”
“Black kids deserve to see themselves represented in heavier music,” Lavi-Jones shared in a blog post titled, “Why Produce the Black and Loud Fest; Why is this important?” “Black folks deserve to create heavier music without being compared to whiteness. That means if they want to be alternative, abrasive, as long as they’re taking up space and being loud as fuck, they should be able to do that without any scrutiny.”
Representation v. Inclusion
This has reinforced Lavi-Jones’ belief that while representation, being able to say that you see yourself in something, is crucial, true inclusion, when you’re actually able to participate within it, is the goal—which is why Black and Loud is so important. According to Lavi-Jones, Black and Loud shows other young Black and Brown kids that they belong and creates the kind of community that he wishes he had when he started out.
“What really keeps my fire still burning is when we have a chance to play shows, especially all ages shows, but young Black and Brown kids coming up to me and saying, ‘Wow, I didn’t know we could do that!’ It’s moments like that, of shattering those misconceptions,” Camron said.
The festival has become a springboard for local artists, reminding everyone that the roots of rock and country music run far deeper than Elvis who emulated Little Richard’s style and sound or The Rolling Stones who stole music from Blues artist Robert Johnson, and Soul artist Irma Thomas.
The foundation and future have always been Black. Part of King Young Blood’s mission is to remind people of that.
“That’s been a huge part of King Youngblood’s mission, to remind people that Black people did not only invent these genres, but fucking destroy at em too,” Lavi-Jones wrote in a blog on the King Youngblood website explaining why he founded Black and Loud.
He goes on to share that Black women like Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Seattle’s own Tina Bell “have been at the dawn of these genres” and “are not credited properly for their defining artistry that created what we now know as Rock and Roll and Grunge.”
For a broader acceptance of this in and out of Black spaces, the narrative surrounding Black identity cannot be one-dimensional, or exclusionary. A multifaceted understanding of Black people and cultures would eliminate the racial genre boundary discussion [among other things] for good.
“Black people are not a monolith,” Lavi-Jones said. “I want to see more stories of Black joy, Black creativity, Black excellence, being included in this because I think [when] we are limited and defined only by what we are dealt with, or traumatized by, we become defined by it. Rather than having the same amount of energy towards the things that we need to change, holding space and the same sort of energy towards the things worth celebrating.”
He went on to share that what every marginalized community needs is to be seen wholly in music, socioeconomically and even politically.
In recent years, social media has made it possible for artists to remain independent and bypass the gatekeeping that has kept Black rock and country artists from sharing their work with a large audience. In the circles Lavi-Jones runs in, there’s an understanding of not just the history of Black music, but also how Black cultures have contributed and defined American popular culture. There’s also an understanding that there’s still room for progress.
“I think that there’s still a long way to go, and I’m really grateful that people have been so receptive to not just supporting Black artists, but supporting good music in their community,” Lavi-Jones said.
Intersection of art and activism
It’s this community centered thinking that stands out in everything that Lavi-Jones does. As the world grapples with complex social injustices, Lavi-Jones’ voice emerges not just as an artist but as a thoughtful activist.
In 2018 King Young Blood partnered with the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, and the Washington Bus and threw shows at different schools to increase voter registration for new voters. Over 3,800 people registered to vote for local elections before the cutoff date. They founded Hold Your Crown, a non-profit devoted to eliminating the stigma of mental illness for middle school youth into young adulthood. Lavi-Jones even helped organize inside Seattle’s Capitol Hill Occupied Protest (CHOP), established on June 8, 2020, by people protesting during the Black Lives Matter movement against the May 2020 killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“Music alone, it has been such a powerful resource, and breaking down a lot of those barriers where I know I’ve been able to have more of those difficult and important conversations in parts of the state and even parts of the country where worldviews, political spectrums and all of that are completely different,” Lavi-Jones said. “Having music be this gateway to open the door, it’s allowed for those conversations.”
Lavi-Jones’ parents — Maurice Jones Jr. a musician, producer and former Black Panther and Lara Lavi, a Jewish artist, TV and film writer and attorney — have been a pivotal influence on his journey. They instilled seeing music as a platform for authenticity and activism from a young age which helped shape Lavi-Jones into the artist he is today.
“The intersection of art and activism did very much so come from my parents…” Lavi-Jones said.
When Lavi-Jones was a kid they were in a 20 piece multi-ethnic music band together that “honor the traditions of intertribal pow wow singing and drumming, blending rock, soul, jazz and spoken word into a one of a kind fusion” called The Songcatchers. The song keeper for the Dine` Nation, Arlie Neskahi, was one of the founding members.
“I basically grew up in a musical environment that showcased that regardless of which walk of life these folks came from, they all united under a single, specific principle, even if it wasn’t a part of a community that they belonged to, and that really framed so much of how I view music, of seeing it as a function or a platform for not just activism, but truthfully authenticity,” Lavi-Jones
In this way, music was his introduction to activism, according to Lavi-Jones. And when facing the violence of systemic oppression and racism, Lavi-Jones believes we all have a part to play.
“It really is fucking all hands on deck,” Lavi-Jones said. “And that means that everybody has to figure out their own way that they can be involved, whether that’s being the fan at the show and supporting, or sharing online, or sharing infographics, or even having those difficult conversations within your community in places where I’m not going to be able to be because of access or just experience.”
Looking ahead, Lavi-Jones is eager to share what he’s working on. The next King Youngblood album, set to drop this year, promises to delve into themes of personal growth and the complexities of change at the crossroads of gain and loss. He hopes that, through his music, audiences will feel less alone in their journey of self-discovery and acceptance.
Through Black and Loud, Lavi-Jones is not just creating a space for Black musicians but also fostering a movement. As plans to expand Black and Loud to places like New Orleans take shape, it’s clear that his vision embodies the reimagining of the cultural landscape to be more inclusive, celebratory, and connected.
“There’s still plenty of room and plenty of seats,” he asserts, symbolizing a warm invitation to all who wish to join the journey of love for each other and great music. Lavi-Jones and his community are harmonizing their voices in a chorus of empowerment that resonates far beyond the stage.
Follow King Youngblood on Instagram for updates on their next show, Black and Loud and their upcoming album!
