Rising Seattle Band Changes Their Name with Message Advocating for Social Change

SEATTLE - EntSun -- The decision to change the name of a band is never taken lightly. And for the members of rising Seattle rock band, Gypsy Temple, who are announcing that they are adopting a new identity as King Youngblood, this name change is an important introspective move. Cameron Lavi-Jones, the band's founder, lead singer, and guitarist named his band to honor his heritage as a mixed-race, Romani-Jewish Black person. His goal: to reclaim terms traditionally used to hurt people of his culture.

"My mother, my grandmother, and my great-grandmother are Romanian-Jewish women, all musical artists, all strong, and all free-spirited. The name Gypsy Temple was meant to honor them" explains Lavi Jones. "Although we are big believers in supporting marginalized reclamation of terms, after a lot of thought and education, we realized that since not everyone apart from our band is Romani, we were not holding ourselves to our own standards. Our fight for social justice and intersectionality outweighs holding on to this band name."

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The band chose the name King Youngblood for personal reasons as well. The term "youngblood" is one of endearment given to Lavi-Jones by his African-American father, uncles, and grandfather. This provided inspiration for the song, King Youngblood (https://www.kingyoungblood.com/king-youngblood), the title track of the band's debut album.

As Lavi-Jones anticipates his upcoming 21st birthday, there is much he and the band have to be proud of.  King Youngblood has secured Adam Kasper, one of the most influential rock producers in the world (Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Soundgarden) to produce their new music.

"Throughout my career as a producer and mixer, I have had the privilege of working with some of the most talented and amazing musicians in the Rock and Alternative Rock Universe," said producer, Adam Kaspar.  I can honestly say, in terms of pure overall talent, songwriting, drive, and stage presence, King Youngblood, is one of the most complete artists I have ever worked with."Kaspar added that King Youngblood is an absolute original and this band is poised to have a long successful career.

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King Youngblood doesn''t pay lip service to fighting for social change. They encourage young people to vote through their ongoing Make Your Self Heard Loud and Vote Campaign (https://www.kingyoungblood.com/hold-your-crown). They also formed a non-profit under the Allied Arts Foundation of Seattle called the Hold Your Crown Project (https://www.kingyoungblood.com/hold-your-crown) to change the culture and remove stigmas young people face when living with mental illness. The band is also partnering with King County Mental Health Court to bring their message to King County public schools.

https://www.kingyoungblood.com/