FIRST EVER AFRO PUNK-SCI-FI-ALT ROCK COMIC BOOK
+ SOUNDTRACK + AUDIOBOOK
SEATTLE, WA - King Youngblood will launch its debut first of their Afro-Punk Sci-Fi Alt-Rock comic book series AFROTHUNDA - complete with multi-media digital version of the comic book and an incredible 5 song Soundtrack – on October 28th via Beatroot and publishing accelerator All She Wrote Productions.
King Youngblood has produced a 12-volume comic book collection for the series with the first book called Afrothunda – New Tomorrow. The story centers around 4 alien musicians from Planet Xenon who end up on Earth as babies when their planet is destroyed by Dr. Eval Petrovskin. The story takes the super-heroes back and forth between saving the world and being an up-and-coming rock band based in Seattle. Life imitates art in the music and comic book series.
Thea Chard, Publisher & CEO of All She Wrote Productions, says "All She Wrote Productions is so proud to be the publisher of the Afrothunda comic series! We still live in a world where pop culture and the media around it is too often dominated by a lack of BIPOC voices. Having diverse representation in an exciting and brand-new afro-punk, alt-rock musical sci-fi adventure set right here in Seattle—full of authentic voices from real, local artists who call our city home—breaks down these barriers and gives us a chance to see these young, local leaders in an empowering new light: as the heroes that they are. I personally can't wait to see what future adventures are in store for the Afrothunda team!"
Appearing in the series is “Turbo” inspired by Super Bowl Champion Seahawk running back Robert “Turbo” Turbin. Multi-platinum producer Phil Peterson inspired the comic book’s villain Dr. Eval Petrovskin. The band members play themselves, and the story line includes many local rock bands from Portland to Seattle and across the USA. Each episode features a new King Youngblood song with the first being the remix of “New Tomorrow” featuring rapper/athelete/broadcaster Turbin.
The AFROTHUNDA EP includes King Youngblood’s signature harder alt rock tracks side – “Gentrify Me”, “You’re On Your Own (YOYO)” and “Wrong of Me”. The remix of “New Tomorrow” includes a one-of-a-kind rap by Turbo Turbin in celebration of his lead character rolein the first edition of Afrothunda. Finally, the return of the hit song “Too Late Too Soon” adds heart to the EP and multimedia project.
The music is produced by band leader/lead singer/guitarist Cameron Lavi-Jones, who was just appointed on the national Alt Rock Committee for the Recording Academy, and producer Eric Lilavois (Ayron Jones, Brandi Carlisle, Pearl Jam), co-owner of the famous London Bridge Studio in Seattle, WA. The sound is definitively Seattle. The energy is definitively alt rock, and the heart is definitively singer songwriter due to the strong songwriting by Lavi-Jones. This is a four-pronged project of comic book, audio book, digital multi-media dramatic reading comic book and soundtrack – there is nothing like it in the market.
King Youngblood is focused on reclaiming rock music, specifically black fronted rock. Alternative Press calls King Youngblood “Seattle’s Alt Rock Princes” - they sure got that right. Founder and front man Cameron Lavi-Jones, along with drummer Alix Daniel, cellist Chet Peterson, and bassist Samy Garcia have a singular mission: grab heavy rock by the collar and drag it into the waiting arms of the fresh new generation of fans. The band’s unstoppable live shows have earned them opening slots for the likes of Pearl Jam, Naked Giants, and Ayron Jones.
Lavi-Jones is a second-generation Black/Jewish activist whose father Maurice Jones Jr., was a member of the Black Panther Party. Lavi-Jones spent the 2020 summer actively protesting within the Black Lives Matter community. He staged an epic teach-in called This Ain’t No Picnic on the steps of the Seattle Police Department’s 12th precinct and memorialized it with “Yakubian Antics” (which scored best song and video of 2020 by Afropunk Magazine.)
Beyond social justice activism, King Youngblood is openly and deeply involved with youth mental health issues having formed their own non-profit Hold Your Crown, in partnership with the King County Washington Mental Health Court and Pacific Northwest’s SMASH, working to break the stigma around youth mental illness. 100% of the profit from the AfroThunda project will be donated to Hold Your Crown to continue the good work the in schools and other places youth gather.
KYB has really out done themselves this time with this huge undertaking. Explains the band’s founder and front man/guitarist Cameron Lavi-Jones, “The fire in the King Youngblood engine has always been disrupting spaces where there aren't a lot of people who look like us. Personally, I've always been a huge anime and visual novel fan. For context, on my 8th birthday, my parents photoshopped a picture of my face onto a comic cover of the Incredible Hulk, I grew up attending Comicons from all over, and for a minute there, I even got a chance to work for Marvel in my teenage years. Similarly to our experience in the rock world, in the world of anime and comics, there wasn't a lot of representation for me as a fan to look towards. Now, off the heels and through the open doors our debut album BIG THANK created, comes another chance for us to showcase how we want to make sure that Black and Brown folks see themselves in the things that they are passionate about. So when we had the idea to create AFROTHUNDA, it was such a natural extension of the unapologetic work we've always been doing. Plus, the fact remains that we really be having fun with it too.”
Through the music of King Youngblood, Lavi-Jones and his compatriots have boldly declared that unironic, melodic rock’n’roll continues to stand tall as a vibrant medium of cathartic self- expression. The Afrothunda project raises the bar even higher for the band that never sleeps.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT EVER KIPP / TINY HUMAN – EVER@TINYHUMAN.COM