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King Youngblood brings music, advocacy and more to MI Library

Published 5:30 pm Monday, November 24, 2025

By Wire Service

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King Youngblood rocks the Mercer Island Library on Nov. 15. Photo courtesy of Marion L. Naden
Cameron Lavi-Jones, the founder and lead singer of King Youngblood, and Lara Lavi, his manager and mom, speak at the event. They are both trained through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Photo courtesy of Marion L. Naden

By Ann Crewdson

Special to the Reporter

After 36 days on the road, Seattle-based Afropunk and alt-rock band King Youngblood brought its high-energy performance to the Mercer Island Library on Nov. 15.

The band’s Saturday evening visit blended music with mission: lead singer Cameron Lavi-Jones and manager Lara Lavi opened the event with a panel to address the more than 60 attendees from across King County. The duo shared resources and personal insights and invited attendees to explore their nonprofit, Hold Your Crown, which focuses on dismantling stigma around and raising awareness for youth mental health. Both trained through the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and are passionate about the power of music, sharing mental health journeys and healing, which is the core of Hold Your Crown and all the work they do.

Once regular hours ended, the library transformed into an after-hours venue — echoing the spirit of past King County Library System (KCLS) nighttime teen programs like “Escape to Midnight.” Thanks to the Friends of the Mercer Island Library, the free, all-ages event drew a mix of teens, families and educators for an intimate performance. A cover of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun,” played in honor of Soundgarden’s recent Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, was a highlight. King Youngblood played its newest track, “Garden of Conviction,” to a standing ovation. The band closed its set with its harder rock song, “Heavy Handed,” which got the crowd not only up on its feet but got it going pretty wild right there in the library by the end of the song.

An advocate for the library and its mission, Lavi-Jones, a Lake Forest Park native, also spoke in a recent video posted to Instagram about the impact the library has always had on him as he grew up, which included utilizing the library’s free printing services to print his first-ever concert posters.

Events like this reaffirm the library’s role as a vibrant community hub — one that celebrates creativity, connection and lifelong learning.

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