SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Cameron Lavi-Jones is 26, but he founded King Youngblood when he was 11. That's the Seattle-based alt-rock band that submitted the song "Soul Junction" to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. And this month, we're showcasing some of our favorite entries. Cameron Lavi-Jones says that as a Black musician, he's on a mission to reclaim the role of Black artists as creators.
CAMERON LAVI-JONES: And every time that we step up on that stage or step in the studio or anything like that, I'm very much aware of what I had to go through in order to be able to find myself and see myself represented in my music heroes.
SIMON: Lavi-Jones was spending last Thanksgiving in Louisiana when he says the inspiration for this song, "Soul Junction," struck.
LAVI-JONES: I started writing this tune, and Omari sat down and asked what I was working on, and I showed him, and we started, almost instinctually, cowriting.
SIMON: Omari is Omari Neville, son of Neville brother Cyril. "Soul Junction" is a collaboration with the father-son duo.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SOUL JUNCTION")
KING YOUNGBLOOD, CYRIL NEVILLE AND OMARI NEVILLE: (Singing) From my father. He told me hard times, they never last.
LAVI-JONES: When I was growing up, I had to fight tooth and nail to try to find information and resources relating to Black music history. It wasn't until I got into college that I had access to learn about bands like Fishbone or Living Colour or, even within my own neighborhood, learning about Tina Bell.
SIMON: Tina Bell and her band Bam Bam are considered pioneers of Seattle's famous grunge scene. King Youngblood and the Nevilles recorded the video for their Tiny Desk Contest entry on the fly.
LAVI-JONES: We came up with the idea of shooting it in between tour stops because we knew that we weren't really going to have an opportunity to stay in one place for very long. The RV had enough room to be able to put the horns in the back and our bass in the loft and me, Cyril and Omari sitting in the front deck. And, you know, we had Paul, my drummer, sitting with a kick drum and using the RV's toilet as a throne, holding a snare on top.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SOUL JUNCTION")
KING YOUNGBLOOD, C NEVILLE AND O NEVILLE: (Singing) How bright can we burn before we fade to black? Another night blends into the day. Another torch lights another way (ph). Leave all your baggage at the gate.
LAVI-JONES: I think just, like, everybody had a chance to grow a little bit from it, because for Omari and I, who are, you know, still cutting our teeth and getting our name out and spreading the word, it was a chance for us to represent that upcoming generation. And for Cyril, it was an opportunity to get connected and help keep his finger more on the pulse.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SOUL JUNCTION")
KING YOUNGBLOOD, C NEVILLE AND O NEVILLE: (Singing) Meet me at the junction, at the junction, at the soul junction. Yeah, yeah. The soul junction. Ooh. At the soul junction. Leave all your baggage at the gate now. At the soul junction. Come on.
LAVI-JONES: It was very apparent that there was a real power in having two generations of Black musicians coming together in that moment, especially from such different worlds, Seattle and New Orleans. Those aren't usually musical alignments that you find sitting in the same pocket like that.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SOUL JUNCTION")
KING YOUNGBLOOD, C NEVILLE AND O NEVILLE: (Singing) Now the past is slowly fading and the future's rising fast, soon the last will be the first and the first will be the last.
LAVI-JONES: That emotional sharing between those two generations of Black musicians, we wanted to put that on full display and do it in a way that honors how Cyril, Omari and King Youngblood are all doing our best to hustle and find our own way through such a changing musical landscape.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "SOUL JUNCTION")
KING YOUNGBLOOD, C NEVILLE AND O NEVILLE: (Singing) At the junction, at the funky soul junction. Meet me at the junction, at the junction, at the junction, at the junction, at the soul junction. Hey.
SIMON: That's Cameron Lavi-Jones of the Seattle-based group King Youngblood. Their song "Soul Junction," featuring Cyril and Omari Neville, is one of this year's standout entries to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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