Metka Knap is a folklorist, musician, and visual artist from Slovenia. We met in 2022 in Macedonia and took a bardic journey to Prague and beyond.

Unfortunately, the conversation takes place over a Zoom chat with Metka being in a remote cabin in Slovenia, so the fidelity of the connection is at times spotty. Hopefully you will still be able to glean some interesting insights from our conversation.

https://www.instagram.com/vrabovka/

https://www.instagram.com/tjulnica/

https://www.instagram.com/izpodkorenin/

https://www.instagram.com/gruntuntun/

00:00:00 - Introduction, urban vs rural for artists

00:09:44 - Does the USA have more opportunities for artists?

00:16:04 - Metka's musical journey

00:22:18 - Floating Castle Festival

00:26:25 - How did we meet?

00:29:24 - Dandy's banjo

00:31:43 - More instruments

00:35:54 - At the meditation center in Serbia

00:38:38 - Recording "More Izgrejala"

00:41:28 - Onward toward Prague

00:44:39 - Our concert in Ljubljana

00:48:05 - Balkan rainbow in Serbia

00:53:31 - Future plans

00:58:39 - Visual art, a safe place for creativity

01:02:31 - The other band, Grunt

01:05:32 - Final messages

For this Summer Solstice episode of Voice Seeker, I am pleased to welcome my good friend and traveling companion, Saša Hajzler.

She is an avid conversationalist, traveler, thinker, and phd student. In this conversation we recollect some moments from our hitchhiking travels through Morocco. We also talk about Yugoslavia, private equity enshittification, the fool's journey, and more.Enjoy!

~Dandelion

00:00:00 - Introduction via Skopje

00:02:49 - Meeting in Morocco

00:04:54 - The allure of Fez

00:08:06 - A Moroccan encounter in Istanbul

00:11:28 - From Turkiye to Morocco

00:13:29 - Arriving via ferryboat to Tangier

00:17:15 - the origin of Sasha's miraculous quest

00:27:32 - From Tangier to Merzouga

00:37:11 - Moroccan Rainbow Gathering

00:39:46 - So many dudes

00:42:06 - Back to Casablanca

00:43:45 - Yugostalgia

00:50:16 - Private equity enshittification

00:54:03 - Things made to last, or at least deteriorate slowly

00:57:40 - Growing up at the end of Yugoslavia

01:05:45 - Class solidarity with Moroccans and beyond

01:12:04 - Back to the hitchhiking adventure

01:17:49 - Food memories

01:25:02 - Communication without language

01:28:29 - A shepherd dog in a field at night

01:34:01 - Hitchhiking a fairy boat

01:38:28 - The instructional act of being a fool

01:48:54 - Wrap up

On the 10th episode of Voice Seeker, we have a wide-ranging discussion with Elexa Dawson: musician, songwriter, speaker, mother, gardener, Potawatomi Citizen, and all around awesome human being.

Elexa Dawson is a practitioner of the soul. Her red-dirt honey vocals and rhythmic guitar style deliver a sound that hits home. Both familiar and intriguing, her songs speak of the earth and community, and celebrate all relationships, from mother and child to friend and lover.

Kansas-based and Oklahoma-born, Elexa is a songwriter, educator, community organizer, Folk Alliance Region Midwest's Board President, and serves on the Board of Directors of Music to Life. Elexa is a Kansas Touring Roster Artist, Music to Life's Juried Artist, and Mid-America Arts Alliance Interchange Fellow. Former fellowships include First Peoples Fund and Western Arts Alliance Native Launchpad.

Elexa is the founder and director of Good Way Gardens, a land-based arts organization, and is co-founder of Weda Skirts, one of Kansas' best-beloved female folk ensembles. She runs an independent label, Turns Out Records. She’s also a founding member of popular folk groups The Power Lilies and Heyleon.

https://www.elexadawson.com/

https://www.patreon.com/elexadawson

Native Heritage and Place in the Flint Hills presentation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJPFaBuC73c

(00:00:00) - INTRODUCTION

(00:04:10) - PRACTITIONER OF THE SOUL

(00:08:19) - SINGING TOGETHER

(00:10:47) - MUSICAL BACKGROUND

(00:15:14) - WINFIELD

(00:17:42) - THE CITIZEN POTAWATOMI NATION

(00:26:30) - INDIGENOUS EARTH

(00:32:40) - INSPIRATION, APPROPRIATION, FETISHIZATION

(00:42:22) - SHAPED BY NATIVE HERITAGE

(00:42:44) - INDIGENOUS FOODS MOVEMENT

(00:47:10) - FOOD SOVEREIGNTY

(00:52:11) - A WORLD OF ABUNDANCE

(00:57:38) - ABANDONING THE PATRIARCHY

(01:02:58) - IF EVERYONE'S A MILLIONAIRE, WHO'S SPECIAL?

(01:05:24) - WOMEN'S HOMES

(01:09:24) - EDUCATION

(01:18:35) - POTAWATOMI LANGUAGE

(01:21:07) - MUSICAL MEMORY

(01:22:58) - GOODWAY GARDEN AND MORE

(01:26:10) - PETER OVIATT, STANLEY HOTEL

(01:31:30) - ARTIST RECOMMENDATIONS

(01:33:44) - WORDS OF ADVICE FOR YOUNGER CREATIVES

A bardic quest mixtape featuring the various performers who assembled at the 2024 Folk Alliance International conference in Kansas City.

(00:00:00) Intro
(00:03:00) 1st night: arriving at FAI
(00:06:38) Westin Lobby
(00:07:37) Bose Lounge open mic
(00:08:16) Scott Strickland
(00:13:27) Ellie James
(00:17:18) Eddy DJ E
(00:20:18) Rachel Sage
(00:24:50) Bandits on the Run
(00:28:46) Kristin Rebecca
(00:32:38) Dandelion Lakewood
(00:36:57) Joey Forever
(00:41:27) Christina Eltrevoog
(00:47:39) 2nd night: bardic quest
(00:49:03) Bards at the gate (with Cowboy Aiden)
(00:57:16) The Foggy Memory Boys
(01:03:08) Darbuka in the hallway with Robert
(01:08:57) Paula Boggs Band
(01:13:04) True Lions
(01:16:31) Laura Taubman
(01:19:54) Ethno Room 1st jam
(01:23:33) Late night lobby bluegrass
(01:36:53) 4am diary
(01:38:43) 3rd night: Lobby clogging with Sophie Mae Wellington
(01:43:53) Laytha
(01:48:59) Ingrid Yasmin
(01:52:10) Kelly Love Jones
(01:56:46) Echo chamber interview with Billy Two Rivers
(02:04:42) Ila Barker
(02:10:25) Elevator check ins
(02:13:52) Pow wow dancers
(02:16:07) Chatting with Mitsune
(02:19:54) Slava
(02:28:34) 2nd Ethno Room jam
(02:30:49) Epic late night lobby jam
(02:33:38) Nani
(02:38:24) Ensemble Sangineto
(02:40:30) Mitsune
(02:44:30) Clement Brothers
(02:49:16) Sneaki Bandit interview
(02:57:42) World of Plenty
(03:01:08) Final Jam in the Ethno room highlights
(03:13:45) Universal Lover
(03:23:22) Midnight Special
(03:28:42) Elexa Dawson's love letter
(03:36:10) Brief chat with Nimkii
(03:38:00) Interviewing Win
(03:44:00) Petit Solo and Klara Ahlersten
(03:47:54) Ashley Virginia
(03:52:28) End notes

Florida 

Voice Seeker #6

Spring Equinox 2024

A journey around the peninsula of Florida with music and conversations of various sorts.

(0:00:00) Intro

(0:02:34) A Walmart parking lot in Birmingham, Alabama

(0:05:50) Beach diary

(0:06:34) Orlando diary

(0:08:38) Tampa windy boat ramp

(0:11:39) Trans girls rule

(0:15:40) Bee and Ri

(0:17:23) School Palooza

(0:25:30) Self-directed learning

(0:28:40) Trail trekking

(0:33:18) Trauma relativity

(0:37:23) Emergency on the trail

(0:42:21) Living out of comfort and trail magic

(0:47:11) Isolation

(0:50:26) Bee’s eclectic work history

(0:55:32) Granny energy

(0:56:38) The gift economy

(1:03:03) Piper and Kirst at La Teresita

(1:12:12) Food treasure maps

(1:14:40) Losing a father

(1:22:22) Food and family trauma

(1:28:18) Kimchee and fermentation

(1:33:37) Intense hobbies

(1:36:32) The genius of construction

(1:37:36) Creative time management

(1:40:40) The dream of buying a village

(1:46:43) The work ethic of a meth head

(1:48:16) Challenges of community

(1:49:43) Board games and the apocalypse

(1:51:27) Struggle over communal space

(1:54:26) Spiritual space

(1:57:39) Ugh not this talk

(2:00:46) Apocalyptic strategies

(2:04:00) A future without slaves

(2:07:29) Our imagined reality

(2:10:08) Objects vs experiences

(2:12:16) Critique of board games

(2:16:26) A sample of Piper’s performance

(2:19:42) ASMR late night Atlantic skinny dip

(2:25:48) Florida earth skills gathering

(2:28:24) On the way to volunteer in the kitchen

(2:30:04) Kitchen talk with Addie and Joe

(2:35:52) Bulgarian soups

(2:39:02) What’s the most people you’ve cooked for?

(2:41:33) First food memories

(2:45:12) Fireside old time with Bronwyn

(2:47:46) Interview with Shaye and Bronwyn (The Little Mercies)

(3:02:06) Walkthru

(3:05:59) Waiting in line for dinner

(3:10:36) Salem and witches

(3:17:00) Advanced kids

(3:21:03) Old time music

(3:29:36) Little Mercies campfire music

(3:37:23) Drum circle

A collection of diaries, field recordings, voice memos, and performances from the past year of travels inside the USA.

00:00:00 Everything all at once
00:01:30 Can you all just quiet down?
00:01:48 So many things
00:04:55 Doors
00:05:55 Random sample flip
00:06:16 The year in review
00:10:27 Hamtrack bells diary
00:14:20 Recap session
00:16:08 US customs
00:19:53 Portland
00:20:44 Marching band conference
00:21:20 Outdoor markets
00:22:19 Tram
00:23:23 The rust belt sprouted dandelions
00:25:51 Johnny Franco
00:27:59 Live at Lantern Records
00:33:26 Miss Killa at Nalu Kava
00:40:17 Pacific baptism
00:41:59 Heading East
00:44:40 Ode to train horns
00:48:00 Ghosts and the myth of purity
00:49:49 Sam Knob diary
00:54:21 Tent diary
00:55:26 Wedding singing
00:59:01 Song circle thoughts
01:00:49 Song learning
01:04:40 All that we need
01:10:15 Samara Jade song circle
01:17:54 Asheville recollections
01:33:28 On to Winfield
01:37:48 A tour of Winfield
01:41:56 Humble Town
01:46:28 Pretend Friend
01:50:10 Jack Summers
01:53:39 Dimension Bill Edwards
01:56:05 Foggy Memory Boys
01:57:31 Bad Housewives
02:03:18 Good Time Charlie
02:06:00 Sugar Beet Harvest
02:10:51 Harvest poems
02:12:50 Cleaning the piler with Matt
02:22:12 End of season party
02:28:48 Talent show
02:30:15 Brando Chemtrails
02:34:20 Barnyard impersonations
02:36:07 Dandelion's interrupted Jabberwocky recitation
02:43:47 Managing a disruptive drunk friend
02:46:41 Hailey and Brandon
02:50:46 Pony trick
03:05:00 Beet harvest exit interviews
03:18:12 Outro

In this episode of Voice Seeker, your host Dandelion Lakewood conducts two interviews on the road with friends Mikee Strongmen (of Twenty Thousand Strongmen) and Ozosou (a recent Kurdish immigrant to the USA).
Mikee Strongman:
00:00:00 Wackadoo
00:02:08 How we met
00:03:10 Song evolution
00:06:19 Indecent proposals and agressive roosters
00:08:46 Eating rats in Albania
00:10:17 Gut health
00:11:39 Grounding
00:13:04 Heavy bedding
00:14:53 Brand-exclusive speech
00:16:58 Bardic seed saving
00:18:19 Gingers
00:19:21 Dyeing and shaving
00:19:51 Hobbit bros
00:20:28 About the homestead
00:23:30 Trail work
00:27:22 Communities and trauma
00:28:01 Relationship candles
00:28:59 Distance and time
00:32:24 Heartbreaking distance
00:33:48 Intimacy and compersion
00:36:50 Polyamory challenges
00:41:17 Relationship anarchy
00:45:53 It takes a village
00:52:40 Musical interlude (Mikee and Dandy)
Ozosou:
00:55:58 Chorba
00:58:07 Musical interlude (Ozosou and Dandy)
00:59:52 Kitchen counter
01:01:06 Turkey, Turkiye, Hindi
01:02:56 Friends from Rainbow
01:05:58 Being Kurdish in the USA
01:10:13 The example of a lost earbud
01:12:19 The comfort of materialism
01:13:40 Property ownership: USA vs. Balkans
01:14:42 Family support
01:17:27 Plus and minus
01:22:39 Musical interlude (Ozosou and Dandy)
01:25:56 Cursing on the Silk Road
01:27:54 Musical interlude (Ozosou and Dandy)
01:28:34 More curses
01:30:11 Musical outro (Ozosou and Dandy)

Four Iranian women share their stories of Iran and beyond in this intimate and compelling tapestry of personal voice message narratives of womanhood under the Islamic Republic.

Thanks to Mr. Maddy, Honey, Dina, and a Kurdish girl.

Music and production by Dandelion Lakewood featuring Sea Priest, J.S., and Sar A.
Additional reference materials mentioned in this podcast:

⁠https://digital.sandiego.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1293&context=ilj⁠
⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6I8oXPWq9E⁠
⁠https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_famine_of_1917%E2%80%931919⁠
⁠https://rowman.com/ISBN/9780761861683/The-Great-Famine-and-Genocide-in-Iran-1917-1919-2nd-Edition⁠
⁠https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953_Iranian_coup_d%27%C3%A9tat⁠
⁠https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655⁠
⁠https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglo-Soviet_invasion_of_Iran

⁠
Chapters:

00:00:00 Introducing our storytellers
00:05:28 Voice Seeker Theme
00:06:00 How it feels to be an Iranian
00:08:54 Diversity of Iran
00:12:29 Tarof: Polite lies
00:16:37 Extinction of Iranian Culture
00:21:53 Greatest fear: the dissolution of Iran
00:25:05 Iranian American
00:29:49 Gay in Iran
00:33:30 LGBT in Iran
00:36:41 Transgender in Iran
00:38:08 Iranian bisexuality
00:41:11 Dandy response
00:45:05 A Kurdish girl born in Iran
00:49:32 Finding "The Secret"
00:51:41 8 years of adventures
00:54:59 Finding a new tribe
01:06:10 A different point of view
01:09:47 Iranian society
01:10:41 Global chess game
01:11:59 Politics as professional wrestling
01:13:50 Destruction of the family
01:16:45 Social media brainwashing
01:23:00 A civil war inside our minds
01:24:35 The abundance of Iran
01:30:34 Leave a place to know it
01:32:12 5th generation warfare
01:34:37 The advantages in Iran
01:35:26 The cost of housing
01:36:07 9 to 5 conditioning
01:40:36 The employment trap
01:42:28 Husband control of wive's work
01:44:05 What about sanctions?
01:46:28 Alcohol: Iran vs. USA
01:48.34 Iranian dealers
01:51:00 Home made liquor
01:52:53 The risks of moonshine
01:55:43 Legality of alcohol in Iran
02:00:43 Distillation as rebellion
02:03:39 Currency devaluation
02:08:10 Dreaming of visiting a free Iran
02:10:09 Return to a previous conversation
02:13:23 More on money
02:15:03 How sanctions influence Iran
02:19:40 Addenda and final thoughts

Sex, Drugs and Chorba. An international group of wayward travelers descend upon the conservative city of Sakarya, Turkiye and establish a communal house in an abandoned apartment block. This is their story...

Mad House chapters:
00:00:00 Enter the Mad House
00:01:03 Halil's Luck
00:03:12 Call for Submissions
00:07:13 Dandy Beginnings
00:08:02 Arrival Drums
00:09:08 Irene's Arrival
00:10:07 Datura
00:13:11 Public Opinion
00:14:47 Magic Cookies
00:19:00 Cookie Trip Music
00:19:43 Maryan and the Cookies
00:22:38 Eva's Stealing Story
00:26:18 Busking and Bananas
00:28:29 Cursed by a Name
00:29:13 Witches of Presence Song
00:30:34 Recycling
00:32:18 Ali to the Rescue
00:34:45 Maddy on the House Name
00:36:33 Talking Circles, Bakery Baba
00:40:32 We've Got Eggs
00:41:45 Abundance of Food
00:42:42 Internationality
00:43:36 Slow Decline
00:47:09 We're Going to Die
00:47:53 Irene on Eva's Birthday Party
00:50:26 Dandy's Departure
00:51:34 Alcohol Arrives
00:58:19 Zaid's Experience
01:01:47 Learning to earn
01:03:20 Vocal Jam
01:04:20 Hamza Drop In
01:05:22 Learning Life Skills
01:06:13 Puppy Problems
01:07:28 The Dark Time
01:10:22 Growing
01:12:05 After 3 Days, Fish Stinks
01:15:59 Grandpa Zaid
01:17:31 Desperately Seeking Space
01:19:06 Albanian Interlude
01:20:41 Maddy and the Moroccans
01:22:53 Trash Fashion Week
01:23:22 Musicians' Paradise
01:25:29 Maddy's Reflections from Thailand
01:27:42 Christina's Benediction
01:28:22 Maddy's Poetical Summary
01:30:03 Meta-analysis and Missing Stories
01:31:48 Pooping And Table Diving
01:34:16 Local Birthday Parties
01:36:07 Community Involvement
01:37:12 Honey Recounts the Yalova Sufi Derga
01:40:31 First Days in Sakarya
01:42:11 Very Good Ladino Interlude
01:42:56 Filthy House, Toilet Tales
01:46:36 Strawberries and Burek
01:47:28 Transformational Experience
01:52:09 Spiritual Lesbian Wedding
01:57:15 Payam's Journey from Iran to Madness
02:01:05 Passing the Portal
02:02:30 Dionysian Drunks
02:04:45 Importance of Iranian Perspective
02:05:44 Hamza on His Arrival
02:08:15 Bad Things and Good Things
02:09:47 About Recycling
02:10:23 Reflecting and Growing Up
02:13:35 Closure
02:14:36 Demolition
02:15:04 Long Outro: We Are Free

In this episode, our host, Dandelion Lakewood is introduced by friends and fellow travelers via voice messages from around the world.

Special thanks to the contributors of the premier episode:

Honey

Christina Galka

Irene Deesadjo

Elele Tiana

Yashiwa Turner

Tina Djordjevic

Bledi Budo

Aida Al Hani

Faruk

Sarah Oz

Evrensel Urum

611

Rebbag Gabbanarchy

Brook Woolf

Music by Dandelion Lakewood