Today we’d like to introduce you to Dandelion Lakewood.
Hi Dandelion, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started writing folk songs after working for a sub prime mortgage company in Kansas City and getting to see how they were designing special sub-brands to target the elderly and minorities to change their stable fixed-rate mortgages into adjustable rate ones. We all know how that turned out, and I was laid off. I was so infuriated by the ponzi scheme of finance that I bought a guitar and some recording equipment with my severance check and didn’t look back.
I lived in Chicago from 2008-2014 working as a reading and math specialist and getting involved in the local DIY music scene there. I formed my band Bowl of Dust & Co., and released some tapes and CDs. I kept writing music until the heavy psychic vibes and too much concrete created an overwhelming thirst for greenery, Tthat sent me over to Big Island, Hawaii. There, I worked part time at a charter school as a math instructor and volunteered on the family farm of a midwife who swims with dolphins. A few songs came out of that magical time.
Then in 2015 I went to Portugal for the wedding of my sister and Portuguese brother-in-law and somehow a 2 month European backpacking trip extended it’s length to 8 years. I went from Portugal through Spain, France, Switzerland and Luxembourg before running out of visa entry time and catching a ferry over to London and then Ireland. I was constantly running out of cash and even had a gofundme page to sustain my quest, much to the chagrin of some critics.
In Ireland I got in touch with ancestral roots and tapped into the Bardic force, it was the first time I learned to finally sustain myself with volunteering and busking as a street musician. I organized a concert at a packed room in Belfast and felt like I had finally leveled up. I didn’t need support from the internet anymore.
Returning into Europe again, it was a quick 3 months across France, Switzerland, and the on to Croatia for my initial experience of the Balkans. From Croatia to Bosnia and finally Belgrade, Serbia, and then on to Budapest and Prague where I found some squats to sleep at and tunnels to play street music in. I got to plug into my ancestral roots again in Poland where I found some wonderful and creative friends to show me the depth of culture there.
A friend invited me over to Bulgaria so after a cold winter with friends in Belgrade, I arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria. There, I had a complete life, full of friends, music, and activity. But, curiosity got the better of me and I ended up in Istanbul, Turkiye for first time. The music, culture, and energy of that city is like nothing I’d ever experienced, and I’ve been to New York, London, and Paris. I was hooked on the new sounds that I was absorbing constantly in the ex-Ottoman region.
From there I crossed all of europe on a 54-hour bus ride back to Portugal to meet up with my sister and brother-in-law for Christmas. After I found my way into some squats in Lisbon and made friends with some amazing musicians and artists.
From there I spent 3 months in Morocco, ran out of money and hitch hiking with a friend all over the place, even the ferry back to Spain! In Spain I reconnected with some friends made in Morocco, who also were camping with other friends from Portugal. The world was getting smaller.
We formed a band and traveled by van across Spain, France, Germany, and ended up playing back in Poland playing a popular local festival. Then back south to Croatia, where we made new friends in a squat there and some of us agreed to continue on to an eco-camp in Albania.
I continued moving around the Balkans and Turkiye for several years, finding friends in forests, squats, villages, and urban cafes. Busking and dumpster diving and sympathetic wizards and witches provided everything needed, and life was challenging but rich with these experiences.
When covid hit, I hunkered down in Turkiye until it was possible to get to some friends in Macedonia who I stayed with and learned lots of amazing music with.
I could have traveled this way forever if it wasn’t for my grandmother’s 100th birthday coming up, so ultimately I took a plane back to Chicago for that and have been building my home music studio and local solidarity network slowly in Kansas City since then.
Currently I am finishing up an album to be released at the end of summer, and also working a lot with young people, teaching how to use available home recording equipment to develop autonomy and agency in this world of media saturation.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road is never smooth! It’s bumpy and often is a switchback up a mountain. But the vistas are incredible. I am so grateful for all the genuine people I’ve been able to learn with. Many of the struggles have been internal ones: wrestling with fear of missing out, the conflict between needing social time vs alone time, codependency in personal relationships, difficulty navigating changes in friendships that go separate ways.
I have a lot to learn still, but I do feel wiser for all of it.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in developing as an independent creator. That means I delve into writing and recording my own music, as well as mixing and distributing it through my label, Dowager Records. I have a podcast called Voice Seeker where I have conversations with bright and interesting people from all over the world to share perspectives that differ from dominant narratives.
I also am passionate about education, especially to impart the skill of auto-didacticism, or self-education. I have a strong sense of justice and it drives me to look for ways to foster equity in an increasingly-unbalanced economic landscape.
As for my music, what makes it stand out is the breadth of themes, topics, and styles interwoven into a cohesive sound. The jewels of my life experiences are set within layers of psychedelic instrumentation, acoustic and electric. It’s sometimes a struggle to communicate the complete vision in a few songs, because the breadth of what I’m into is too wide for narrow channels.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
To the reader: you are a sovereign being, co-creating a wonderful and magical world. Your experiences, insights, and wisdom are a treasure of knowledge to be shared and enjoyed. You make a difference, even if it doesn’t seem like it sometimes. You are worth more than view counts, virality, and fads. Be strong in your power, and remember that your power is magnified when it is aligned with the highest energy levels of peace, understanding, and openness. Let love conquer fear and embrace the mystery!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bowlofdust.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/bowlofdust
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/bowlofdust
- Twitter: https://x.com/bowlofdust
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DandelionLakewood
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bowlofdust
- Other: https://dowager.bandcamp.com/
