Propaganda By The Seed: Ground Nuts, Decolonizing Food & Controlled Burns w Zach Elfers

In this episode of Propaganda By The Seed we talk with Zach Elfers, mostly about ground nut (apios americana), a north american native root crop and legume that has 3 times the protein content of potatoes.  Zach talks about the long history of indigenous use of ground nut as a staple crop in so called North America.  We also discuss how to cultivate them, where they are found, and its uses.   Zach also goes in depth about controlled burns, their usage by indigenous peoples and some applications for them to maintain land and build soil fertility.  For more information on Zach visit the nomad seed project and to learn more about the history of ground nuts check out this piece Zach wrote in 2019.  

Pick up Ground Nut Tubers from Edgewood Nursery here.

To get 10% off your Edgewood Nursery order visit edgwood-nursery.com and enter Solecast at check out and/or support The Solecast on patreon.  

Civilization & The Coronavirus w/ Kevin Tucker

In this episode of The Solecast I sit down with Kevin Tucker of Black and Green Publishing / Wild Resistance Journal.  We have a wide ranging conversation about empires, collapse and coronavirus.  Kevin’s political analysis is rooted around primal anarchy; and sees anarchy as the natural state of humans, and civilization as the cage we desperately need to get free from.  Kevin talks about his historical perspectives on why civilizations fail and why things like coronavirus, lyme disease and other animal borne illnesses are on the rise.  Very informative conversation that covers a lot of ground.  

Pick up Kevin’s new book “The Cull of Personality” and check out his podcast, Primal Anarchy.

Propaganda By The Seed: Good Time To Plant a Garden II "Soil, Water, Sun"

This episode of propaganda by the Seed is a follow up to “It's a Good Time To Plant a Garden."  

In this episode we cover:  

Seed starting / hardening off of plants 

Good crops for low light / urban environments 

Growing in containers / small spaces 

Pest control Creating/maintaining healthy soil

Many of these topics are attempts to answer listeners questions, if you would like to see more episodes like this please let us know and submit questions for future episodes by emailing Tim and/or Aaron.

Hablitzia, a delicious perennial vining spinach-like vegetable.

Anarchic Black Radicalism w/ RAM Philly & Afrofuturist Abolitionists of the Americas

In today’s episode of the solecast we have an in-depth discussion of anarchic black radicalism with comrades from  Ram Philly & Afrofuturist Abolitionists of the Americas.  Anarchic Black Radicalism draws on the history of Black Panthers, early abolitionists, Black Nationalism/Liberation Movements and more to synthesize a distinct form of black anarchism.  We talk about how recent social movements have radicalized a new generation of black youth and how anarchist ideas have gained traction in their wake.  We talk about the importance of centering trans and disabled people and what steps people of color can take to build their own spaces for organizing that aren’t centered around white activists.    We go over about some of the theoretical bases that form their analysis and some of the writers and texts that have informed this direction.   

For more information follow Afrofuturist Abolitionists of the Americas  or Ram Philly . 

Music “Pass Dat” by Sima Lee  

Some texts discussed: 

Combahe River Collective  

Anarchy of Colored Girls Assembled a Riotous Manner  

Between Infoshops and Insurrection  

The Writings of Lorenzo Kom’boa Ervin 

Solecast w/ Zoe Samudzi As Black As Resistance  

Solecast: Liberating Sápmi w/ Gabriel Kuhn

Today I sit down with Gabriel Kuhn to discuss his book Liberating Sápmi.  The Sámi people are the indigenous peoples of Northern Europe who presently and historically inhabit a territory stretching from northern Scandinavia to western Russia called Sápmi.  Many will be surprised to learn that there is an indigenous territory within Europe that doesn’t resemble Europe’s concept of state power & has its own distinct culture.  Like most indigenous peoples’ they have been victims of racism, colonialism, and cultural repression by exploitive states.  Gabriel’s new book looks at their history and tells first hand accounts of their experiences, their history and acts of resistance.   This is one of the most comprehensive english accounts of the Sámi people and is out now on PM Press.  

For more information: 

Pacific Sámi Searvi: https://www.pacificsamisearvi.org/

Sámi Cultural Center of North America:

https://www.samiculturalcenter.org/

Suohpanterror: https://suohpanterror.com/

Ellos Deatnu!: https://ellosdeatnu.wordpress.com/

Moratorium Office: https://moratoriadoaimmahat.org

Pile o´Sápmi: http://www.pileosapmi.com/

WeWhoSupportJovssetAnte: https://wewhosupportjovssetante.org/

Run for Your Life: https://350.org/run-for-your-life/

Propaganda By The Seed: The Cooperative Farming Commission w/ Joseph Lofthouse

In todays episode of Propaganda By The Seed we chat with Joseph Lofthouse about the Cooperative Gardens Commission (formerly Coronavirus Victory Gardens Commission).  We talk about how to get involved with the Cooperative Gardens Commission and what they’re doing to link experienced farmers, up with new growers and people with access to land to build up local food production.   Joseph is also a plant breeder who creates one-of-a-kind seeds he sells through the Experimental Farming Network.  We talk about his approach to creating landrace crops and the importance of saving seeds.  

For more info on the cooperative Gardens Commission go to: https://www.CoopGardens.org

You can support Joseph's work by buying his seeds at https://store.experimentalfarmnetwork.org/collections/lofthouse

Music: "Like Weeds" by His Hero Is Gone

Propaganda By The Seed: "Its a Good Time To Plant a Garden"

In today’s episode of Propaganda By The Seed we wanted to do a basic gardening episode to get people growing in these dark times.  Considering that this year is already full of uncertainty and chaos learning to grow food can only be a positive thing.  In this episode we talk about the basics of starting plants from seed, preparing a bed using sheet mulching,getting the plants in the ground, using compost to produce healthy plants and obtaining the things you need to get the whole project off the ground.   We also talk about using cold frames and low tunnels for season extension and discuss some of our favorite perennial plants to grow.  There is lots of information for new growers and experienced growers  To follow this episode up, if people have questions we’ll be hosting a live Q&A on jitsi on Monday, March 30th 2020, 7PM EST here.

In this episode we mention the planting specifications from the Fedco Catalogue, you can view it here or check out the interactive version of the vegetable seed chart here.  

To support this project you can pick up seeds, trees and plants from Edgewood Nursery(Use the code SOLECAST for 10% off) or support sole on patreon.  

Music: Our Hero is Gone : "Like Weeds"

Perennial Vegetable Starter Pack

Edible Flowers Collection

Solecast Live From Quarantine : An Instrumental Mix

Support on Patreon

I didn't wanna do a podcast this week about theory or history or plants or the pandemic, in some ways I am at a loss for words... So this week I felt called to just toy around with loops, samples and some new beat ideas I've been working on with loop pedals and just try to channel some of this anxiety into some sort of instrumental mix tape. When I'm stressed out, I listen to ambient music and just stare off into the horizon. One of my favorite things to do is to just get lost in making walls of noise, and there's no better time for that then under quarantine. So here's about an hour of semi improvised music combining sketches on my ipad (using loopy, animoog, and i-maschine mostly), sampled loops on my SP404 and some live looping stuff with my akai headrush pedal.

Solecast w/ Margaret Killjoy on Vulgarite and How To Live Like The World Is Ending

SOLECAST: w/ Margaret Killjoy on Vulgarite and How to Live Like The World Is Dying

In this episode I talk with author & musician Margaret Killjoy.  We start off discussing her new project Vulgarite, the musical approach and the concept behind it.  We then get into a podcast she just launched called “How To Live Like The World Is Dying” based around an essay of the same name.  Margaret is an interesting guest for the solecast because not only is she an anarchist artist and a writer but also lives off grid in a home she built herself on a land project shared with comrades.  We talk about some of the challenges and joys of homesteading and how all these things tie into her politics.  We also get into some discussion around science fiction tropes that we see in modern times.    

Support Margaret on Patreon  , pick up the new album on bandcamp  and follow her on twitter.  

Solecast w/ Moodie Black on Fuzz, Moodfest & Fck the Bullsht

In this episode I talk with K-Death of Moodie Black.  K-Death is a trans woman noise rap artist based out of Minneapolis.  Moodie Black is dropping “Fuzz” on Fake Four Inc March 27th.  K breaks down the new album and its inspiration and the “Moodhouse Festival” that they recently held in Minneapolis.  We talk about K-Death’s vision for noise rap and her thoughts on race, gender and the music industry.  We also talk about the Moodhouse Podcast and the ongoing project to start producing other acts under the Moodhouse record label.  Inspiring conversation with one of my favorite artists.

Peep the debut single "Jesus Bound"

Pick up "Fuzz" here.

Solidarity Begins at Home w/ Carla & Zach Bergman

In this episode of the solecast I sit down with Carla & Zach Bergman to talk about rethinking the relationship between youth and adults.  Carla is a filmmaker, activist and author of Joyful Militancy and her son Zach is an artist and electronic producer who puts out music under the moniker Sourgout.  This interview talks bout un-schooling, the damage that the western education system does and how adults can do better to foster autonomy.  We talk about the after school youth space they participated in called the Purple Thistle, the importance of community and how addressing the harm done by schooling is critical to any anti-capitalist radical politics or thinking around decolonization.

Many of the themes cover in this conversation can be found in an upcoming anthology Carla is releasing on AK Press tentatively titled Trust Kids.

Music by Sourgout

Solecast: Veteran Resistance & Confronting Empire w/ Scott Olsen & Graham Clumpner

In this episode of The Solecast I chat with Scott Olsen and Graham Clumpner of About Face (Formerly known as Iraq Veterans Against The War).  Scott and Graham were both involved in Occupy Oakland, Scott is most famously known for almost getting killed when OPD hit him in the head with a bean bag round that was followed by the first general strike in recent US history.  Much of Graham’s work today is based around environmental/climate change struggles. We talk about their experiences in the military and what its going to take to build an anti-war movement in the US.  We discuss the roles veterans can play in radical movements and some ways that active duty military can resist.  We go into some of the history of anti war resistance and discuss what anti-imperialism means in the face of climate change.  

You can follow Scott at @olsenvet

and Graham at @turncoatveteran

Solecast w/ Robert Evans: It's Already Happening Here

Subscribe Here. Support on Patreon.

In this episode I chat with journalist Robert Evans who is the host of the podcasts "It Could Happen Here" and "Behind The Bastards Podcast."  In this interview we talk about how the project came about, the research that went into it and how people responded to it.  Robert discusses how his trips to Iraq & Syria made him realize that a civil war like that is not too far off from the political moment we find ourselves in in the US and how that might look in the US.  He talks about practical skills and practices we can employ in our daily lives to make us more resilient, the importance of mutual aid, armed self defense and DIY skills. We also discuss climate change & economic collapse as additional factors that would play into all of this.  Robert also talks about his upcoming podcast series about Rojava and unveils what Season 2 of It Could Happen Here will be about...

Propaganda By The Seed: Elderberry (Culinary & Medicinal Uses)

In this episode we talk about Elderberry (Sambucus species) .  Thier most commonly used today today to make a powerful herbal medicine.  We talk about how to identify them for foraging and how to propagate and cultivate Elderberry shrubs.  We discuss Elderberries' use throughout history to make everything from musical instruments to salves. With many uses, ease of cultivation and a native range covering the lower 48 states and most of Canada, Sabucus nigra is a species that will find a place in almost any garden.

This episode is sponsored by Edgewood Nursery, producing unusual edible plants in a regenerative permaculture system in so called Falmouth, Maine. Check out our online storefront at https://edgewood-nursery.com/shop and use the code "SOLECAST" at checkout for 10% off your order.

Solecast: The Impact of Streaming On Independent Music w/ Don Giovanni Records, Liz Pelly & Daddy Kev of Alpha Pup

In this super-long episode of the solecast I'm doing a deep dive into the impacts that streaming and corporate consolidation has had on the music industry.  This is a very long episode, clocking in at almost 3 hours.  Instead of splitting it up into a multi-part episode I wanted everything in one place, so people could treat this as a mini audio documentary, listen while you have time, pause it and return to it. There is a lot of information here that you probably won’t find in audio format.

Hopefully this Megasode format allows you to gain a nuanced and in depth understanding of where the music industry is at, how its gotten to where it is, and how we as artists and listeners can navigate this and still support the shit we love.

First I’m joined by Joe from Don Giovanni Records to talk about how the changes we have seen over the last 20 years have made it increasingly difficult for most independent labels to compete.  Joe gives a history of how this consolidation has impacted independent infrastructure from blogs, to record stores to radio and beyond.  Don Giovanni is an incredible record label, check out their releases at https://www.dongiovannirecords.com/

For Part two I’m just by journalist Liz Pelly to talk about some of the lesser considered aspects of how these algorithms are shaping art itself, its ability to surveil moods and advanced forms of marketing.  Liz also offers a number of ideas for ways people can reclaim power in this shifting landscape.  Check out some of her pieces for the baffler “Big Mood Machine”  or “Stream-bait pop.” 

Then I sit down with my long time friend, collaborator and distribution partner Daddy Kev of Alpha Pup.  Kev is an OG from the LA beat scene and is co-owner of Alpha Pup Distribution.  He is optimistic about how artists can do in the future and offers a number of suggestions for how those who choose to engage in these platforms can think about maximizing their potential to reach supporters.  https://alphapuprecords.com/

Music: True Deceiver Drifts & Floats

Solecast: w/ Dusty Hinz of Experimental Farm Network "Breeding Plant Crops To Survive The 21st Century"

Dusty Hinz is co-founder of the Experimental Farm Network.  The Experimental Farm Network is an open sourced social platform that allows for people to develop & breed crops, anything from perennial grains to improved varieties and hybrids of popular plants.  They also distribute rare/unique seeds from experimental growers across North America in their store.  In this conversation I talk to Dusty about the formation of the network, and his personal thoughts on civilization and global warming.  Dusty speaks of this decade as “the collapsing 20s,” and much of what they are breeding / distributing is based around resiliency in the face of climate change.  We discuss how we can think about making “back to the land” practices more accessible, creating an “urban to rural pipeline,” and cooperative land trusts.   Dusty also talks about the importance of nut trees / agro forestry and what small scale / localized / bioregional post-civilization food systems could look like.

From their website:

The Experimental Farm Network (EFN) facilitates collaborative plant breeding and sustainable agriculture research in order to fight global climate change, preserve the natural environment, and ensure food security for humanity into the distant future. We believe participatory plant breeding on a massive scale can lead to breakthroughs to help us not only adapt to climate change, but one day actually stabilize the climate.

Founded in 2013, EFN is composed of professional and amateur farmers, gardeners, plant breeders, and researchers. The network's main organizing tool — this open-source website — is free to use and open to all.

The work of revolutionizing our food system to save our planet is generational in scope: it will take generations to undo the damage already done. Let's get moving!

Music Televangel “800 Star Constellation”

SOLECAST: w/ Sara Falconer & Daniel McGowan of Certain Days Collective

In this episode of the solecast we’re talking with Sara Falconer and Daniel McGowan of the Certain Days Collective.  Certain Days puts out a calendar every year that donates its funds to RAPP (Release Aging People in Prison), Addameer Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association and more.  It’s a collaboration between political prisoners currently locked up and their supporters on the outside(including former political prisoners).  In this interview we talk about the origins of this project, its aims and how it functions.   The calendar itself is beautifully designed and reminds us of important and forgotten moments in history, the life and deaths of revolutionaries, their time in prison, moments of resistance both recent and further in the past, and so much more.  Its a great way to turn each week into a history lesson and link current to past struggles.  

Pick a calendar up here. 

Sara Falconer is from Ontario and has been doing political prisoner support for 18 years and is also involved with 4strugglemag.

Daniel McGowan is from Queens and went to prison for his role in a series of actions related to the Earth Liberation Front. He was featured in the documentary “If a Tree Falls” and is also a Rush fan(R.I.P. Neil Peart).

Plant of the Month : "Stinging Nettle" w/ Aaron Parker of Edgewood Nursery

In this episode of the Solecast “plant of the month” series we will be talking about Stinging Nettle. While hated by many, Nettles are highly valuable to those that can appreciate their many positive attributes.  Stinging Nettle is an herbaceous perennial that is found all over the world.  They have been used throughout history as a medicine, a food source, for fiber, cordage and ceremonies.  We talk about how they grow, how to propagate them, how to cook with the leaves and some of their other uses.  For some nettle photos checkout the Edgewood Nursery instagram.

This episode is sponsored by Edgewood Nursery, producing unusual edible plants in a regenerative permaculture system in so called Falmouth, Maine. Check out our online storefront and use the code "SOLECAST" at checkout for 10% off your order. While Nettle plants are not available at the time we release this episode, they are available any time the ground isn't frozen at the nursery and can be found at this page.

Outro Music “Like Weeds” by Yacht Communism (cover of His Hero Is Gone)

Solecast w/ Cindy Milstein : Confronting the Despair of the 21st Century

For the season 2 premiere of the solecast i sit down with Cindy Milstein to talk about some recent themes they’ve been putting out through various talks and writings over the past year.  Cindy talks about the resurgence of Jewish anarchist organizing in the states and its relation to the upswing of anti-Semitism we have seen in the past few years.  We explore the themes of a panel Cindy did with Aaron Lakoff and Sharmeen Khan at the Montreal Anarchist Bookfair in 2019 entitled “From Another World Is Possible to the Possible End of the World.”  We talk about the despair of these times and how to think about building a foundation in which cultures of resistance can thrive.  Cindy addresses the machismo within radical circles, under representation of marginalized voices within the anarchist podcast world, and the importance of care/mutual aid.  We also address the concept of revolution and scale and why various forms of infrastructure are key to sustaining revolutionary movements.  Cindy also puts a call-out for collaborators for a potential audiozine/podcast project.

Consider attending The Institute For Advanced Troublemaking this summer in Worcester, MA. Cindy helps to organize it. Apply here.

Be on the look-out for Cindy’s forthcoming anthology on AK Press Deciding For Ourselves  (The Promise Of Direct Democracy)  and check out our preview interview about Rebellious Mourning.

Other texts discussed in this episode:Skin In The Game: How Anti-Semitism Animates White Nationalism
The Anarchy of Colored Girls Assembled In A Riotous Manner
Antifascism Beyond Machismo



Solecast: Introduction to Arduino & Rasberry PI w/ Otem Rellik

Here's a different kind of podcast about how to build DIY electronics with my good friend Otem Rellik. Otem Rellik is a rapper, producer and self taught builder of incredible electronics based out of Denver. In this podcast we'll talk about the basic concepts of building DIY electronics using Arduino, Rasberry PI, MobmuPlat and Pure Data. Check him out on instagram, youtube and bandcamp

Some resources to get you started:

Pure Data:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL12DC9A161D8DC5DC

MobMuPlat:

http://danieliglesia.com/mobmuplat/

Arduino: https://bildr.org/

https://little-scale.blogspot.com/