WCA #609 with Eric M Lichter – Martha's Vineyard, New York, Connecticut, and the Beauty Marks That Make a Record

For episode 609, Matt talks with Eric M Lichter — multi-instrumentalist, producer, and owner of Dirt Floor Recording in Connecticut, where he’s been in business for twenty years. Eric came up singing in chorus, spent time on Martha’s Vineyard playing the Hot Tin Roof and landing in Carly Simon’s living room with Danny Kortchmar and Jerry Marotta in the liner notes, then moved to New York, recorded at Sear Sound on a Polygram AR’s dime, and eventually landed back in Connecticut to open a studio on a wing and a prayer in 2006. They talk about the Ed Wood approach to recording — get the vibe before the moment is gone — why he leaves the beauty marks in, pitching a studio to 90-year-old landlords, keeping a tight ship with bankers hours, vetting clients for energy, a proposal-based pricing model, and the Caribou Ranch mentality that has everyone leaving with fresh eggs from the chickens out back.

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Twenty Years of Dirt Floor Recording in Connecticut
• Growing Up in a Sports-First Town and Finding His Voice in Chorus
• The Soccer Coach Who Changed His Life
• John Mayer, Keith Richards, and Goose — Connecticut’s Quiet Music Scene
• The Hot Tin Roof on Martha’s Vineyard — and Carly Simon’s Living Room
• Danny Kortchmar, Jerry Marotta, and Reading the Credits as a Kid
• New York City, Polygram, and Recording at Sear Sound
• Failing Guitar 101 in College and Trusting the Natural Thing
• The Troubadour Years — Singer-Songwriter on the Road
• Watching His Brother Make a Record With Jerry Marotta at Jarysville
• Discovering Tape Op and Saying Out Loud “I’m Going to Be in That Magazine”
• Starting Dirt Floor in Chester, Connecticut in 2006
• The Ed Wood Approach: Getting the Vibe Before the Moment Is Gone
• Beauty Marks — Why He Leaves the Imperfections In
• Why Real Music Is Winning Against AI
• Kids Discovering Van Halen and AC/DC on Their Own
• Ethan Johns, Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner — Who Inspired Him
• The Rented House That Became Dirt Floor’s Current Home
• Pitching a Studio to 90-Year-Old Landlords — and Winning Them Over
• Keeping Overhead Low — The Case for Renting vs. Owning
• Vetting Artists: Why He Turns Down Projects That Drain the Room
• Bankers Hours: 9:30 to 5:30 and Going Home
• Other Engineers Working Nights — The Studio Humming When He’s Not There
• Pricing by Proposal — Hourly, Day Rate, and Full Project Budget
• The Caribou Ranch Mentality — Full Hospitality for Artists Who Stay
• Everybody Leaves With Eggs — The Dirt Floor Signature

In This Episode, We Discuss:

• Twenty Years of Dirt Floor Recording in Connecticut
• Growing Up in a Sports-First Town and Finding His Voice in Chorus
• The Soccer Coach Who Changed His Life
• John Mayer, Keith Richards, and Goose — Connecticut’s Quiet Music Scene
• The Hot Tin Roof on Martha’s Vineyard — and Carly Simon’s Living Room
• Danny Kortchmar, Jerry Marotta, and Reading the Credits as a Kid
• New York City, Polygram, and Recording at Sear Sound
• Failing Guitar 101 in College and Trusting the Natural Thing
• The Troubadour Years — Singer-Songwriter on the Road
• Watching His Brother Make a Record With Jerry Marotta at Jarysville
• Discovering Tape Op and Saying Out Loud “I’m Going to Be in That Magazine”
• Starting Dirt Floor in Chester, Connecticut in 2006
• The Ed Wood Approach: Getting the Vibe Before the Moment Is Gone
• Beauty Marks — Why He Leaves the Imperfections In
• Why Real Music Is Winning Against AI
• Kids Discovering Van Halen and AC/DC on Their Own
• Ethan Johns, Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner — Who Inspired Him
• The Rented House That Became Dirt Floor’s Current Home
• Pitching a Studio to 90-Year-Old Landlords — and Winning Them Over
• Keeping Overhead Low — The Case for Renting vs. Owning
• Vetting Artists: Why He Turns Down Projects That Drain the Room
• Bankers Hours: 9:30 to 5:30 and Going Home
• Other Engineers Working Nights — The Studio Humming When He’s Not There
• Pricing by Proposal — Hourly, Day Rate, and Full Project Budget
• The Caribou Ranch Mentality — Full Hospitality for Artists Who Stay
• Everybody Leaves With Eggs — The Dirt Floor Signature

Matt’s RANT!: Getting the Job Done!

Links and Show Notes:

• Dirt Floor Recording
• WCA #363 with Chaz Root
• WCA #341 with Cynthia Daniels
• WCA #552 with Daniel Holter
• WCA #575 with Michael Beinhorn
• Tape Op Magazine

Credits:

• Guest: Eric M Lichter
• Host/Engineer/Producer: Matt Boudreau
• WCA Theme Music: Cliff Truesdell
• The Voice: Chuck Smith