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
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