Songscapes Podcast: Eric Lichter of Dirt Floor Studio

Ep. 7: Eric Lichter - Bringing the Outdoors In through Dirt Floor Recording Studio

Tune in this week to hear singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and engineer Eric Lichter speak on the inspiration he draws from his ethereal Connecticut-based log cabin recording studio, Dirt Floor Records. Authenticity is the cornerstone of Lichter’s work, and he seeks to make music that reflects his wholehearted dedication to the craft. Find out what imperfections in a song mean to him, and how he has come to compare layered vocals and harmonies with a love of being outdoors - “because it’s kind of like heaven.” With influences from John Denver and Dan Fogelberg, all the way to the wood bees enveloping his studio and the Connecticut River beyond, Lichter is always trying to find ways to bring the outdoors into his music.

Find Eric at https://www.dirtfloorrecordingstudio.com/ or on Instagram at @dirtfloorrecording

• Host: Charles Coplin

• Producer: Sustain Music & Nature

• Editor: Harrison Goodale

• Media Researcher: Lindsay Johnson

• Theme Music: Harrison Goodale

• Eric Lichter Featured Music: “Lavender Swing”, “Drag”, and “You”

Studio Day at Dirt Floor with Jake Klar

On November 7th, Jake Klar recorded his Songscape: Great Mountain Forest song at Dirt Floor in Haddam, CT. Both Klar and Dirt Floor are Green Roster members, dedicated to upholding environmental practices in their businesses. 

Left to Right: Eric Lichter, Max Wareham, Jake Klar.

Klar brought along Amherst-area musician and friend, Max Wareham, to play another layer of guitar. Eric Lichter, founder of Dirt Floor, had a cozy set up for them in the log cabin studio overlooking the Connecticut River. He even had a fire going, which you can hear crackling along to some of the tracks. It's an appropriate addition to Klar's song, which is inspired by Great Mountain Forest's history as a working forest. Great Mountain Forest provided timber-turned-charcoal to the iron industry of northwest Connecticut, which fueled the spread of railroad infrastructure in the 1800's. At a later date, Harrison Goodale, will likely be adding saw to the song, in keeping with Great Mountain Forests' heritage of sustainable forestry.

As always, it is a pleasure working with Dirt Floor. Eric Lichter is one of Sustain's strongest supporters and we could not bring you Songscapes without him. He donated this recording session to Sustain, which is incredibly generous. Thank you Dirt Floor!

See our short Facebook Live session at Dirt Floor (and a sneak peak at the song!):

Songscape: KWWRA Recording Session

Yesterday, Parsonsfield headed over to Green Roster Studio, Dirt Floor, in Haddam, CT to record the song they composed for Songscape: Katahdin Woods and Waters Recreation Area. The studio is nestled up in the hills overlooking the Connecticut River, in a cozy log cabin, complete with a great fireplace, a bear of a dog, and even a house rabbit! Owner Eric Lichter was incredibly generous and donated a full day of recording studio time, which has been Sustain's largest donation yet! We couldn't have done this without Eric's support and time.

Enjoy a few photos from the day below, and be sure to keep an eye out for our "Making of Songscape: KWWRA" video in the future, and of course, the release of Parsonsfield's newest song!