It's a hoot

CHESTER, Nov 28, 2008 (New Haven Register - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- NWS | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- It all started as some messing around. Eric Lichter was having fun and he happened to record "Welcome, OWL is Coming," a short little upbeat tune that finds the multiintrumentalist playing some music and, of course, making the sounds of an owl. He figured that was about it.

"I just thought I'd put it up on MySpace or something," says Lichter. "I didn't think it'd be part of an album. But then I found out kids started liking it. My friends told me their kids were enjoying it; this was a while later. I thought I'd make it the beginning of an album, but, by then, I couldn't find a copy of it. I had a friend who had a MP3 of it. I had to have it mastered. You know, the kids loved it, and now I have a kid. I thought, 'I'm done being a serious musician.' I wanted to have a record that my kid loves."

For Lichter, the song was the spark that lit the fire that is "OWL," a new 15-song album that the songwriter will release at a party at Dirt Floor Studio Saturday. But just as much as that first tune gave birth to the record, Dirt Floor played a huge part, too.

The studio in Chester was started by Lichter in 2006. Over the last two-plus years, he's been recording plenty of other artists there, lending his recording expertise, equipment, advice and musical chops to other people's albums. Having a studio made it really easy for him to record "OWL" in a short amount of time.

"It took a couple months," he says. "I have all my own (equipment). I came up with all the instrumental stuff, and then I just kind of spew whatever comes out of my mouth lyrically. I'm definitely into the stream-of-consciousness thing. And sometimes I'll be like, 'Well that's not bad.' I'm definitely not Bob Dylan in crafting the words." But Lichter clearly spends plenty of time with the instrumental portion of a record. For "OWL," he plays every instrument, except for drums on one tune. And we're not talking about a guitar-bass-drums record. "OWL" is filled with different textures and vibes; Lichter creates these colors by playing about two dozen different things. "I definitely have confidence in what I do," he says, "but I know my limitations. I think of myself as a guitar player, but a good faker at a whole bunch of things. I can play everything else OK. I just know what to play on things because it's about listening to a ton of classic rock like Styx or Genesis, things that would be embarrassing to other people. Those have a lot of instruments, so it helps me figure what to put where."

"OWL" ranges all over the place musically, although it still manages to be cohesive. It can go from the sparse children's tune "Home In The Woods," to the dusty alt country of "Homefries," to the piano ballad "Something to Do," to the guitar freakout of "I Could Use A Ride." What keeps it all together is Lichter's versatile voice and recording technique.

The album has a clear '70s, California vibe, which is very similar to Lichter's last disc, 2004's "Chorduroy." It's not just because of his influences, but also his philosophy. Dirt Floor does not use digital recording gear. Lichter strongly believes in the value of organic music making, believing the limitations of analog music create better art.

When deciding who to work with at the studio, which Lichter now runs with wife and fellow singer/songwriter Sandra Lauren Lichter, he only chooses people whose music inspires him. The final products offer a certain Dirt Floor sound, which is a natural, warm and melodic vibe.

"I like to pick who I work with because I don't want to do something that doesn't inspire me," he says. "I don't have the patience to deal with bad stuff. It's the ADD in me, but I just can't do it."

But for now, the focus is

on Lichter's own work. And "OWL" will certainly please fans of good singer/ songwriters. And Saturday, he'll present his work live, something that makes him a bit nervous. "I have a definite fear of playing live," says the musician, who played bass in local favorites The Shellye Valauskas Experience a couple years ago. "I'm absolutely petrified of it. I think it gets me in trouble, because I always think it's not as good as it could be. When I get in front of people, I talk too much or sing different. I'm always thinking, 'What am I going to do that's interesting?' I don't want to whip out a gimmick or do a Beck song." In the near future, Lichter plans on playing out with a band that will include friend and former SVE bandmate Dean Falcone, but Saturday's gig he'll be solo, performing many of the songs from "OWL" in the very space it was recorded. "I just create these things," he says. "I don't have that many fans. Really, they're friends and old ladies that live in Portland, Ore., that buy my music on CD Baby. It's because I'm a huge Dan Fogelberg fan. I think he's terribly underrated in the older days. I stand by that."

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