We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Michael Lichter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric Michael, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
When I began my musical (and small business) journey in 2006, it was with the intent of creating something unique, which would play to my strengths as an engineer and multi/instrumentalist. In fact, it took me over a year from the time Dirt Floor, the studio, was born, to see that was I had indeed created was a fairly promising small business! Recording studios themselves hold no magical fairy dust, and aren’t special. It’s what goes on inside them, and how artists feel about their product that makes a difference. If this was going to work for me, I needed to find what made ME special, especially since I didn’t study to be a recording engineer, and knew very little about how the gear worked. For me it was all very guttural, and I just knew the things I knew. I realized that artists and bands were choosing to come to Dirt Floor, NOT because of the gear, but because of what I was adding to their music. I had never referred to myself as a “producer” before, but after many years, and many records, the title, I can now safely say, has been earned, It was my deep desire to continue making music a part of my daily life in a real, and NON delusional way, which served as my motivation, and my thought process!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I started writing songs and playing the guitar as a teenager, and, over time, learned how to play multiple other instruments. I had no idea that this would become a part of my daily life, and my career! I had originally wanted to be a “singer/songwriter”, but as the landscape of music changed, along with the addition go streaming, etc, I fell into my work as a producer and recordist by accident. Dirt Floor Recording & Production was born in March of 2006, which has been my home base and studio ever since. There were many challenges for the first few years, mostly because of my inexperience and lack of name recognition. I migine it’s this way with most things relating to business and entertainment. You need a body of work for people to see and hear. you need real reviews from real people. Anyway, I held on, and over time, those things came. When people come to me, they are coming to make a “Dirt Floor record”, which says it all. Things have grown, and now I’ve got an incredible team by my side, who help craft these amazing records, even mixing and mastering projects made elsewhere. This has maximized my business potential, while still keeping things very intimate. This may be a cliche, but of all the lessons i’ve learned, there is ONE that stands out, and it’s the ONE that I impart to younger artists and creatives. It’s, “don’t ever let anyone tell you you can’t”. Seems pretty basic right?

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oftentimes we will have artists staying in our area of Haddam and Chester CT, which is this wonderful little village filled with shops and top notch eateries. Gillette’s Castle is on the other side of the CT River, which we can see from the studio itself. The castle has been a major tourist attraction for decades. Since my studio is in a funky old log cabin on a hilltop, it’s not uncommon for folks to hit the package store and just hang at there fire pit in the backyard.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My daughter Inara Mae has been my MAIN inspiration since the day she was born. Without her, there would be none of this at all. When she was a peanut, I wanted to show her that it IS possible to live your dreams, and that they can come true. That’s what drove me so hard into this. She’s also taught me a LOT more than I ever could have taught her!

Website: https://www.dirtfloorrecordingstudio.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dirt_floor_record_production

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-michael-lichter

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dirtfloorstudio

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@dirtfloorrecordingproduction

Image Credits
All pics by Eric Michael Lichter

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutAtlanta is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.