Making Music a Local Experience
Musician Ben Mikula of the Alpaca Gnomes.
While food and beverage culture is a driving passion at edible CT EAST, we also appreciate the relationship of music to that culture. It’s one of the reasons we feature a seasonal playlist at the end of every issue. Just as food menus change seasonally, so does the music. When enjoying a great meal, music is the perfect accompaniment to help create ambience and mood. It’s also why live music is a such popular feature at so many local restaurants and watering holes.
Unsurprisingly, Connecticut (CT), with a vantage point of lying between multiple Northeastern cities enjoys a vibrant array of music venues supported by CT residents and visitors alike. These venues are dotted throughout the state with some concentrations in Hartford and New Haven, but live music is a mainstay across the state, especially here in Eastern CT.
Thus, we set off to explore the unique artists and inspired performers who’ve chosen to create music here in CT. We found musicians, music producers, managers and more. Most are home bred, others have come from other places, but they all agree that CT a great place to work in music. A common theme is good people, sharing their own unique talents, styles, and voices, supported in their individuality by the communities and towns of CT. Together it’s a rich musical stew.
ERIC LICHTER, DIRT FLOOR RECORDING AND PRODUCTION, HADDAM
We started up in Haddam…on a cold January day, at a log cabin hidden high on a wooded hill, overlooking the CT river. Dirt Floor Production & Recording, owned by multi-instrumentalist and engineer Eric Lichter, has become a special place for artists seeking a creative sanctuary. The fresh air and landscape allows artists to breathe, and in turn breathe fresh life into their own work, enhanced by the natural surroundings and talents of Eric and his team, including Guido Fallvene, recording/mixing engineer. Recording industry magazine Tape Op shares, "Lichter's work has gained Dirt Floor a reputation for being one of the best studios in the Northeast for roots-based music.” Lichter has worked with artists from around the country, but the studio is also proving to be a magnet for people from around the state. Intriguingly, everyone we spoke to for this article has a tie of some kind to Dirt Floor.
Eric himself has CT roots. He grew up in Madison and after years in NYC, has returned. But he counts the Haddam studio as another true home. Unlike a cramped city studio, he tells me, “Dirt Floor is a place I don’t want to leave at the end of the day.” It’s easy to see why. The rustic ambience of the cabin is cozy, yet lots of natural light bounces off the gleaming log walls from windows with stunning views of the tree lined river, and truly magnificent sunsets. There’s a glow from the stone fireplace with a fire crackling and the Edison lights strung about the room and down the hall.
Another attraction of Middlesex county is the vibe. As Eric says: “When I first came up here from NYC, it was because I wanted to create something for myself. I had a friend that lived in Chester, one of the funkiest and coolest towns. The restaurants that are opening, the brewpub, it reminds me of Telluride or Woodstock. That’s the reason I decided to come up here.”
Eric really appreciates the friendliness and individualism of Haddam: “I’ve been in this town for six years and have yet to meet someone that didn’t make me smile, or make me feel good, or make me appreciate that I call this place home. From the grocery store to the garden center, they’re all specialty shops. They’re small, family owned, and they offer the special pickles that the family a few miles away make. There’s a local uniqueness in everything. The package store has craft beer. Everyone has their own thing.”
Eric takes that same friendly and hands-on approach when working with his artists, often playing any instrument needed to help tell the story.
Also nice, it isn’t a place teeming with music industry types which provides the opportunity to create and offer something special and importantly, his own. “I know what I’m doing is unique, I won’t be for everyone”.
BEN MIKULA, SHELTON
During our visit to Dirt Floor, CT musician Ben Mikula was in the middle of a session, working on his first solo project. Known as the front man for his CT band the Alpaca Gnomes – who are recognized for their high energy marathon live shows consisting of original songs and classic covers with a Gnome twist – Ben has enjoyed a nice following in this state for the last decade. He wrote the lion’s share of the lyrics and chords for the Gnome’s two original albums, but Ben’s also kept a notebook of writing that is his alone. This material was the impetus for his upcoming album tentatively titled Again and Again. Ben’s sound is in the vein of the acoustic singer/songwriter. His warm and friendly personality resonates in his strong voice, mixed with a rich blend of rock influences such as the Beatles, Elliot Smith, Pearl Jam, and others.
Ben and Eric had been, in their own words, “orbiting each other for long time,” watching each other’s work from afar. When they met, they quickly saw an opportunity for both work and friendship. It’s part of Eric’s philosophy for who he works with. “Like minds have a way of finding each other. If I could see music was going to become part of the backstory, we’d become friends.” Ben came to Dirt Floor initially with eight songs out of his notebook, and through working together they’ve been creating some fresh new songs too.
While I’m there, Ben and Eric are about halfway through the completion of the album and working on a newer song that Ben wrote the week prior. Ben says bringing the new song to Dirt Floor was a different feeling as he hadn’t yet become attached to it. So, he was even more open to trusting the collaborative process to help shape the song into what it could become, which was exhilarating.
It was fun to witness the experimentation at play as the guys constructed the different layers of instrumentation. They’d included a Wurlitzer electric piano at one point, but then switched it up with a jangly grand piano instead, Eric noting how the slight imperfection of the sound might be just what the song was needing. Eric points out, “Imperfections are what nobody realizes they need. People respond to that, even if they don’t know that’s what they’re looking for. It’s the humanness, and the imperfections that resonate, can fill a gap, and become a glue of sorts. It’s imperfection that can make music great and timeless.”
It’s this idea of imperfection being beautiful that Eric mentions has carried over to his parenting. Eric and Ben have also bonded as girl dads, each having young daughters. As Eric sees it, in this world of social media and the relentless striving to be perfect, he wants to be celebrated for his imperfections, and hopes his daughter will see the value of that and want the same: “When you are celebrated for your imperfections as a human, that’s when good things happen.”
Ben’s oldest daughter Magnolia, 9, makes a cameo appearance on one of the tracks, “When I Look At You”, which he wrote for her about first fatherhood. Magnolia enjoyed coming to Dirt Floor to record with her Dad, and her colorful drawings of the studio are posted on the studio’s refrigerator.
When I ask if there’s an underlying theme to the album, Ben says the songs he selected from his notebook carry the theme of love. Not fairytale love, but stories of different versions of love. As Ben tells me: “All the characters remain nameless. It could be many different people or one. The stories could be true or fictional. I leave it up to the listener to decide.”
It will be exciting to see where the process takes them, and hear the final album, which is expected to release in the Summer/Fall of this year.
When asked about other CT artists these guys admire, the list is not short, but interestingly includes one particular band which had already been on our radar as a band with CT roots, Parsonsfield.
Eric Lichter performing various instruments at Dirt Floor along with Ben in the lower right corner.
THE BAND PARSONSFIELD, MANSFIELD
Founded in 2010 while students at UConn Storrs, Parsonsfield’s original members Chris Freeman and Antonio Alcorn met as part of the school’s Folk Music Club. While their early start was playing coffee shops and smaller venues in Eastern CT, they steadily progressed over the years, signing with their record label Signature Sounds (specializing in Americana and modern folk music) in 2013, and putting out multiple albums and EPs, touring, and gaining a following both in the US and Canada.
Their music has been described as infusing a rowdy, rock-'n'-roll spirit into its bluegrass and folk influences, and the band received critical acclaim early on, hailed by The New York Times as, "boisterously youthful yet deftly sentimental,” and a band they expected to hear more from as the years go on.
In 2015 they signed with their current manager Sue Berger, also a CT native. Originally from Berlin (in Hartford County), Sue brings impressive industry creds from many years in LA and NYC as both an agent and a manager, working with artists such as Natalie Merchant, Train, and Bruce Springsteen. These days Sue has come home to CT, founding her own company Pioneer Management, and enjoys the mix of proximity to NYC with the quieter, beautiful atmosphere of CT that is so conducive to the creative process.
Parsonsfield and Sue began their relationship working on the band’s 2016 album Blooming Through the Black which was recorded in Collinsville, CT, at an abandoned axe factory on the banks of the Farmington River, which Chris knew about from growing up in the area.
It was a great space for recording, and the band of course toured the album, including CT among their many stops, counting Fairfield Theatre Company and Old Saybrook’s “The Kate” as popular venues where they play to sell out audiences.
The band’s most recent album, Happy Hour on the Floor was released in 2020, when by all accounts they were poised to take things to the next level on the national scene. Their label went all in on production and publicity for the album, and a big tour was planned. They were mid campaign with publicity in March of 2020. The timing was a stroke of bad luck as they weren’t able to take this brand-new album out on the road and share it with the fans.
But as Spring and Summer loom this year, the future is looking bright for Parsonsfield. The industry have remained supportive, and Chris and Antonio are excited to finally head back on the road in some of their favorite stomping grounds. They will begin with a small Northeast run in April, May, and June – including a stop at The Kate in Old Saybrook at the end of April.
MARC SCORTINO (AKA DR. WESTCHESTERTON), MYSTIC
No issue of edible CT EAST goes by without mention of Mystic, CT, an area that’s been getting buzzier by the year. It’s here that we find Marc Scortino, a musician drawn to the area by his wife. She’s from Enfield, but her father kept his fishing boat in Mystic and the town was always a favorite place for the family. The couple spend their summers on Block Island where Scortino - who performs as his alter ego, Dr. Westchesterson, has built a strong musical reputation and following.
But in the off season, Marc has found Mystic to be a very welcoming place to support his musical endeavors. As he tells me, “Not only are the venues great with a mix of locals and visitors to play to, but there’s a lot of great musicians in the area.
Marc plays solo around town including a residency at the Captain Daniel Packer Inn, which he loves. “The DPI is just a terrific place to play. The downstairs pub is just awesome.”
Marc’s style represents a musical fusion, mixing styles and storytelling with a good dose of humor and irony. His solo piano nights at the DPI conjure a cozy old school piano lounge from the 70’s while his long love of and history with hip hop also had him recently performing in that style to a packed house at the Jealous Monk in Mystic Village. On Block Island, he plays keyboards with the Booze Beggars playing a mix of classics and surf rock with a country twang.
When we catch up with him, Marc is recording the finishing touches of a new album of original work at his home recording studio In Mystic. The project was borne out of the grief of losing both his parents within two and half weeks of each other in 2020 due to Covid. After the initial shock, he found he could channel his pain into creativity, as music has always been his escape and outlet ever since he was a child. The album “Better Days Ahead” is due in May of this year, and the first singles display a strong happy-go-lucky yacht rock influence. That might seem surprising given the painful beginnings, but Marc likes to make people happy and laugh when they’re listening to music. He sees yacht rock as positive, fun, light, easy breezy music that you don’t have to take too seriously. He chuckles, “It also doesn’t hurt that I spend four months out of the year living on an island surrounded by boats, and the rest of the year around boats in Mystic, so I’m sort of in the heart of yacht rock country!”
Marc has assembled a varied group of artists to help with the album, including several with ties to CT including Jim Oblon (touring/ session drummer for Paul Simon) on drums and guitar; Rich Dart (drummer for the Monkees and Mickey Dolenz) on percussion, a CT native living in Guilford; Floyd Kellog, a former CT resident, on bass and drums (bassist with Andy Frasco and the UN); Tim Capello on sax (touring/recording sax player with Tina Turner, Peter Gabriel, and Carly Simon); and a few former members of popular jam band mainstay Turkuaz, which tours regularly throughout CT with vocals from Sammi Garett, and horns from Greg Sanders and Chris Brouers.
While Marc’s studio was ground zero, when it came time to record the drums, he went to Dirt Floor with his drummer Tommy Diehl (formerly with Ryan Montbleu’s band) for several songs. Which kind of brings us full circle to where we began!
CT really does represent a rich circle of talented and connected musicians and studios. Who knew?
(top left) Chris Freeman and Antonio Alcon of Parsonsfield, courtesy of Sue Berger. (bottom left) Marc Scortino, at his home in Mystic. (right) Mark Scortino, aka Dr. Westchesterson, in his recording studio at home in Mystic.
ARTISTS’ EASTERN CT RECOMMENDATIONS:
Eric Lichter
- The River Tavern, Chester: Working with local farms, fishermen, and cheese mongers, River Tavern takes great pride in serving innovative farm fresh cuisine in an inviting modern atmosphere.
Guido Falivene, Dirt Floor Recording/Mixing Engineer
- Sicily Coal Fired Pizza, Middletown: Coal fired oven pizza plus freshly made pastas, baked breads, and locally sourced products. Also features an upstairs piano bar and a calendar full of live music.
Ben Mikula
- Little Pub, Old Saybrook: There are five Little Pub locations throughout CT, including one in Old Saybrook. Benny plays at the Fairfield location, and notes the owner is big music supporter.
Dr. Westchesterson
- Mystic: Daniel Packer Inn, Bravo Bravo, Red 36, Engine Room, Rio Salado, and Sift – which has really sexy little rooftop bar.
Sue Berger
- Silk City coffee, Manchester: Has incredible coffee and was formed out of an obsession with everything coffee related, combined with a love and passion for scratch made baked goods. Founded on the principle of giving back with their motto Love Coffee Love People.
- Vanilla Bean, Pomfret: In addition to great food and drink, they are known for hosting varied musical performers, including ‘Friday Nights at The Bean’.
- Milagro Café, Stonington
- The Kate (Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center), Old Saybrook: A favorite venue of many artists
Everyone mentions
- Infinity Hall, Norfolk: They have a great restaurant and space for 300 people in a magical building. They reinvented with a second location in Hartford as well.
WHERE TO FIND THE ARTISTS AND PERFORMANCE INFO:
Dirt Floor/Eric Lichter:
www.dirtfloorrecordingstudio.com and IG @dirt_floor_record_production
Ben Mikula:
www.thealpacagnomes.com and IG @the_lone_gnome
Parsonsfield:
www.parsonsfield.com
Sue Berger:
sue@pioneermgmt.com
Dr Westchesterson:
On IG @drwestchesterson
