I recently had the pleasure of meeting one of my favorite acoustic artists, singer/songwriter Ernie Halter. A contemporary musician influenced by classic artists such as The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, and Otis Redding, Ernie captivates his audiences with passionate songs and soulful singing. He’s noted for having achieved mainstream success through word-of-mouth marketing and Internet communities after paying his dues with small, yet inspiring coffeehouse gigs. Within a few years of his start, he was releasing top-selling albums in his genre and building his following of hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter, MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube.

Recently, Ernie came home to LA before resuming his tour around the country, stopping in at Room 5 in Hollywood last week to play a “Songwriters in the Round” gig. After the show, I had an opportunity to catch up with him and hear what he’s been up to. Since our last interview back in 2009, he’s had quite a lot happen in his life—love lost and then found it, experienced fatherhood, created new music, toured, and more. He has rolled with the many punches so far and is still embracing new challenges ahead.

Ernie, you spoke to us last in 2009. What’s been going on for you in the last year and a half?

Well, for starters I got married, and my wife and I are expecting twins—that’s a pretty big deal for me! Musically, I put out a record that I’m very proud of, and I did probably a couple hundred shows all over the country in the last year and a half. I also went to Singapore a couple months ago for a residency there.

So around the last time we talked, I had just put out Starting Over. That was a difficult part of my life—I was going through a divorce and was adjusting to being a father for the first time. Given the circumstances of my life in that moment, there was a lot going on. For that year and a half, I survived, and that’s a good thing. Surviving a divorce, learning to be a dad, learning to be happy, finding out who I really am and what I really want. And now, getting remarried, having more babies come, having good family and friends, and making music are the best things I could possibly hope for.

Tell us a little about your latest album, Franklin & Vermont. What was your inspiration behind it?

The title is an intersection in Los Feliz—I used to live in Hollywood. I wanted to be close to the Hotel Café, where I spent a lot of time. I moved within a couple blocks. I used to walk there. I knew all the bartenders. That was kind of like my life for a couple years, just really busy and crazy to an extent. There was only so much about LA that I really needed, and so I was very okay with moving out of Hollywood when I did.

I moved out of Hollywood and adopted a more peaceful way of life. When I was in Hollywood I was going out and getting drunk every day, and I stopped doing that. And Los Feliz is, by comparison, a lot quieter of a neighborhood, but it’s still close. I thought that would be a nice symbol of where I’m at in my life; where I live reflects a lot about how I feel. My life is considerably a lot less crazy, and I’m very thankful for that. I don’t think I could have gone at the pace I was going at for very much longer.

Then on tour, I ended up meeting this great girl, not when I was looking, but it kind of came upon me. I just decided that I wanted to spend a lot of time with her, when I wasn’t looking for anybody originally. So the record is musically very relaxed and introspective, honest, heartfelt. I wanted to make a true representation of who I am in this moment and allow people to hopefully connect to it and relate to it and see how this is my story as well. That’s the story of the album coming about and how it’s very different from every record I’ve ever put out previously.

You’ve been known for your direct-to-your-audience marketing. Are there new things you’ve been doing this year that have helped you reach your fans better?

Something I just recently did was opened myself up to doing a tour of mostly house concerts. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of it before. I’ve done a few in the past, and they’re really fun. It’s a great way to connect with a whole new audience, and I tend to sell a lot more merch, which helps support the touring. So, win-win! So far the response has been very strong. I posted about it on Twitter, and booked 14 shows in about 2 weeks.  I thought the response would be okay, but I had no idea how huge it would be—I’ve booked a number of these shows between Minnesota and South Carolina, and as far north as Boston.

You’re still very involved with different forms of media—instrumental versions, videos of you teaching your own songs, and even posting videos of fan covers on your site. What kind of feedback have you gotten on connecting with your fans this way?

Well, I’ve realized that there is something that I’ve done this past year that no artists in this circle has done. We released instrumental versions of Starting Over and Franklin & Vermont as a collection with the intention that people would buy the records and sing to them. A lot of people cover my songs on YouTube, and I wanted to give an opportunity to someone who doesn’t play an instrument to sing my songs. Obviously I didn’t invent karaoke or instrumental releases, but I don’t know any independent songwriter who has made these. It’s on iTunes. We are charging for it, but we did the whole two records for 8 dollars, and you get over 20 tracks. It’s the same records, just without the vocals.

As for feedback for putting out videos, I read the comments, and my mom will forward me comments and say, “You really need to write to this person. Read what they said.” They write very heartfelt things about the songs I post. It’s my way of saying, “Thank you” for all the people who have covered my songs and will continue to cover them. It makes me feel really good to know that there are lots of people who get inspired and cover my music online.

Photo by: David Carlson

I noticed you’re involved with a couple of charity groups, Mocha Club and The Art of Elysium. Could you tell me a bit more about your involvement?

Yes, thank you for asking! Art of Elysisum, I’ve been with them the longest. When I moved to LA from Orange County about 10 years ago, a friend of mine mentioned them. They are a charity that connects musicians and artists with childrens hospitals and kids that are sick. A lot of them can’t leave their beds, so it gives them an opportunity to have an experience that doesn’t involve a doctor or test or something to do with their health. I look at it as a bit of a beautiful distraction, and it’s kind of selfish for me, but it’s such a rewarding thing to be a part of as a musician. I personally feel like I get a lot more out of it than I give, but it’s just the greatest feeling seeing a kid who has barely reacted to anything because they are maybe sick smile and light up and react positively to music. It’s something you can’t really find anywhere else—I’m really honored to be a part of that organization.

As for Mocha Club, I connected with them as a giver/patron. I was at a show in Minneapolis, and on our day off I met a gentleman who talked about Mocha Club. It is an African-based charity where they have several project in Africa—AIDS/water projects, children, mothers, education—and Mocha Club takes donations on a monthly basis. That $7 basically changes lives in Africa. The great thing about them is that they dispel the myth that you need to put forth lots of money to see change. It really is amazing how little of an effort you need to make to affect many people in a positive way. I became a sponsor and talk about Mocha Club a lot in my shows. I went to South Africa with Mocha Club a couple years ago, and it is really a life-changing experience. It’s really amazing how such a little thing can make such a big difference in people’s lives.

What has been your absolute weirdest experience on tour that you can remember?

Well, there was this really cool thing that happened that was also kind of weird. One of the first shows I did with Tony Lucca, we were in NY, and there was a guy that I knew there. He was trying to get us to come to a party after the show. He got a job at a hotel in Midtown, and they were supposed to be opening the following day. So everyone who worked at the hotel, they all went there and threw a giant party. We get to the hotel, and the party was basically centered on one floor. We took the elevator, and when the door opened there were people in the hallways and music playing, and one room that was like the epicenter, where the bar and booze was.

But the weird part was they had taken every pillow in the entire hotel and put it in one room. So you had pillows from floor to ceiling in this room, and you could take a running jump and be buried in pillows. There were four or five people in that pillow room, and you’d see them like they were in a hot tub, limbs sticking out everywhere, and you’d see them chilling in this “spa” of pillows. So we get guitars out and play, and we did that into the wee hours. Then everyone just picked a room and slept there. I was like “That was such a random thing—never in my life will I have another experience like that.”

Photo by: Jason Gaskins

You have the very difficult challenge of being a proud father and a working/touring professional singer-songwriter at the same time. How has this experience been for you?

It is challenging, but it’s doable. It can be done. I don’t know, it’s not easy. There was a time in my life where I was out more than I was home. I didn’t have a home. I have got two of everything. I’m ready to go at a moment’s notice, and I won’t know when I come home. But now, things have changed. Stakes are higher. If I’m going to go on the road, I have to make sure it will provide for my family, and I have to consider that now. It’s a different game that I’m playing. I’m not just going on the road because I love it, which I do, but I make music because it’s what I do and it’s how I feed my family. It’s definitely put the heat on, but it’s like any challenge in my life. I’ve risen above it, and I’ve acquired such a strong faith that things work out, because they always have. Every challenge I’ve come to, I’ve learned that I can rise above it. I can and I will.

Now we’re expecting twins, and my friends are like, “How are you going to manage it?” I don’t know how I’ll manage it, but I will. I’ve always risen to every challenge, and it will be a big one. I’ll probably be off the radar for a while. I’m excited, looking forward to the adventure.

Do you envision any of your kids having a career in music someday?

My son is really into music—he is into a lot of things actually. He’ll go in spurts, but for a minute he was obsessed with everything music. His interests are a bit wider, but he still loves music a lot. I can see him wanting to do it, but I have mixed feelings about it. I want any of my kids to be happy, whatever it is that does it, whether or not it’s playing a guitar or being a lawyer or a bum, (LAUGHS) as long as it makes them happy. Whatever they want to do, I want them to do that. We’ll see—I’m going to have twin girls now so who knows!

So what can all the Ernie Halter fans expect from you in 2011?

I’m writing a lot, so I would love to make a record this year. I’m kind of playing it by ear at this point. I’m not exactly sure what this year is going to hold for me career wise, and I’m okay with that. I’m just sort of writing away at this moment. I ‘d love to put out more media. I’m writing with a lot of different artists, and I would love to be able to say I got a cut on a great record and share that excitement with my fans. Right now it’s all about being as creative as possible, and I think there will be a lot of great inspiration for a lot of great songs. I’m excited about the process, just as any fan of my music would be.

—

You can purchase Ernie Halter’s latest album, Franklin & Vermont, from the iTunes Store.

Ernie Halter Tour Dates:

03/30 – House Concert – Cedar Rapids, IA
03/31 – NACA Northern Plains – St. Paul, MN
04/01 – Wildwood Station Pavilion – Marshfield, WI
04/02 – Bryant Lake Bowl – Minneapolis, MN
04/03 – House Concert – Palatine, IL
04/04 – House Concert – Indianapolis, IN
04/06 – UNC Charlotte – Charlotte, NC
04/07 – White Mule – Columbia, SC
04/09 – House Concert – Tuscaloosa, AL
04/10 – Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta, GA
04/13 – The Bitter End – New York, NY
04/14 – House Concert – Springfield, MA
04/15 – House Concert – Northfield, NJ
04/16 – Seton Hill University – Greensburg, PA
04/17 – House Concert – Waterford, MI
04/22 – House Concert – Little Rock, AR
05/07 – House Concert – Seattle, WA

For more information on Ernie Halter:

http://www.erniehalter.com
http://www.myspace.com/erniehalter
http://www.twitter.com/erniehalter
http://www.facebook.com/erniehaltermusic