Larry Eichhorn aka one-man band LO-FI EYED has made a name for himself both locally and regionally. Known for his ambitious booking techniques, one man solo show, tall stature and pleasant demeanor, Larry made an impression on everyone he came across. Here’s what he had to say. 

IATU: Where did the LO-FI EYED project start?

LO-FI EYED: I’ve been writing and home recording since I learned to play enough to make it through an entire song. The reason I started to play guitar was to write my own songs. I spent about 3 months teaching myself music theory and playing as many chord changes as I could. This was in Pittsburgh around the fall of 1997.

IATU: You’ve made a name for yourself as a maverick who’ll book anywhere, and get paid doing it. What are you doing that other people aren’t?

LO-FI EYED: Thanks, I’m not sure. I haven’t worked with others on booking. My main goal is to have fun playing music while working with artists out to do the same, not the ones out for money. I don’t think about failing, either. I think about how to try new things each time I do a show, whether its on stage, booking, or promoting. I try to only play each venue one or two times. Also, venues need bands to play music, so I get them to work with me. I try to stay away from door charges as much as possible. Instead, I get the venue to give me either a percent of bar sales or a guarantee for the entire show. Thats been the best way so far. When I’m doing a show, I print flyers for around town and at the venue, post on Facebook, add shows to Songkick, and create and invite people to the event page. Some things don’t work the way you’d hope, but together all of this adds up.

IATU: Do you manage to stay cash-positive on tours, or do you find yourself paying to play much?

LO-FI EYED: Yes, I’m making a profit. For the most part, it goes well. Sometimes I don’t make gas money. If theres not a lot of money, to make a profit means cutting expenses to be below the income. My main expense is gas. That’s pretty much the only one. I try to keep all the shows within three hours drive of each other. I’m doing as many shows as I can. Its been working out. One show may pay nothing, one show may pay a little, and another one pays enough to make up for those shows plus some extra cash. While I’m making money, I’m not putting it in my pocket. Instead, I’m reinvesting back into the project by doing more and larger sized flyers, going out on more and longer tours, upgrading images and the website, and getting more merch to sell for extra gas money.

IATU: Three awesome shows you’ve played in the past 3 months?

LO-FI EYED: I love playing live, so every show is lots of fun. I can’t pick only three. My favorites in the last 3 months have been the Kung Fu Necktie (Philadelphia PA), Buzzbin Shop (Canton OH), Club Cafe (Pittsburgh PA), Skatopia (Rutland OH), Grog Shop (Cleveland OH), Ace of Cups (Columbus OH), The Old Miami (Detroit MI), Junkers (Cincinnati OH), and Double Happiness (Columbus OH).

IATU: So you work 40 hours a week, plus touring about 3 times a week?

LO-FI EYED: Playing music is great. I get to meet interesting people and see so many fun bands. From July 2013 to July 2014 I’ve done 67 shows. I like to do a lot of shows, so I need to tour. I can’t just play around the nearest town, thats boring. My ex-wife, Or Laor Stern, is the main reason all of this happened. She encouraged me to set up an actual website with professional graphics, not just have a Facebook and a soundcloud. She designed the whole thing and has done just about every show flyer.

IATU: Any word on a disc release down the road?

LO-FI EYED: For sure, I have three 5-song EPs waiting around to be mastered. I have a three-song single that I take to shows with me, and I have it for sale on my website, www.lo-fiEyed.com. Also, im pretty much done recording an 18-song full length record. There’s over 100 demos that I havent got to cleanly record, too. I’m really excited about all of them, especially this new full length. There’s heavily layered guitars, multiple bass tracks, drums, distorted and reverbed vocals, and all guitars are extremely altered 4, 5, and 6 string tunings. I don’t play drums, but I write, record, engineer, and mix everything else.

Find more  LO-FI EYED here: https://www.lo-fieyed.com https://lo-fieyed.bandcamp.com/album/lo-fi-eyed

By Sandeep Sehbi