George Richter opens 193 coffeehouse concert series
George Richter playing URI’s 193 degree coffee house as the first performance of the year. PHOTO CREDIT: Jenson Tavares | contributing Reporter
Last Thursday the 193 Coffeehouse at the University of Rhode Island kicked off their weekly live music series with a fantastic concert featuring Litvar and George Richter.
Richter, a URI student, opened the evening with an ambient, acoustic setlist split between his own songs and covers. As a lifelong musician, Richter has an intimate relationship with the music he creates.
“Having music in the house all the time, I was playing vinyl records where you have to sit down and interact with it,” he said. “I would do that after school instead of homework.”
Comparatively speaking, Richter and Litvar, a Connecticut-based rock band, write very different music. Yet after hearing Litvar perform last year, Richter said he can hear many similarities between his music and those of the band.
“I think there’s a self-awareness in my lyrics and their lyrics that almost go hand in hand,” he said.
Both performances saw the audience engage with the artists, but Litvar encouraged the crowd to get up and dance; some crowd members even tried to start a mosh pit. Richter, on the other hand, had the crowd’s full attention. Not a peep could be heard besides a little rhythmic snapping and applause at the end of each song. It felt as if the audience was still, fearing that the smallest movement would disrupt the mood.
Freya Badger, a junior Psychology and Human Development and Family Science student at URI who attended the show, had only positive things to say about Richter’s performance.
“George Richter pleasantly surprised me,” Badger said. “His polished acoustic guitar layered with his soothing, whispery vocals made him the perfect fit for the Coffeehouse. I hope he comes back.”
Richter’s honesty also stood out in his performance. In-between songs, he would pause to tune his guitar or recollect himself if needed. He is a musician who wears his heart on his sleeve.
When he’s not in classes completing his English degree, Richter can be seen (or heard) participating as a viola player in URI’s orchestra ensemble or playing bass guitar in his local band, Smughoney, which has a jazzy, R&B style.
Although he is not a music major, Richter channels his talents differently, choosing to pursue his passion outside the classroom.
“I thought about [studying] music in high school and quickly figured out the type of curriculum at music school or in a music program at a liberal arts school wasn’t somewhere I wanted to go with music in terms of music theory,” Richter said. “I have great respect for that, but I’m just more interested in focusing on writing pop songs and lyricism. Part of me being an English major is informed by wanting to work on my lyric writing and writing more poetry.”
By placing more focus on lyric writing and structure, Richter hopes to strengthen his craft differently than most musicians. His approach is both personal and strategic.
“I grew up focusing on melody and chords and not having lyrics in my head,” he said. “I think it’s taken entering the [English] program and doing a deep dive on poetry and lyricism to add that focus when listening to music or writing music.”
Richter said his earliest influences include The Beatles and Sinead O’Connor, yet his style of play is heavily drawn from Elliott Smith, one of his favorite artists.
“He is everything to me honestly,” he said. “One of my favorites for sure and actually my number one inspiration when it comes to the finger picking style. I remember learning ‘Angeles’ and that speed, just wanting to fly over the strings in that way.”
He will be releasing a “whole slew” of new material in the near future. His newest single “Summer Under” and his other music with his band Smug Honey, can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp and Youtube.