“I place Eric near the very top of any list of songwriters . . . from anywhere. His upcoming album, Wait for the Night, is subtle and sober . . . in a Jackson Browne sort of way. It’s light-hearted, but with serious sharp edges . . .  in a Randy Newman sort of way. It’s lonesome and lost, yet hopeful and thankful . . . in a John Prine way. It has a fine aftertaste of ignoring the rules . . . in a Neil Young sort of way. Hell yeah, I’m enlightened and entertained and satisfied . . . and that’s as good as it gets.”

—Verlon Thompson, famed singer/songwriter and long-time Guy Clark collaborator.

“A narrative songwriter, across the breadth of Wait for the Night Schmitt creates characters and situations sufficiently vivid to populate a collection of short stories.” 

-- Donald Teplyske, Fervor Coulee

 “In turns melancholy and tongue-in-cheek, [Unraveling] is an assemblage of anthems and odes that confront life’s most relatable emotional experiences. Schmitt’s strongest songs are vulnerable, honest, raw, and confessional.”  

–Kristen Kirschner, Country Roads Magazine 

“Anyone can write a song, but to do it well, that takes talent. Eric Schmitt, an English instructor and former member of the roots band Flatbed Honeymoon, has that talent. His latest solo album is neither pretentious nor fluffy. It's an example of what you should think of when you hear the term ‘singer-songwriter.’"

 --Matthew Sigur, The Advocate [Baton Rouge

Louisiana singer-songwriter Eric Schmitt’s love affair with music began when he was a boy. “I grew up around it,” he says. “My uncle was a professional jazz pianist, and as kids, my older brother and I played trumpet. Louis Armstrong was my childhood hero. My family had records that ranged from classical to jazz and big band, to just about every decade of folk, rock, and country. And now, of course, I’m completely aware, and comfortable with the idea, that what I do is rooted in these early influences.”

His pursuit of music was further ignited and inspired when Eric discovered the seminal Americana songwriters Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark. It was then that he realized he could connect the two threads that had become essential elements in his artistic pursuits — music and literature. “Suddenly, those two worlds came together,” Eric recalls. “I teach English at Louisiana State University, so it seemed like a natural transition to try to make music that tells stories in almost a literary kind of way. That’s the aim, anyway."

That goal is realized to a full extent with Eric’s newest album, Wait for the Night. Co-produced with Clay Parker, who also recorded, mixed, and engineered the eleven-song set at Parker’s Electric Wreck Studios in Gonzales Louisiana, it features Eric on vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, piano, electric piano, electric guitar, and lap steel; Parker on bass, organ, electric and acoustic guitar, percussion and backing vocals; Denise Brumfield contributing bass; Chad Townsend on drums; James McCann on steel guitar; Jodi James on backing vocals; Dave Hinson playing upright bass and cello; Clyde Thompson on violin; and Paul Buller adding mandolin. Todd Pipes was responsible for the mastering, and Jodi James supplied the photography and cover design.

Comprised of all original songs written by Eric, the album veers from the earnest and engaging ballad “Midnight Song,” the stripped-down, blues-fueled narrative “Buckets” and the sobering sentiment of “Wait for the Night,” to the unassuming ramble and sway of “Fool’s Paradise” and “BR Blues,” and then to the darker tones of “My Red Door” and the calm but disturbing suggestions in “Tattoos, Diapers and Pills.”

“Going into the recording project, I thought ‘Louisiana’ and ‘One of These Days’ were the two songs most likely to appeal to a typical audience,” Eric says in retrospect. “‘Louisiana’ might interest certain folks given its regional perspective and sentiment, while ‘One of These Days’ has a story line that a lot of people can relate to—that is, having a friend who’s involved with someone who is clearly wrong for her and hoping that she’ll come to her senses.”

He says the poetic “Little Bird” generally gets a favorable response from live audiences and is one of his personal favorites. “It was inspired by a family of mockingbirds nesting in a tree off our front porch. I wrote the lyrics before I put any music to them, and as it evolved, it took on a theme about the whole cycle of life. Normally, I wouldn’t attempt anything on such a grand scale, but it just popped out and I like the way it came together.”

He also singles out the song “Floating,” a gentle and reassuring ballad that made the final cut almost by accident. “You can think too much and you can try too hard/ And you can try to run but you might run too far,” he sings in lines that capture the song’s intrinsic frailty and feeling. “That song sort of snuck into the mix,” Eric explains. “I liked the song okay, but I never really thought it would get much traction. But Clay got a pretty good take of just me playing guitar and singing. Then, weirdly enough, the harmonica and steel guitar sort of accidentally came together in the mix, and once Jodi James added her background vocals, we realized we had a nice one.” The song rekindles Eric’s memories of hanging out after hours on a hilltop in Austin, Texas. “It’s just a song about one of those nice moments in life when time kind of stops because everything feels right in that moment. It’s as simple as that.”

Veteran singer/songwriter and Guy Clark collaborator Verlon Thompson gives Eric his nod of approval. “Eric Schmitt, in my opinion is at the forefront of the Baton Rouge musical movement,” Thompson remarks. “In fact, I place Eric near the very top of any list of songwriters . . . from anywhere. Wait for the Night is subtle and sober . . . in a Jackson Browne sort of way. It’s light-hearted, but with serious sharp edges . . . in a Randy Newman sort of way. It’s lonesome and lost, yet hopeful and thankful . . . in a John Prine way. It has a fine aftertaste of ignoring the rules . . . in a Neil Young sort of way. Hell yeah, I’m enlightened and entertained and satisfied . . . and that’s as good as it gets.”

Eric adds kudos of his own for the engineers and musicians who pitched in on the project. “I’m proud to have worked on this record with my good friend Clay Parker, a fabulous recording engineer with great musical intuition,” he says. “Clay’s also a terrific songwriter and musician, so he brings that ability and awareness to the work by putting the heart of each song above any technical or production techniques. We recorded this on tape, which limits your options to some degree, but that’s what we wanted. We tried to keep it relatively simple and true to my own essence, as well as to the small cast of friends we got to help us put it all together. I feel very lucky to be supported by such great people and such talented musicians.”

Eric’s ability to craft affecting songs and stories originated in the early 2000s, and eventually coalesced when he helped form the band Flatbed Honeymoon. The group released two albums—Flatbed Honeymoon in 2008 and The Traveler in 2011 —and subsequently began performing selected gigs across the county, including at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2011. In the following years, the group disbanded, and Eric’s been on a solo trajectory ever since.

He’s released three previous albums under his own auspices: Pina Coladas and a Polynesian Girl (2014), Unraveling (2017) and Bees and the Eaves (2021). He’s also performed with a group of Baton Rouge songwriters known as the Levee Road Revue, a group that includes Clay Parker, Denton Hatcher, and Ryan Harris.

“I do what I do because I love music and I love stories,” Eric says. “This new album is just another expression of that. Some of the songs are based on my own experiences and tell tales about the places I come from and the place where I live now. Some of them are pure fiction, portraits of people caught up in the tangle of life. I tried to get to the heart of things and make something beautiful. I’m not sure if I can ever fully hit that mark, but that’s what I aim for, and I don’t mind also having some fun while I’m at it.”

With the new album, Eric has clearly achieved what he attempted. As Verlon Thompson puts it, Eric’s work is, in fact, “as good as it gets.”