Connor Wallowitz has written about 30 songs so far, five in the last month alone.
In a music field crowded with singer-songwriters, Connecticut up-and-comer Connor Wallowitz is a little different. Sure, he has the requisite following on Facebook and YouTube, and a well-received debut album. But what makes Connor unique is that he's only 13 years old.
Wallowitz has written about 30 songs so far, five in the last month alone, and is gaining fans and accolades for his debut CD, Bleeding Colors. The CD was released last fall, and Connor is hard at work on what he hopes will be his follow-up album.
Wallowitz got the songwriting bug after an accident at recess in the first grade. "I was at school and I fell off the monkey bars and broke my arm," he said. "So I went home, and I wrote a song, 'I Went to School and I Fell Off the Monkey Bars.' I expanded it into a song called 'Today,' so from there I said well, because I wrote this song I should make music my life."
For the last seven years, Wallowitz has done just that, honing his skills by taking voice and piano lessons, and working closely with his father, Jeff, on crafting soulful and well-constructed lyrics.
After composing a few dozen songs, and performing at a lot of venues, Wallowitz decided it was time to cut an album.
"It's about opportunity, and taking advantage of every opportunity that was presented to us," said Jeff Wallowitz, an elementary school principal. "Eric was amazing. He welcomed us into his studio, and had great ideas, so it was the perfect fit."
Eric Lichter, producer of Connor Wallowitz's CD, and owner of Dirt Floor recordings in Chester, said he begged the family to let him work with Wallowitz. "I just heard so much in him, at such a young age," he said. "My concern was: had he gone elsewhere, they would have dumbed down his sound."
"We have this young kid who is all of 13, with these mature musical arrangements and instrumentation."
Eric Lichter
The sound could have been dumbed-down with tools like autotune, drum machines, and synthesizers. Instead, Lichter went for a more classic sound with real drums, guitars, and organs.
"It's this kind of dichotomy," Lichter said. "We have this young kid who is all of 13, with these mature musical arrangements and instrumentation, something like out of a Bob Seger or Jackson Browne song. It's something the adults would love, but also the kids."
For Connor Wallowitz, making the album with Lichter was pure joy. "It was just so cool to see how he could just randomly grab all of these instruments and make something I created in my basement alone into this full band. The studio was just a great experience," Wallowitz said.
It's not unheard of, but it is challenging for a young songwriter to write about situations and experiences far beyond their years. Wallowitz said that for him, it all starts with the music. "I write my songs with all of the piano first," he said. "So when we hear the song, my dad and I will try to figure out what the song says to us."
"His music is very mature and complex," Jeff Wallowitz said. "It's really all driven from him, so we listen to his music -- I listen very carefully to his working lyrics, and then once when we discuss that, and what kind of message he wants to send, that's when I come in, and add some of the complexities in terms of the lyrics."
Connor Wallowitz has a Kickstarter campaign underway, hoping to raise the funds to get back into the studio with Lichter. Wallowitz said the first album was a little heavy on the sad songs, but the next CD will be a better balance of sad songs and more uplifting songs with universal themes.
