Indie-cent exposure

Providence's Flydaddy imprint makes a difference in rock's changing marketplace

by Bob Gulla

Kevin O'Leary and Adam Silverman

With releases by Olivia Tremor Control, the Bevis Frond, and Super Furry Animals currently on the shelves and a six-year history of producing quality pop, the Flydaddy label is one of the most respected indie rock imprints in the country. Run by Connecticut expatriate Adam Silverman and Rhode Island native Kevin O'Leary, Flydaddy has come to symbolize the best aspects of the independent music community, representing ethical business standards, issuing creative, well-produced music, and standing behind their bands with support and conviction.

Besides a brief, misguided alliance with Virgin's V2 label a year ago, Flydaddy has remained staunchly DIY. "We've learned most of our lessons from all the cadavers littering the street in this industry," says Silverman, from the label's couch-ridden office in a tucked-away downtown building. "It makes no sense to play that game with the major labels. Matador and Sub Pop are still licking their wounds from those years and neither of them got anything out of it."

Flydaddy began as a fluke. O'Leary and Silverman met as employees at the renown Sub Pop label in Seattle. Silverman helped with promotions while O'Leary worked inside sales. Eager to get more involved in the record-making process, together they hooked up with Richard Davies of the Moles, in hopes of releasing the band's next single. But because that band was on the verge of collapse, they opted to release Davies' next project, a band called Cardinal and its debut "Toy Bells" EP. Around the same time they released their first full-length album, Unsung, by a band called Pure Joy, featuring Seattle hero Rusty Willoughby. Both issues did well and the budding record execs enjoyed the process. But it wasn't until the first Cardinal album came out -- a masterpiece of sophisticated, orchestral pop -- that Flydaddy had hit its aesthetic stride.

"The Cardinal record opened all kinds of doors for us," says Silverman. "In my opinion it was one of the indie records of the '90s and it just fell in our laps." The record, featuring Davies and multi-instrumentalist Eric Matthews, earned accolades from virtually everyone who heard it and went on to sell almost 30,000 copies. Flydaddy had arrived.

Since then, there have been a healthy number of good-to-great releases, including two by Number One Cup, a band whose 1995 single "Dive Bomb" actually impacted the pop charts in Europe -- ("I recently heard it between `Aqualung' and `Can't Explain' on the classics program," says Silverman") -- and two stunning recordings by Olivia Tremor Control. "We really didn't know what to expect coming into this business," says O'Leary, "but so far it's been an incredible learning experience."

"It's really gratifying working with artists to help them achieve their vision," says Silverman, "and to see what happens when an artist meets the mainstream."

Of course, the downsides to running an independent label become apparent as quickly as the upsides. "For me," says O'Leary, "the biggest disappointment is committing so much time and effort and energy to a project and not having the band reciprocate with the same commitment or enthusiasm. You'd be surprised how much that happens."

For Silverman, as a promotional specialist, banging his head against commercialism has proved frustrating. "WBRU might like our music but they won't play it 'cuz we don't have the money to prove that this Providence market is a priority," he says. "We can't afford to do the big festivals or pay Sam Goody for an end caps, or spend an incredible amount on a video. It can become such a costly, machine-like process, and risky. It's like betting on the commodities market, except you know that wheat will grow back next year. Not everyone will want the next Super Furry Animals record."

Despite the drawbacks, this year is shaping up to be the label's best yet, characterized by strong sales, hip product, and excellent distribution. Where many indie labels are pinched, with a surfeit of bands but inadequate distribution, Flydaddy's positioning is so strong that they can offer other small labels distribution through their own channels. "There are labels who don't have great distribution," explains O'Leary, "and we don't have the means to sign as many bands as we'd like. So we're allowing a select few labels to plug into our distribution system and retail support, and in return we take a fee. The labels may not receive as much per unit, but it's hard to find quality national distribution." So far, Flydaddy has struck deals with Sugar Free (Beulah, Wheat, Sunset Valley), Arena Rock (Elf Power, Home), and Primal Music, a drum'n'bass imprint out of Sweden.

As for much of the indie rock scene, Silverman sees it as somewhat played out. "I think it suffers from a lack of new blood and any sort of critical judgment," he says. "There's no critical care going into the music coming out." O'Leary sees the same thing happening in Providence's own indie microcosm. "There's a lot of talk in Providence about how the scene has disappeared or is on hiatus. I think there are still good bands around, but it's amazing who you don't see at shows. There's enough talent here but everybody seems to be taking a step back and scratching their heads." Though they have worked briefly with local lights Vee Majestic and Lhasa Cement Plant and they did coordinate the infamous Terrastock Festival back in 1997, the label doesn't seem too eager to seek anything out on the local level. "But if there's a project that's interesting and we end up face to face with it," O'Leary admits, "we'll take a good look at it."

For now, though, Flydaddy's content to work their records already in place. Next up will be the Bevis Frond's "Live at the Great American Music Hall," a document of a recent San Francisco show by indie rock's enduring guitar hero, and a tour to coincide. "We'll stop doing this when the thrill is gone," says O'Leary. "I'd like to see us sell 100,000 copies of a record; the day we do that is the day we'll stop."