On The Fiddle Recordings
The Levellers record label

Interview with Steve Farris - OTF Recordings & Publishing

How did you get involved with the Levellers?

I knew Charlie because he lived opposite my first flat in Brighton in '88. I was working on the local crew and was learning lighting at the Zap Club (now Digital) on Brighton seafront. I remember seeing Charlie in the band The Fence and got know Jeremy through that crowd of people. I got Charlie some crew work and when the Levellers needed a lighting guy he returned the favour. My first gig was at the Marquee in 1990.

Levellers gigography

The Levellers road crew, which I became a part of, learned our jobs properly on the road whilst the band's career really took off. It was all very exciting. We went all around Europe, Scandanavia, USA and Japan but my personal highlight was Glastonbury '94 when the Levellers headlined the Pyramid stage which was going out live on Channel 4. The crowd was immense and when I turned on the audience blinders for the chorus of "One Way" the band actually saw the crowd for the first time and Mark later admitted to me that he nearly had an accident in his pants...

One Way @ Glastonbury

I stopped working for the band in '95 to pursue a career in A&R.

What is your role now?

My role now is to work with Steve Moore (the band's long-term business manager), Dave Farrow (the Levellers booking agent & Beautiful Days organiser) and the band to release their music and collect their publishing royalties.

So far, On The Fiddle recordings has released Chaos Theory DVD, McDermott's Two Hours Goodbye To The Madhouse, Letters From The Underground and Live At The Royal Albert Hall. I am very proud of the part that I had to play in the release of "Letters" because it was the highest charting Levellers album in over a decade. Most of my interaction with the band happens with Jon and Jeremy. Jon sorts out mixing and mastering and Jeremy does the art direction; they are both a pleasure to work with.

OTF publishing publishes all of the songs from:
A Weapon Called The Word
Green Blade Rising
Truth and Lies
Letters From The Underground

How tough is it running a record label today?

It is a lot of hard work for less financial return but because of the Levellers set up, they are able to look at the bigger picture and see the knock on effect to ticket sales and merchandise. It's harder now as music generally is having to compete with apps,games,phones, DVD's etc for people's spare "entertainment" money. It is also much more complicated with PR. At one point we had 5 different PR companies in the UK alone promoting the album - there are so many media channels now. However, I do love the internet for being able to reach and interact with people directly. Giving away "Cholera Well" and " A Life Less Ordinary" MP3s was a real buzz for us and it worked because the music got people interested in the album.

What are the rewards of running a label today?

The best thing I like about working on Levellers records is working with Jon and Jez. Jon makes the songs sound sonically great and Jez, who works with long term artwork collaborator Francois Hall, has such a strong vision for the identity of the band's music. I think that their hands on attitude to making records makes for a better end result. Personally, I also like working and interacting with our business partners and PR firms - DMF Music,Excess Press, Republic Of Music, Essential Music, Division PR, Blurb PR, Kobalt Music, SJM, Statham Gill Davies, etc.

Are these good times to be involved in the music industry or has it's heyday passed?

It's a great time to be working in the music industry. The CD selling business has seen it's heyday but people will always want tracks to fill up their I-Pods and to go out and sing along with their favourite bands after a couple of beers. The internet is becoming a larger part of the operation. The Levellers have a great Myspace and the Fan page on Facebook is up to nearly 10,000 members in 9 months.

http://www.myspace.com/levellers
http://www.facebook.com/levellersofficial?ref=ts

Is it unusual working for a band like the Levellers who manage so much of their career themselves?

Yes. I can't think of another band who has the business set up of the Levellers. They are truly unique.When I first started to work for them again in my current role I had been working in the corporate side of the industry and was gobsmacked at the Levellers set up. Nearly five years on and I can see why it works. The band have very wisely surrounded themselves by good people who they can trust.

Is the Metway an inspiring place to work?

Yeah I love going to work at the Metway! The place is full of creative people and I get on really well with my colleagues. That said, the place really buzzes the most when the band are in writing or recording.

OTF releases:

McDermott's Two Hours 'Goodbye to the Madhouse' CD

Levellers 'Live At The Royal Albert Hall' (download only)

Levellers 'Chaos Theory' DVD

Levellers 'Letters From The Underground' CD

Simon Friend Q&A
vocals, guitar, mandolin, harmonica