The rift between World Cafe Live and Philadelphia’s music community persists, more than a month after nearly a dozen workers were fired for participating in a walk-out protesting actions taken by the venue’s new leadership.
Joe Callahan, the entrepreneur placed in control of the beloved nonprofit music hall earlier this year, and his team appear to be trying to make amends. They recently agreed to voluntarily recognize two newly-organized labor unions representing WCL’s production and front-of-house staff.
And, despite earlier threats, Callahan’s crew has committed to not pursuing legal action against those who took part in the walk-out. WCL President Gar Giles has said he is reaching out to meet with the former employees.
However, during a Thursday evening town hall meeting at the University City venue, artists, many of whom have performed at the venue, pointed out that more will need to be done to repair relationships.
“You lost the respect of the collective Philadelphia music community. It’s not too late to try to reverse course and make things right,” Speedy Ortiz guitarist Andy Molholt told the leadership team. “I’m hopeful that you’ll do the right thing, but our trust is going to have to be earned back again.”
Bands and other acts have relocated shows in solidarity with the fired employees, while others, including the Tisburys, have opted to play there while expressing support for the workers.
“The music community is networked, not just in Philadelphia, but in this whole country,” added songwriter Carsie Blanton. “So if you’ve lost my trust, and I say I’m never playing here, and I tell the musicians I know not to play here, that goes a really long way. And that’s not a threat. I just need you to understand the importance financially to you as a business to win back our trust.”
‘I just couldn’t take it anymore’
As Callahan tells it, he was pulled into WCL.
He received a call from Martha Snider, a philanthropist and an ex-wife of the late Ed Snider, the longtime head of the Philadelphia Flyers. She had been contacted by singer Lauren Hart, a member of the WCL board and daughter of the late Flyers announcer Gene Hart.
The indebted venue was in danger of shuttering permanently. Callahan, in a June interview, told Metro that WCL was losing $500,000 to $700,000 a year and “was days away from closing on multiple occasions.”
Callahan, who grew up in Juniata and helped bring the Portal to Center City, says he made several significant donations to keep the music hall afloat. He formally replaced WCL founder Hal Real as CEO in the spring.
“I’m a philanthropist, so I lean in and help where people need to be helped,” he said.
The walk-out happened during a live performance June 11. In a demand letter, the group called for on-time and accurate pay; respect for workers; transparency; job security; and a renewed commitment to local artists and music fans.
Eleven employees were terminated immediately for “job abandonment,” Callahan told Metro; the fired workers maintain they were participating in a legally-protected labor activity.
“I just couldn’t take it anymore,” said Arely Peña, WCL’s front-of-house manager and one of the fired staff members.
Peña, in an interview last month, said the environment at WCL became “very, very hostile” in weeks leading up to the walk-out. For her, the last straw came when, in her view, Callahan’s team mishandled an accident in which a kitchen employee had his finger cut off and proceeded to disrespect her when she confronted them about it.
“It’s hard to explain how much they don’t know what they’re doing and how much they refuse to learn from us,” Peña said.
Callahan blames leaders from the prior regime for misleading a portion of the 85-member workforce and, in some cases, sabotaging the transition with “ill intent.” Peña insists she and others were not “brainwashed” by higher-ups.
All of the positions were filled promptly, Callahan said, adding that WCL received 20,000 applications in the aftermath of the walk-out.
“I wish them nothing but goodwill,” he told Metro. “They’re a bunch of young kids, to be honest. They’re just kids that are passionate about music and the arts. Hopefully they will find gainful employment in another facility.”
A WHYY article from May that discussed Callahan’s planned use of a metaverse platform was, in his opinion, taken out of context, to the point where the demonstrating employees thought robo-bartenders would be taking their jobs, he said.
Artificial intelligence and the metaverse are part of his plans for WCL, in addition to expanding programming to seven days a week and introducing themed country, Irish and college ‘battle of the bands’ weeks.
“We’re truly living in a renaissance period, and the artists and the creators that utilize technology tools to further express themselves, they will emerge as the artists of the decades to come,” Callahan said.
“AI on its own is not out there creating art and creating music,” he added. “It’s being leveraged by artists and by professionals who can work along with the machine to create something that is new and of interest to the people.”
Former WCL workers and supporters, through the @saveworldcafelive Instagram account, have been raising concerns about the potential influence of Callahan’s other ventures, including tech company Ciright and virtual reality platform Sansar, on the nonprofit.
“What’s happening now, it’s so much sadder than if the doors had closed,” Peña said.
‘Change is hard’
Thursday’s town hall brought the sides together for the first time since the walk-out. The atmosphere was odd – guests were asked to sign a lengthy list of terms and conditions and the meeting began with an invocation.
A livestream that was supposed to broadcast the town hall did not work, sparking an early back-and-forth between Callahan’s team and a skeptical audience.
Emotions were running high. As folks left the meeting, two men engaged in a heated exchange outside the venue that nearly escalated into a physical altercation.
Earlier, university professor Patricia Renee’ Thomas asked for an apology after she heard Grover Washington III call individuals “smart-asses” and said “you will get an answer to your effing question.”
“Personally, I do not enjoy being cursed at by an adult male, nor do I want to be cursed at by someone who is said to be a professional person, especially as we all signed the same waiver,” Thomas said.
Washington, the son of the famous saxophonist, could be heard saying “nope” when Thomas demanded the apology.
He is listed as WCL’s vice president of production and announced the launch Thursday of a new music education program for Philadelphia youth.
An employee hired last month was brought up to address questions, and he said 3,600 emails and documents were deleted during the transition process, including artist contracts. “Every day I come in here, it’s a new nightmare,” he added.
Chad Fain, the organization’s new program director, said he has talked to roughly 600 agents, managers, artists and others in an attempt to straighten out WCL’s calendar.
Cortez Dessus, the venue’s facilities manager and a 10-year employee, approached the microphone set up for public use and requested better communication from the leadership team.
“For the love of God, please give us information so we can do our job,” Dessus said.
Though public radio station WXPN and WCL share a building on Walnut Street, the two are separate entities. Roger LaMay, the station’s general manager, discussed the music hall as an important partner.
“What’s happened over the last month or so breaks our hearts,” he said. “It’s clear that all of us in this room want the same thing. We want a strong, vibrant, well-run World Cafe live to serve this community and music fans.”
“Getting there requires significant investment, and it means evolving the business model to something more sustainable,” he continued. “Let’s face it, change is hard.”
Callahan addressed the audience at the end, as a band set up to perform a closing tune for the town hall.
“There is no one in this room that appreciates live music more than I do,” he said. “I have heard every word that has been spoken here by everyone.”
“We know we’re going to find a path, and we know that the strength is inside the people,” Callahan added. “And we truly do value the human capital, because human capital is what makes a difference.”
