Photos provided by Billy Bevevino

There’s something special about Philadelphia’s music venues. They’re not just places to see local and touring bands -they’re a vital part of the city’s musical fabric. Philly music venues have a unique character from their historic buildings, intimate settings, and passionate audiences. As ardent supporters of all things local music, our staff at That Mag will be shining the spotlight in this series on some local venues that have become staples of Philadelphia’s thriving music community.

If you’re looking for a new venue to check out the next time you’re in Philly, Warehouse on Watts (WOW for short) should be at the top of your list. This DIY spot has been hosting concerts and events since 2018, gaining traction amongst the community for its unique setting and grassroots-centric ethic. 

WOW has been a place for music lovers and artists alike to come together since its inception. We asked co-founders Gavin DiRusso and Meg Bassett how their venue reflects that spirit, its history, and what they have planned for the warehouse next.

Initially, when DiRusso purchased the 10,000-square foot property, he had no intentions of building a music venue –at least not at first. 

“I just wanted to purchase this property as a real estate investment,” He explained. “It was a garage attached to a 10,000-square-foot warehouse, and I got it for an insanely good deal.” 

He continues, “So I was taking my time with it, trying to figure out what to do. I was building out spaces in here to rent out for commercial use for a while.”

 As time passed, his thoughts began turning to how he could turn the space into something more.

He continued, “I started rehabbing the event spaces using the funds I made from the commercial tenants. By 2016, it got to a point where I could host some underground parties, BYOs, and 6 AM afters types of things. There was just a market for it at the time.”

 Around that time, Meg Bassett, managing partner of WoW and experienced events guru, began helping out on the operations side. Their small parties quickly grew into larger-scale events. 

“I came on board and started creating some organization around bookings, creating events, writings, SOPs, writing, run of shows, and just getting more acts through the door,” She said. “It was the two of us running all of it, with freelancers coming in and doing pay-per-play along the way to pitch in.” 

As their parties started gaining traction, they got the attention of the PEX community (Philadelphia Experiment). After about a year of working with a founding member of PEX, they decided to make it an actual venue. After building out the bars and kitchen, they acquired a liquor license and got things fully operational in 2018.

Gavin adds, “My inspiration to make it an event space came from the fact that I was hosting and planning similar events before I bought the building. I loved having an event area accessible to everyone, not pigeonholing people into being one genre or having exorbitant rental fees and whatnot.” 

Managing the growth of Warehouse on Watts was not without its set of challenges. For DiRusso and Bassett, booking more events required bringing on the right staff, developing impeccable multitasking skills, and finding the best workarounds to make the most of a limited capacity space. 

“It was a gamble between getting people who are both passionate and who want to put their time and efforts into a space that isn’t corporate,” Bassett stated on the process of sourcing WoW staff. “Plus, there’s the different grind of finding people who are more dynamic and able to be inventive with their decisions at the drop of a hat because this place is not built to be a 100% traditional venue. It’s reformatted to be one; you need to be able to pivot and think on your feet when planning and executing things.” 

As for multitasking, for DiRusso, it’s something that comes with the territory of managing and working within a DIY space. 

“We got to wear a lot of different hats. It’s not like you come in and say, “I’m going to do this one job.” You’re going to do at least eight jobs. And you have to know a little bit of everything because, unfortunately, we don’t have the resources to hire one person for each department we need. But I don’t think I would want to work in a position where I’m just doing the same thing every day.” 

Dealing with the limited capacity of operating an independent venue was also a process. 

“We have solid capacity, but we don’t have the power for those more prominent headliner crowds that bring in lots and lots of money.” Bassett said, “We try to book the up-and-coming or the nostalgic, even Boiler Room set-type events. We’re also trying to branch out in many different ways to activate things offsite.”

They were welcomed and supported by the community and the other venues in the area. 

“It is nice to have a community to fall back on. Especially during the pandemic, everyone got together with organizations like
 (National Independent Venues Association) and PIVOT, Philadelphia Independent Venues Operating Together,” DiRusso explained. “Everyone in the city is looking out for each other. “We’re all out here to benefit the community and entertain people.” 

Despite their challenges, witnessing WOW evolve over the years provided DiRusso and Bassett with countless unforgettable moments. 

“Yves Tumor was here for a show last year, and that was incredible,” Bassett recalled, “With Yves, it’s a mixed bag of genres, and there were so many kinds of people here, just all reveling in it together, that was amazing to watch.” 

She added, “Another close second was this whole activation set up with the tequila brand Teremana, which does much of our event sponsoring. We worked with them on a few Latin night-themed parties. It was fun to see cause we’d never done those events before, and it was cool to see it bring in a different crowd than what we’ve catered to. We had these salsa dancers dancing up on little pedestals and stuff –it was great!”

 For DiRusso, his unforgettable moment involved a very fancy (and flooded) New Year’s party during the earliest days of the venue: 

“I bought the building in October/November, and my buddies and I had to throw a New Year’s Eve party cause we wanted to do something with it to celebrate. And this was before I knew anything about the building. So I opened the doors for the first time; there was dust everywhere, holes in the ceiling, the room, no heat, and half the toilets didn’t work. My friends and I spent the whole week cleaning up the upstairs, adding propane heaters, rearranging, and making the space semi-functional and excellent.” 

He continued, “Then halfway through the actual party, around 11 PM, the building sprinkler popped open because one of the propane heaters was close to it. I didn’t know the sprinkler system was active, so it popped and started blowing out black water all over the ground. I had no idea where the shutoff valve was, and it was just running and flooding the dance floor. So I figured out that we had a basement. So I ran down there, was wearing my tux, and jumped in this hole. I was turning valves and called upstairs, “Is it off yet? Is it off yet?” And we finally shut it off.” 

He laughed, “Then we had to deal with all the water on the floor. I had all these empty boxes from Amazon from past event supplies orders, so we got them out, created a little water dam, and had everyone push all the water to one corner. Anything we could find that could sop water up, we had it on the dance floor. By that time, it was 11:45, right before the ball dropped. After that happened, people just like, “F—it. Let’s Party.” That was probably one of the most memorable events because of the shenanigans. It was an excellent Christening of the space.” 

With their sights set high for the future of their venue, DiRusso and Bassett are looking forward to all the things to come in the next few months. 

“First, we’re creating our little series of events called Warehouse on Watts presents with in-house booking for artists and vendors.” DiRusso revealed, “My goal is to make each event we do a little bit different than the last and create more activation and make it where, if you come to a Warehouse on Watts Presents event, it’s going to be something truly unique. So keep an eye out for those details once we get our ducks in a row.”

In addition, they are also setting things in place to offer more food options at their events. 

“We’re working on getting a kitchen where people can order a carte and stuff like that,” Bassett explained. “We even had someone come in recently with talks about utilizing it consistently as a common commissary kitchen as we advance in the next few weeks. If that happens, it’ll run through the late night too. So if people are leaving or they place their order by 1:45 or so when they’re closing their tab, they can order it and pick it up on the way out.”  

“There’s also something we’re calling the ‘WOW Wagon,'” DiRusso chimed in, “It’s our little project for Nomadic Craft Cocktails & Off Site Bar Services that will essentially be utilized for mobile bar sales. . Stay tuned for that too.” 

Lastly, the duo is busy planning the details for WOW’s annual block party in September. 

“Last year was rough because post-COVID, it rained the whole time, but we made it work,” Meg said, “This year, we’re planning on being able to do popup bars with our partners.” She added, “We’re also trying to utilize WoW differently at upcoming festivals. For example, we’re activating all the bars at Making Time at Fort Mifflin this year, so that should be fun!”

Warehouse on Watts has come a long way since it opened its doors as a venue in the Philadelphia community. This space is quickly becoming known for its eclectic and electric atmosphere, offering high-quality DIY events and programming. 

If you’re looking for something unique to do in Philly, be sure to check out all of the upcoming events at Warehouse on Watts here: wowphilly.com

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Written by Angel Park

Photos supplied by Fold Theory

Self-described as “a bunch of kids who love techno,” Fold Theory is an event production company that has become a staple of the Philadelphia techno event scene since first forming in 2010. Founder and CEO Carlos Salas and his team have hosted shows throughout Philadelphia and other notable cities such as Miami and New York, each carefully curated and dedicated to providing attendees with a unique live experience with up-and-coming techno producers from across the country. THATMAG had the chance to talk with Salas about the history behind Fold Theory, the challenges associated with forming their promotion company, and their team’s goals for the future in the city of brotherly love and nationally.

When coming up with the idea of Fold Theory, Salas credits two things: High School and Poetry. 

“Fold Theory is something I first thought of way back in high school in Miami, with a poem I wrote called “The Fold,” Salas explained, “As a teenager, I had started writing poetry, and I did it to kind of get it out on paper and get in front of it. Along with poetry, I quickly started getting more into music, and it became one of the main things I became passionate about after I graduated.” 

After he graduated, he quickly taught himself how to spin vinyl and then began showcasing his skills at shows for several years in Miami. That is where he met his partner, Ashley Powers, who helps run Fold Theory and produces music under the name DJ Miss Powers.

“At the time, I had a child coming into the world, and the mother of my child decided to move to South Jersey. I was lucky enough that I had an opportunity to work from home, so I decided to move to Philadelphia and with Ashley to create a whole new life for myself.” 

From that point on, Salas hit the ground running with local shows, showcasing at small clubs and venues until he caught the attention of the city’s more prominent promoters. “I was just a DJ,” He explained, “and I got picked up from one of the bigger promoters, Rav. He and his team are great guys; they helped me a lot. And from there, it just took off. A lot of people started booking me and following me in the city. Then I got to play at The Barbary to run my party. Gina (DJ Wassup Gina) booked me there. She’s another promoter DJ that’s popular in the city. Everything just became a whirlwind from there, and now I have two collectives, Fold Theory and Philadeep.”

The process, however, did not come without its challenges. When Salas and his team started trying to host events in the city, their early efforts were met with resistance. 

“The Philadelphia scene was, and still is, a very tight-knit community,” He stated. “The underground scene specifically. With the underground, you’re dealing with a lot of techno music, deep house, and minimal genre stuff in a niche area you don’t necessarily see too often.”  

“That niche type of sound had some old-school people. I wouldn’t say they controlled the scene, but you know, they were a part of the groups that grew the scene from the ground up. There was a lot of loyalty to those already established brands. We were just the new kids on the block, and rightfully so, we had to pay our dues. That was tough. Finding venues that would host was difficult. Many people were like, “oh, you want to host a techno event? We’ll go to New York to listen to techno, but we’re not going to go to this local Philly bar and listen to techno; it’s just not going to happen. I think the biggest hurdle I had to overcome is people accepting us and accepting how we go about our business and accepting the type of sound that we’d bring, ’cause we approached it all differently than what they were used to.” 

When cultivating solid local events, Fold Theory always emphasizes the importance of supporting your local artists first.

“We have local artists like Keenan, Colin, and DJ Miss Powers and others we cultivated with Philadeep. When talking about local scenes, you’re talking about local talent and residents. In Philadelphia, techno has treated us well, and I believe we have outstanding local residents holding it down. Like people are booking our techno residents in other places. My partner has played in other places, and they want techno on the line-up. Right. That’s how your scene stays healthy and grows: when your residents are getting booked. In my opinion, that’s important.” 

Regarding favorite events, Salas and the Fold Theory team credit their collaboration with the North Philadelphia venue, Warehouse on Watts.

“During the COVID shutdown, Warehouse on Watts was having some difficulties, just like any other club at the time, and Ashley Powers took it upon herself to run an idea. We said, “Hey, we’re going to do a fundraiser online, and we’re going to set a goal of $5,000 to help keep the doors open, even though we’ve never raised more than a few hundred bucks before.” In addition, we would sell shirts, and the shirt profits we would also give to them. Despite all the risks, we decided to do it in the form of a 12-hour live stream hosted at WoW’s recording studio under WoWTV. We had crews who usually didn’t collaborate, both fresh and seasoned producers, come through for this live stream. We ended up raising enough money to cover expenses plus the $5,000. Ever since then, we do more fundraising stuff when we can. We just donated to a woman’s charity for planned parenthood. We also did something for the war with Russia and Ukraine. Being here in this city has changed Ashley and I in terms of being more a part of the political climate. We know that we can’t stay silent and need to be involved, especially now that we have more of a following. We want to use that amplified voice to give back to our community and support important causes.” 

With their combined passion, talent, and kindness, Salas and the Fold Theory team plan to continue to break new ground in the city’s music community. Connect with them and stay in the loop for upcoming events.

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