Generations of Minnesotans have twisted the night away to the 1950s retro sound of the "Whitesidewalls Rock 'n' Roll Revue." But after an ugly confrontation following its Jan. 31 gig in Richfield, all the band members either quit or were fired, accusations of theft and greed are flying and some who booked the Whitesidewalls for upcoming shows are wondering who will show up.
Kathy Worke, owner of the band she inherited from her late father, Pat Kennedy, said the Whitesidewalls are alive and well, and will take the stage again this month. She won't offer the names of the new players, but says they are among the 75 musicians who have cycled through the band over the past 30 years.
Now the question comes down to whether it's the players who make the Whitesidewalls, or vice versa.
In the face of the turmoil, those who booked the Whitesidewalls have scrambled to find alternative bands. For the first time in at least 27 years, the Whitesidewalls won't be playing a Valentine's Day weekend show at the Kato Ballroom in Mankato. After booking the band, the venue's general manager, Larry Bowers, got wind of the band's troubles, couldn't reach Worke and found another band, Bob & the Beachcombers, even though it doesn't have the same cachet.
"I'm frustrated, because I've already spent about $500 on tickets and pre-advertisement three weeks out," Bowers said.
Sid Korpi contacted Whistleblower after she paid $1,000 down for the Whitesidewalls to perform at her upcoming "Geezer Gala" Alzheimer's fundraiser in northeast Minneapolis. She decided to book Rich and the Resistors when she was unable to find out if the Whitesidewalls were kaput. Worke's vow that there's a new incarnation of the Whitesidewalls isn't reassuring to Korpi, even though the contract she signed says members can be replaced.
"It just seems to defy reason that you can entirely wipe a slate clean, put in new people and just keep calling them the same band," Korpi said.
Worke blames the kerfuffle on the former band leader, keyboardist and sax player Lauren McArthur, who gave his 30-day notice in early January after 11 years with the band. At first the parting was amicable. Then McArthur broke with tradition and had the venues pay him and the band members directly. He said he did it because the band wasn't being paid by Worke. Worke calls him a thief.
