It was a fantastic night, but not enough to avoid closure, as owner Tyler Stevens still planned to shutter the venue by the end of the year.
But that’s when Joe Morrison of the Mullen & Mullen Injury Law Firm got involved. He’s one of three attorneys at the personal injury firm, along with Shane and Regis Mullen, and also contributes to the Mullen and Mullen Music Project, which put together the fantastic (and free) Jambaloo concert series earlier this year.
Jambaloo was a rousing success, but the firm didn’t want the project to simply be a concert series. Rising to the occasion, they made a $20,000 grant to the Cicada, enough to keep it open and afloat for the foreseeable future.
“We’ve been looking to expand our efforts to help independent venues and local artists,” Morrison says. “This was a situation that presented itself. Shane and I were blessed to be able to help out at a time when a really cool venue needed it. Fort Worth needs a Cicada.”
Using it as a proper noun, he’s referencing the importance of small independent venues as a talent incubator for Fort Worth musicians and a welcome third space for locals in the scene. Morrison mentioned seeing Leon Bridges at similar venues like Club Dada before his breakout, and Marc Rebillet at the Common Table.
“You’re not going to be meeting the artists at the AAC or hanging out backstage or having a drink with them,” he says. “And the entertainment value per dollar at live music venues is pretty darn high when you look at the cost of everything else in this world. You can go for $10 or $15 cover and hear some great music.”
Stevens, who owns and operates the Cicada, says that she’s still shocked by the gesture.
“It still hasn’t really set in that someone has been gracious enough to help us out,” Stevens says. “It was such a huge monetary amount that it was able to get us caught up in a lot of ways.”
Now free from the pressure of mounting bills, Stevens says she will have time to reconfigure strategically.
“We’re able to look at a new budget and figure out how to make ourselves more sustainable,” she says.
Moving forward, the $20,000 grant will not just be a charitable one-off. Beginning next year, the Jambaloo Venue Prize will offer a $20,000 annual grant to an independent North Texas music venue that needs it, as chosen by a group of judges.
“It just naturally fit with the ethos of what we’re trying to do,” Morrison says. “There wasn’t anything like it, so we made the decision that we would turn it into an ongoing yearly prize.”
Morrison cites a June 2025 report from the National Independent Venue Association (NIVA) that states 64% of independent venues were unprofitable in 2024.
Tom Martens is the director of the Fort Worth Music Office, also known as Hear Fort Worth, and knows this reality better than anyone.
“This is just such a lifeline,” Martens says. “As much as we love these small venues, they’re not becoming millionaires. It’s such thin margins to pull a profit, so this is just such a lifeline to keep a cultural thing that we all love.”
As for the future, the Cicada’s next show is on Friday, July 25, featuring Runaway Sky, Remy Reilly and Ryker Hall.
“Go to the Cicada and listen to some up-and-coming bands,” Morrison says. “One of them might end up being your favorite.”
