The North Texas creative community came together Sunday to help keep beloved music & art hub The Cicada alive. Spurred by a recent 25% rent hike, rising operating costs, and a slow, steady decline in foot traffic, the Near Southside collective space and music venue hosted a benefit event called Save The Cicada.
The benefit was the bar’s “busiest day on record by far,” Cicada co-owner Tyler Stevens said. The place was buzzing from open to close. Patrons sprawled inside and out on the grounds, there to support the award-winning “Best Place To Hear Live Music,” in Fort Worth.
“Honestly, Annie [Coomier], Jenny [Tornado] and Jennifer Sturges [Ex-Regrets] put the event together with a couple of employees without even telling me,” Stevens confessed. “I had talked [to staff] about how much we were struggling, and Annie was not going to let us go down without a fight. When she told, me, I said, ‘I hope we make to the 8th. I love you.”
Over 20 local art vendors filled the space, 7 music acts took the stage, Brix Barbecue donated 60 sandwiches, and a flash tattoo station by Aaron Bailey offered forever memories in the form of ink.
A silent auction included a full-day tattoo session with Eddy G Tattoo, a hair transformation by Cosmic Undertones, and a VIP Nightshade Burlesque experience and helped raise $2750 for The Cicada. The local business community had a helping hand in those funds, Stevens explained in a phone call after the event: “Jackie O’s and Reflections came down and [bid] as a collective staff. Those were some of our biggest bidders in the auction. Down ‘n Out donated 10% of their sales from Sunday to us. It’s really cool to see the community come out and rally around their sister bar.”
But Stevens wants people to know that The Cicada is more than just a bar.
The Cicada is a third space, meaning it’s a place to gather that’s communal, outside of your home (first space) and workplace (second space). The buffet of offerings from the venue include open mic poetry nights, DIY craft nights, painting lessons, comedy nights, karaoke, burlesque, songwriter showcases and open mics, and of course music concerts from local and touring acts. It’s open every day from 2pm-2am, with happy hour every day 2pm-8pm.
“Every visit, every round of pool or jukebox pick, makes a difference,” The Cicada said in a Facebook post. “We’re more than just alcohol. We’ve got a deep menu of nonalcoholic options, legal THC drinks, and a calendar full of things to do that don’t revolve around booze. The Cicada has always been about trying to build community in a safe space.”
Luckily, it looks like Sunday did make a difference, for now. The benefit can keep the train moving, but what will keep the space alive is continued support.
“John and I really appreciate the community that’s here for us,” Stevens said. “[On Sunday] we definitely did enough to put a dent in the debt that we have, and we also have some people that have talked about some ways they can help. Things like helping with booking, events and our website. I see a silver lining in how the benefit has worked out. Of course, we didn’t make a million dollars. But we made enough people notice. We lit a fire in some hearts that may have been extinguished for a while. What we need are people coming in on a daily basis.”
Upcoming & resident events at The Cicada:
- Tuesdays: Karaoke with Cavono [9pm]
- 3rd Tuesdays: Burlesque Bingo [7pm]
- 2nd & 3rd Wednesdays: Open mic poetry [6pm-8pm]
- Thursdays: Songwriters’ Showcase nights with Christian Carlos Carvajal [8pm]
- Thursday June 12: Levi Ray, Mary-Charlotte Young, Billy Hartman [9pm]
- First Fridays: Nightshade Burlesque [8pm]
- Friday June 13: Waking Snakes, Jakob Robertson, Convoy & The Cattlemen [8pm]
- Saturday June 14: Annual June Babies Celebration (blues music community) [9pm]
- Friday June 20: 57 Sauce, Lost Art Legacy, DJ D1
- Saturday June 28: Out Come the Wolves, Almost Jaded, Chloe Clemente [8pm]
Jessica Waffles is a freelance photographer/videographer and regular contributor to KXT.
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