MUSIC Wings Over Near South

Tyler Anne Stevens’ new independent-music venue The Cicada is just what Fort Worth needs.

STORY AND PHOTOS

BY JUAN R. GOVEA

The pandemic and resulting lockdown hit Tyler Anne Stevens and husband John Stevens really hard.

“The pandemic really had me dig into the ground, let’s say,” Tyler said. “Like a cicada, we dig out of the ground, and we rebirth.”

From the down times, the couple recently opened a new independent music venue. The Cicada is located in the former home of MASS near South Main Village on the Near Southside.

“My stepdad is French,” Tyler said, “and the cicada is a good-luck charm in Provence, and it’s important to me to honor him. The cicada is the sound of Texas, the sound of hot and summer, and it indicates that we’re loud.”

While excited for the future, the co-owners are still grieving their former project. The Tin Panther on the edge of downtown closed in 2020. The Stevenses pay homage to the place with Tin Panther memorabilia hanging throughout The Cicada. But there’s way more to the new venture than that. There’s a reconstructed stage, a goldleaf bar, and a dart room that the co-owners say is really important to their family.

“It’s been the legacy of us working in a bar, and I spent a lot of time at a bar when I continued on page 22