Jason Suder, owner of Tulips FTW in Fort Worth’s Near Southside, strives to spotlight local artists at his live music venue.
Providing a platform for local acts, he said, allows for a city to successfully grow its music scene.
“When I opened up the music venue, I knew we had to build a community focused around music. The avenue by which we find the most success is through music, together,” he said.
Suder’s mission will shine brighter as his Fort Worth venue prepares to participate in a first-of-its-kind event coming to North Texas: Jambaloo Music Festival.
Jambaloo is a weeklong festival featuring live free music across four North Texas venues from Feb. 1-8. The inaugural event will showcase over 100 diverse musical artists alongside emerging touring bands.
The week of free music will kick off with the Jambaloo Symposium at Tulips FTW Feb. 1, an informative event exploring the future of the music industry in Dallas-Fort Worth. The panel, a private event that will be livestreamed, features music leaders like Tom Martens, vice president of creative, fiIm and music for Visit Fort Worth, and Chip Adams, director of the Texas Music Office and a TCU alum.
The music festival was founded by Mullen & Mullen Music Project and Spune Productions as a community-driven initiative to uplift North Texas’ music scene and support independent venues and small businesses across the industry.
“Jambaloo is so exciting, because the biggest barrier to entry for Fort Worth is admission at the door. With this, we get to offer music to Fort Worth in the most successful manner,” Suder said.
Here’s the complete musical lineup for Jambaloo at Tulips FTW:
- 6:30 p.m. Feb. 1 – RJD2 and Mystery Skulls
- 6 p.m. Feb. 2 – Mark Lettieri Group with Michael Lee, The Selfless Lovers, Cameron Smith + Jakob Robertson
- 7 p.m. Feb. 3 – Broke String Burnett with Hotel Satellite, Lazer Blazer
- 7 p.m. Feb. 4 – The Unlikely Candidates with Ella Red, Flight By Nothing, Swimming with Bears
- 7 p.m. Feb. 5 – Lou Charle$ with Kevin Tyrone, ITZKY, Kali Flower
- 7 p.m. Feb. 6 – Twain + Esther Rose with Robert Ellis, Matthew McNeal, Brody Price
- 7 p.m. Feb. 7 – MJ Lenderman + Wild Pink with Darling Farm
- 7 p.m. Feb. 8 – Kolton Moore & the Clever Few with Garrett Owen, Levi Ray
Other participating venues include Ferris Wheelers in the Dallas Design District, Club Dada in Deep Ellum and Andy’s in Denton. Click here to see those venues’ lineups.
Although the music festival is free, concertgoers are required to RSVP for the days they plan to attend.
Offering a week of free music provides Fort Worthians the opportunities to discover new artists and enjoy some leisure time without stressing about finances, Martens said.
“Free week is a neat time for the venues, because it’s cold, people don’t always go out,” he said. “Usually after the first of the year, they don’t have a lot of money in their pocket. This is a great opportunity to scratch both backs with that.”
For local musician Matthew McNeal, the launch of Jambaloo expands the footprint that the Fort Worth music community has in a national conversation.
“You always get asked questions on ‘Why don’t you move to LA or New York or Nashville.’ I have always said that we can build a musical infrastructure here,” McNeal said. “Jambaloo shows that there is a music community here. It’s really special to see all this come together.”
As Suder counts down the days till Jambaloo shakes up North Texas, he’s excited to see the festival’s long-lasting impact on where emerging artists can perform.
“I’m really hopeful that Fort Worth gets to reignite the flames of passion toward music again and Jambaloo becomes another piece of the local musical legacy,” he said. “I don’t see how we could not give this another go around next year.”
David Moreno is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or @davidmreports.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
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