A $20,000 local music prize is down to three finalists, including two from Fort Worth.
Fort Worthian Matthew McNeal’s soulful HIGHLONESOME, a record representing the new wave of Heartland rock, joins Lately, a groovy slab of sunny, upper-’70s-vibin’ pop from part-time Fort Worthian Paul Schalda, and Doggies, a collection of charming, woozy, bedroom psychedelia from Dallas-based Aaron Daane, a.k.a. Aaron’s Book Club, in the JAMBALOO Music Prize. The major award is the brainchild of the Mullen & Mullen Music Project. The music promotion entity is organized in part by Joseph Morrison, a senior associate at Mullen & Mullen, a Dallas-based personal injury law firm that also heavily supports DFW music. Dallas-based electronic-music wizard Marc “Loop Daddy” Rebillet will headline the JAMBALOO Music Prize awards ceremony at Longhorn Ballroom (216 Corinth St, Dallas, 214-272-8346) on Sat, Jun 6, with this year’s three finalists in the opening slots. The winner will be announced before Rebillet takes the stage.
The Mullen & Mullen Music Project launched the prize in October 2025, and its two chief criteria remain unchanged — album submissions must be DFW-local and released that calendar year — along with the amazing additional prizes to go with that 20 large, including: studio time at Luminous Sound in Dallas to record a single with famed producer Tre Nagella (Lady Gaga, Blake Shelton, Travis Scott); placement at Josey Records’ six locations across Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri; radio support from KXT (including airplay on the Homegrown Music Show and Homegrown Bites); and promo packages (each valued at $5,000) from ticketing service Prekindle and entertainment website Do214, as well as additional promotional support from the Texas Music Office, Dallas Music Office, and Hear Fort Worth.
Local fans got to vote online for their favorite albums, and from that pool, a panel of local music scene/industry insiders selected 10 semifinalists. That panel has since narrowed it down to the current three finalists.
Photo by TC Fleming, art by Rich Terrana
They are all excellent records, and picking one over the other was probably a difficult task for the judges, maybe even one that culminated in the rolling of dice or tossing of coins. But a winner, there must be, and in anticipation of that, I wanted to know what the finalists thought about the possibility of taking home the prize, as well as how the contest itself has impacted the local scene.
Now, obviously, an influx of 20 grand is probably a big deal for most people, but for a local musician, it’s a huge, almost-dare-to-dream sum of money. I asked each finalist in an email how that infusion of cash would impact their lives.
“Being a musician is my only source of income,” wrote Daane from Aaron’s Book Club. It’s “not the most lucrative career, so this is quite a substantial amount of money. Along with more instruments for me to learn and incorporate into my music, plus new equipment, this will most importantly pay my rent and keep me alive so that I can continue to create.”
For McNeal, who tours extensively throughout the year, such a boon would go toward keeping him and his band in the van. “Touring costs more than it ever has, so it would definitely ease the strain of spending weeks on the road. Being able to team up with friends at different studios without having to call in favors would rule. Having more resources available helps lighten the load and allows for more creativity, which this whole thing is about.”
Schalda, who released Lately on vinyl through Dallas-based label Skylark Sound, wrote that $20,000 would help him “recoup the cost of the production and pressing of the record and help fund the sophomore LP.”
Of course, for a full-time musician, funding the parts of your career that are ancillary to making music is but one component to sustainability. Promoting your own music is a separate problem to solve. Had becoming a JAMBALOO Music Prize finalist affected the finalists’ promotional efforts in any way?
Courtesy the artist
“Being able to connect with press outlets outside of ‘upcoming release’ outreach has been great,” McNeal wrote. “I think the greater DFW community is excited to see something cool like this come together,” especially considering Cure for Paranoia’s recent NPR Tiny Desk win. “I think there’s a spotlight on North Texas and all of the great art coming from here. I’ve seen an uptick in people revisiting the record, particularly some album tracks that didn’t get as much attention as the singles did.”
Daane said, “All of my music promotion is 100% online. This upcoming show will actually be my first-ever show. JAMBALOO is a great opportunity for me to integrate into the local scene more, and I’ve noticed quite a few more fellow Texans reaching out to me and supporting me, which is so wonderful.”
Schalda, like McNeal, found that “being a finalist has promoted the record and opened up opportunities to speak with press about the album as well as how wonderful JAMBALOO and the Mullen & Mullen Music Project are for the DFW community.”
Indeed, since becoming a player in local music promotion, MMMP has proven itself to be an ardent supporter of local artists and local shows. But outside of the firm’s benevolence and assistance to the DFW music community, what did the finalists themselves think might help get more people to go see local bands at local venues?
McNeal highlighted the importance of both local venues and music media. “Tulips, The Post, Magnolia Motor Lounge, Cicada, Southside Preservation Hall, Haltom Theater, the list goes on — and I do think that the abundance of art in our own backyard is easy to take for granted, and that’s not even including the great venues in Dallas, Denton, and beyond. I think publications like Fort Worth Weekly carry the torch in getting the word out, alongside artists creating buzz from making great art in the first place.”
But he acknowledged that “getting music fans to come out and support the scene beyond the online ecosystem is quite the puzzle. I could talk about trying to game the algorithm or putting together street teams to put posters up all over the place or managing email lists efficiently (all of which are helpful), but as I know it, the best way to get people to come out and rock with the scene more is to give them more and more reasons to show up. Keep making world-class art, keep conversation open with venue personnel and artists, keep leading the charge with initiatives like Hear Fort Worth. I think people don’t want to be left out of something special happening in their own city, so it’s a matter of continuing to make great art and having the right folks shining lights on it all.”
Daane admitted that he was “probably the least qualified finalist for this question” since he’s never actually done a show as Aaron’s Book Club, but in general, he thinks “it’s more up to the artists themselves to develop a local following and to create a show that keeps fans loyal and wanting more.”
Schalda echoed the others’ points. “I wish I knew the answer to that. You can say the economy has had a major impact for sure, but I don’t believe it’s the lack of really great venues or artists.”
In his mind, building a local fanbase comes down to how an artist operates within a local scene: “Be yourself, be supportive, be present.”
In other words, whether you’re an artist or a fan, building the cultural impact of the North Texas music scene starts with showing up to watch local bands. The JAMBALOO Music Prize show on Sat, Jun 6, at Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas is certainly one avenue for this, and you can pretty much find a local show to show up to nearly every night of the week in this region.
