There’s a musical movement happening where the crossroads meet in Gloucester County. Think family reunion meets Woodstock, a place where strangers greet each other like long lost friends and the stresses of everyday life seem to disappear. It’s a place where you get lost in the sounds and the fellowship. It’s a musical revival.
A few weeks ago on a Friday evening, I followed the music about a half mile off of John Clayton Memorial Highway to Flat Iron Crossroads, where the venue was hosting its first outdoor show of the 2023 season.
The blues/rock sounds of Anthony Rosano with Ron Holloway drew a steady crowd as the sun started to set. It was Cinco de Mayo and the food vendor that evening, Short Lane Ice Cream, was answering the call with gourmet tacos and piled-high nachos. The food, the music and the beverages were flowing. Fire pits smoldered and the dancing started.
“The music, the people, the environment…it just feels good here,” said regular Adine Pearlman, as she continued to twirl to the music. Dipping and zigzagging her way to the cleared, grassy area in front of the stage, she joined others in an almost choreographed movement of weaving and swirling.
“You can’t go and see a live show in a safer environment, and it’s 6:30 to 9:30, so I get to go to bed early,” she said.
Once the site of a service station, Flat Iron Crossroads is now a music and more venue that draws hundreds a month to its shows. Jay Hutchins, whose family owns Brent and Becky’s Bulbs, is vice president of the non-profit performing arts center which has both indoor and outdoor venues. The 2-acre property and building was purchased in August 2022 by Brent and Becky’s.
Ray Friend bought the “dilapidating, old garage” in 2017 and created what it is today. “I was looking for a place me and my friends could go to play music on Sundays and it evolved into the idea of a place where the community could come and listen to music.”
Hutchins, who plays drums and says he “sings a little,” was one of Friend’s music buddies.
The original service station building would be over 100 years old if it still stood. A few studs in an exterior wall was about all that was salvaged in the rebuild, which was done on the original footprint. An addition doubled the size of the original building to 3500 square feet, said Friend.
Friend built the outdoor stage, then COVID-19 halted the shows for a bit, his wife passed away and he said he couldn’t “deal with any more stress,” and decided to sell the property.
Hutchins, general manager at Brent and Becky’s, said the decision to buy the property was an easy one. “We didn’t want it to be anything but what it was.”
“We want to make sure people know this isn’t a nightclub or a bar or a shady place to hang out,” said Hutchins. “It has a family vibe.”
In fact, the inside venue is called a “listening room,” he said. “It’s a place where you sit and take in the performance, not a place to stand around and drink and talk to friends.”
Of course singing, interacting with the performers and dancing in the aisle is encouraged.
“The building is our bad weather, cold weather, small band, small draw venue,” said Hutchins. By that he means some bands are more suited for the outdoor stage and some bands also draw larger crowds. The building holds about 140 “tightly” while the outdoor venue can accommodate about 450.
Some performers even say they’ve never sounded as good as they do in the “listening room.” That’s due in part to Friend’s acoustic touches. The art lining the walls is not only beautiful it serves a purpose—a noise-canceling purpose. The paintings—done using powdered paint so the sound can go through the canvas—are actually covered wooden frames of noise-canceling insulation.
Although there was a time when some of the shows were free, most are ticketed now. No outside food or beverages are permitted. Friendly dogs on a leash are allowed. Food trucks and vendors rotate throughout the season. A well-stocked bar serves water, sodas, beer and wine. Because Flat Iron has both indoor and outdoor stages, shows run 10 months a year from February through December.
“The best thing we have going for us is our volunteer base,” said Hutchins. There are about 20 volunteers, including its board members who all “have full time jobs,” he said. “So two shows a month is about all we can handle.”
Flat Iron is in the process of starting its fundraising campaign with the goal of hiring a part-time manager. The hope is to expand the entertainment beyond music with comedy shows, dance nights, even one-act plays, said Hutchins.
“We’ve had some amazing musicians at Flat Iron and have had folks from abut 25 different states come to hear music there and I’m pretty proud of that,” said Friend.
