It was originally planned to be at Rowan University, then Monroeville.
Jacob Heil, senior music industry major at Rowan University, had been searching since his freshman year of college for the right place to start his own live music venue.
“I always wanted to own my own space,” said Heil.
Heil originally looked at renting places on Rowan Boulevard. But after pricing everything out, he found that it wasn’t feasible. He needed to find something that was already built.
Finally, he found a spot at the Gloucester County 4-H Fairgrounds, one that already had seats, plenty of space, and a stage, which was hard to come by without spending millions of dollars.
“That’s how you get this new music venue a couple football fields off the road in the middle of nowhere in Mullica Hill,” said Heil.
Currently in its first season, the Music Barn is a new live music venue featuring up and coming artists from all over the country.
The venue is located at the outdoor pavilion toward the back of the 4-H fairgrounds. During concert days, the space is packed with food trucks and artists’ merchandise.
Heil hopes to provide a platform for developing musicians to get their music out to a new audience and to provide assistance to artists in developing their careers.
The venue can comfortably hold up to 350 seats, but since visitors can sit outside and still have a view, it could accommodate upward of 600 people, according to Heil.
Heil handpicks the artists who perform based on the style, talent and affordability. But most importantly, he is looking for an artist who hasn’t been discovered yet.
“We want to get artists that are right there on the verge of making it,” said Heil.
Heil is also currently the operations director at the Philadelphia International Music Festival, one of the largest classical music camps in the world.
“That’s how I’ve figured this out, that’s where my event planning skills come from,” said Heil.
The first concert was Aug. 9. The Music Barn will be hosting concerts and events throughout the fall season.
Upcoming concert dates and headliners are as follows:
- Oct. 11 – Kicking Sunrise
- Nov. 8 – Battle of the Bands
- Dec. 6 (at Rowan University) – Caleb Collins
To buy tickets, visit www.themusicbarn.org/tickets. Tickets are $20 per person. For more information, search TheMusicBarnNJ on Facebook.
“I think this is a great thing for Mullica Hill moving forward … there’s a lot of good music going on out here … there’s food truck festivals in your own backyard and live music that you can come out on a beautiful night and enjoy,” said Heil.
