Short of the Phillie Phanatic joining, it’s hard to imagine Snacktime being any more of a Philadelphia band. They’ve played 76ers halftime shows and Phils baseball games and were the house band for Eagles favorite Jason Kelce’s late-night show. They’ve partnered with some of the town’s hottest chefs to spotlight its thriving food and music scenes.
“We are unapologetically a Philadelphia band,” says Sam Gellerstein, who plays tuba and other bass instruments in the funky, feel-good seven-piece. “No matter what happens to us, no matter how famous we get. We’re never going to be, you know, oh, they’re from New York, oh, they’re from LA. No, we’re a Philadelphia born and bred band. Regardless of where we end up, we are a Philly band.”
Before it was a band, Snacktime was a monthly food-and-music series curated by Gellerstein and his friend, the chef Jennifer Zavala. “The first one went off great,” recalls Gellerstein, who worked for the city’s famous Federal Donuts. “We sold out all the tickets. It was awesome. It was magical. And then a month later, we had another one planned. And then Covid happened and shut it all down. So basically, Snacktime has always been about the idea of food, music and community.”
Snacktime has gone from free shows in Rittenhouse Square to landing coveted spots at Newport Folk, Roots Picnic and Boston Calling and tours with Portugal. The Man and Fitz and the Tantrums, who’ll they’ll open for on Aug. 14 at The Rooftop at Pier 17 on Aug. 14.
“This is first time that we’ll be touring with them, and I’m very excited,” says vocalist Nico Bryant, “because I remember when the Trolls movie came out and they had that song on the soundtrack, and all the kids and whatnot or younger cousins, I remember hearing those songs, hearing ‘I can make your hands clap.’ And now to be able to say, hey, we’re going on tour with this very well-known big band, it’s an amazing opportunity. And I, for one, am excited and I’m blessed to be able to play in front of such huge audiences because I know it’s going to be packed.”
Without a full album to its credit (yet), Snacktime made its Newport Folk Festival debut last month alongside the likes of Maren Morris, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kenny Loggins and Public Enemy.
“We started the band five years ago and in that time we have done so much amazing stuff and so, so many incredible things,” Gellerstein says. “But you kind of take a check back and you’re like, wow. We pulled up to the festival, and not to be too on the nose about it, but you could literally feel like a spiritual feeling when you get there. It feels like hallowed ground. I think we all felt that sense of heaviness of like, wow, we are here. Hard work got us here to like legitimately a venue and a stage that I would say 99% of musicians would love to play one day. We are a band that, you know, in some respects, we are not as big as a lot of the other acts that were out in this festival, but they trusted us to do it. Getting to come in and kick some ass early in the morning was so cool.”
The band’s latest single is “Sunshine.”
“It was written on the road by the fellas just when they were going through a hard season and hard patch in the touring,” Bryant says. “Because there are times when you don’t get the best sleep in the van. You don’t have a lot of time to sleep at the hotel. You got to get up, get out, go to the next show, to the next city. And at a certain point, sometimes it can wear you down. But no matter what you’re doing, whether you’re on tour or whether you’re working a 9 to 5, whether you’re an entrepreneur, you just have to believe that every step that you take, even if it’s a little one, even if it’s a weary one, it’s getting you closer to your goal in life. And just understanding that you are enough. Even in the moments where you question, how much can I give until it’s enough, until I reach that point? Until I reach that goal. Just keep on stepping. You know, that’s what it’s all about.”
The connection with the city’s professional sports teams started with the band’s friend Brian Nadav of the sneaker and lifestyle store Lapstone & Hammer.
“I remember he brought me to a game right when Snacktime probably first got started, and he introduced me to someone who did the presentation for the Sixers,” says Gellerstein. “And he’s like, yeah, I think I’ve seen you guys. So he saw us in the street and my friend introduced me to this guy, and then we started playing halftime shows for the 76ers. So that was unbelievable. And still to this day, if they called us and we’re available, we’ll totally do it. It’s so much fun.
“There was a time when we were opening and closing Phillies games, so we’d be outside of the casino by the stadiums. And then the Kelce connection really started when a local PR firm hired us to play for the launch of his non-profit clothing brand, Underdog.”
Working with the retired Eagles offensive lineman led to Snacktime getting tapped to be the house band for his six-episode ESPN show “This Is Late Night,” where Gellerstein says the band was able to “flex our house band muscle” and its inspiration from late-night groups like Philly staples The Roots.
Gellerstein says the band is working on new music
“We’re in the studio right now, actually, about to track more demos, and you’ll have to see. But we have lots of exciting stuff and lots of new music, and we’re really excited, and I think we’re really finding our voice in the studio, and it’s been really fun.”
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