Latest / Caught on the Mike... / Sam and Nico of SNACKTIME

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Sam and Nico of SNACKTIME · Caught on the Mike...

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: Disclaimer, the views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities they represent.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_00: Listener discretion is advised.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: Some bands make music, some bands create improvement.
• 0:30
  SPEAKER_00: My guests today are part of a group that built a reputation for turning every stage they step onto into a full-blown celebration.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: What started on the street has grown into one of the most exciting live acts around.
• 0:43
  SPEAKER_00: Snack time isn't just about the songs, it's about connecting communities and reminding people that joy can be loud.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_00: Joining me today are Nico and Sam from Snack Time.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: We're talking about the band's evolution, life on the road, building a fan base the old-fashioned way, and while dirt music seems to hit people right where they need it the most.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: Ladies and gentlemen, this is Caught on the Mike.
• 1:14
  SPEAKER_00: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another exciting new episode of Caught on the Mic.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_00: And as I always say, I am excited because I get to talk to the artists and the people that I enjoy.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's a little bit of a selfish endeavor.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_00: What started out as free performances in Philadelphia's Ritten House Square during the pandemic has turned into one of the most exciting live bands in America.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_00: They've gone from street corners to major festivals, national tours, and even serving as the house band for Jason Kelsey's ESPN late night show.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_00: And now they're headed to Lollapalooza.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's awesome.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_00: While earning an award nomination along the way.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Today I'm joined by Nico Bryant and Sam Gellerstein from Philadelphia's own Soul Funk Alternative Powerhouse Snack Time.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: Guys, welcome to the show.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: Wow, that was a great introduction.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: What's going on?
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: That was wonderful.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Not much, fellas.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: I tell you what, your music is perfect for summertime weather, if I may say so myself.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: Mm-hmm.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, that's what we're going for.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: The music was, you know, the reason we got out in the streets as it was was, you know, it was warm outside and we had the chance to play, and now we always just try to remind people that when it's nice outside, we can come out and dance a little bit.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 2:36
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_00: And you know what's crazy is your melting pot of influences is so strong.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like from the Beach Boys cover to a little bit of jazz-infused tunes.
• 2:50
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I love that, man.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_00: I can like listen to it in a relaxing setting, but exactly as you said, I could get up and dance a little bit as well.
• 2:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, we come the the seven of us all come from all sorts of different upbringings, musically speaking, and it really lends itself to making some really original music that we don't really think has been captured in the past.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: You know, are we love Phil Collins, we love Tevin Campbell, we love Earth, Wind, and Fire, we love Turnstyle.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's kind of all over the place.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: So it's about finding that that groove to where taking all of our influences don't confuse anybody.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_01: And I think we're doing a great job.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_00: That is such a musician's answer, and I love that.
• 3:32
  SPEAKER_00: I think one of the silver linings, if not the only silver lining from streaming platforms, is the fact that people look at genres as being borderless now and they look at music as just being music.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: And I think you guys have really tapped into that well.
• 3:49
  SPEAKER_00: The snack time story has kind of become almost legendary at this point.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: When did you look back at those early free performances in Ritten House Square during 2020?
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_00: Did either of you have any sense this thing could grow into what it is today?
• 4:05
  SPEAKER_01: So something that's really cool about this is you know I I for one never I never had an expectation as to what was going to happen.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_01: We just kept working hard and we were always just pleasantly surprised by what was happening.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that just was like a a really cool thing and kind of a testament to working hard and the and the and the hard work kind of speaking for itself.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_01: And but even you know, even now it's like Nico's been in the band for a year.
• 4:35
  SPEAKER_01: Nico wasn't even in the streets with us, Nico was maybe dancing in the streets with us back then back in the day.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_01: I was you know we was we we've we've had so many different kinds of things happen with this band, and you know, we didn't even back in the day know like what we were gonna do.
• 4:50
  SPEAKER_01: We never thought we were gonna be playing shows or you know, we didn't really think anything beyond the next performance.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: So years later, when we started to kind of develop a plan, it's uh it's been a really exciting path what we've been up to.
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I mean, did I ever expect this?
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: No, but did I expect this also yes?
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_01: Because there's there's nothing that we can't do.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: If we if we if we depend on each other and we we work hard, we've been shown time and time again if we if we do the honest work and make it good, it'll it'll it'll pay off.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: You know, that's a good call out.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: Nico, you've only been in the band for a short period of time.
• 5:27
  SPEAKER_00: In hindsight, for you was there a specific show where you realized that crowds were becoming something bigger than just an average gathering in that short time that you've been a part of the project?
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, man, that's a that's an interesting question now, putting it within that specific timeline.
• 5:45
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_02: You know, the first gig I had, I remember it was a it was a radio show in Pittsburgh, and it was a it was a nice amount of people and whatnot, you know, and everybody was grooving and dancing.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_02: And then the next show we did um Brooklyn Bowl with the roots and whatnot, and it was a bigger crowd.
• 6:02
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, yeah, okay, cool, okay, yeah, this is it's getting there.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_02: And then Boston calling.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_02: Boston calling is when I really I really started to realize, like, oh, oh, this is something.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_02: And I knew it was something like back when I saw these cats in the street, like I was out in the streets, I was there at the release party for the album.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I've been through, I've been as I've as a fan, I've been here, you know?
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_02: And so now to be a part of it and to see it from a different perspective, I'm like, oh it just keeps getting bigger and bigger.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_02: And then by Roots Picnic, I was like, yeah, there's no way snack time can't win snack time.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_02: Like, we're gonna do this.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, well, there's a reason I framed it in that particular perspective, is because I think whenever you're on that trajectory of success, you go from nothing happening to a lot of things happening in a short period of time, and it's really an unusual thing to be able to kind of pause, take a step back, and just kind of reflect upon that and just be like, Man, that show had X amount of people getting into it, where this next show, the more recent show, had this many people getting into it, and you don't think about it when you're in the thick of it, do you?
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_02: Nah, nah, really.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_02: It's like I was just like, okay, there's people every time, but then when I pause, I'm like, oh, there was more people, and then more people, and then more people, and then just a sea of people just dancing and grooving, you know.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: Sam, you sounded like you wanted to interject there.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: No, I'm just saying that that's a very a serious observation, is that like, you know, last summer we went all across different parts of the country, and we we we played in Canada and we played Montreal Jazz Fest to like 15,000 people, and it's funny because it was like truly still to this day one of the best gigs we've ever played.
• 7:53
  SPEAKER_01: We got a like a standing ovation, and like we yeah, we got a whole Olay Olay Olay, and it was awesome.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_01: But it's like we we we do kind of oftentimes forget about it because we're so on to the next thing, you know what I mean?
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: There's not really much time for pause because as as as much as we appreciate everything you said about where we've come from, you know, we're still working so hard.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: We want to be the biggest band in the world.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_01: So the the the context is super appreciated because you know sometimes it's easy for us to us to forget because we're doing a lot every single day.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_01: We played five different kinds of gigs in the past six days.
• 8:30
  SPEAKER_01: So it stays busy over here for us.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, hardest working band, it should be.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you know, the reason I put it in that context, just to kind of enlighten you a little bit, is I see it in every industry, whether it be sports, music, podcasting, even, is sometimes you are so fixated on what's coming next that you don't get an opportunity to kind of appreciate the here and now.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_00: And and I mean, I I'm dealing with that today, even to the point where you can almost have a little bit of imposter syndrome over it.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: Like, is this really happening to me at this point in time?
• 9:06
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, something you guys have experienced?
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, we've written songs about it.
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we have a song we wrote called The High Life, we have a song called Enough, you know, we we're always kind of writing about that feeling, and it's interesting you say that because on this on this new group of songs that we have coming out at some point, which you're gonna be calling our debut record, you know, we even talk about that still.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's because like every single person has that feeling of setting a goal, reaching it, and then it not feeling any different.
• 9:33
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's a pretty universal truth in life that if you don't allow yourself to be happy, you won't be.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, even if you don't feel like you're done yet, to allow yourself to pause and breathe is super important because, like we say, it's it's not about the destination, it's about the journey.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, for sure, for sure.
• 9:52
  SPEAKER_00: One thing that keeps coming up in interviews is that snack time seems to be built around community, and I think you know, throwing that into context of all of this, I community definitely is important.
• 10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Why has that remained such an important part of the band's identity as you do move forward through these hurdles and these goals and these these next big things for you?
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_02: It's in the DNA, it's in the DNA of the band.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_02: Like Sam literally founded it, and it was it wasn't even a band first, it was an event where he pulled together chefs and musicians and had everybody come together, people who may not always get the spotlight, but on that night, that night of snack time, they were going to get that spotlight.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_02: And then even in when they were playing out in the streets and it was about, you know, there are a bunch of people outside, you know, we're just getting back to the world, we're just getting back to, you know, seeing each other and being in the same space after however long of uncertainty.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_02: So music is a great connector, you know.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_02: In the song together, it says the music is a good place to start, you know.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_02: That's the place where a lot of connections start in life, and I definitely believe it's just in the DNA to just keep community as a part of the the brand as possible because without the community, what are we?
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_02: You know?
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_00: Was that something about the culture of the band that really inspired you to want to be a part of this project?
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: Hell yeah.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_00: Hell yeah.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_02: I felt like I was a member from day one.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_02: And I've I've talked to other people and those who come out to the shows and been following, they have that same feeling.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_02: It's like we're not even fans, we family, you know, we're on the same team.
• 11:37
  SPEAKER_02: You know, that's why wearing the jerseys and seeing the people out with the jerseys in the crowd, because we haven't worn them in a while, but we see people with them, and it's like it makes us feel all connected.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_02: Like, yes, we're on the same team here.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_02: As my boy says, if we stick together, we can't lose.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yes.
• 11:53
  SPEAKER_01: I think I think that's a really important thing, and Nico said it's so great.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: I think it's such an important part of what we do, is that we don't want people to look at us and say you'd be like, oh my god, I wonder what they're like.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_01: We want people to know exactly who we are and what we stand for.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: And we're not really about like the cool guy Hollywood mystery shit.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_01: We're about like the big hugs, big kisses, you know, we'll talk to everybody because you know, we're our gratitude comes from that.
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: Because without the people there, there is no us.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: We started this band picking up one fan at a time by word of mouth, by by sheer force of will.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll always have gratitude for the community that chooses us and invite them into our family because, you know, like I said, without them, there is no us.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_00: Dude, that warms my heart, and I sincerely just got chills listening to the both of you talking about that, just from my own personal perspective.
• 12:46
  SPEAKER_00: That's exactly how I view this show.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_00: I always use the term high fives and hugs.
• 12:51
  SPEAKER_00: If I mean like you come and you do my show, we're best friends, and the next time I see you, it's high fives and hugs.
• 12:57
  SPEAKER_00: Even if we've only met once, just because we're now family.
• 13:00
  SPEAKER_00: You you have given me your time, you have given me the greatest gift in the world.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_00: It's the gift you can't get back, right?
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: You give somebody your time, you're never gonna see that time again.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: So it's so, so, so valuable, and and I love that about your guys' culture for sure.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: Appreciate that.
• 13:18
  SPEAKER_01: It's uh it's what we try to do.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you for seeing that.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, as the project has evolved, how have you guys changed your mentality around performing and songwriting as it's kind of taken shape over time?
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so it's funny because I know that we obviously have music out there, but we're this, this, this next project is gonna come out, we're calling it's our it's our debut album.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that from the beginning, as the band has kind of mutated so many different ways, we we went from a band that was all horn players and a guitar player and just playing a bunch of experimental, funky, whatever improvisatory music.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_01: Then we're like, okay, cool, like what would happen if we try to write some songs?
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_01: So we just wrote seven songs and went and like put it in the studio, and now like uh this next project has like been years and years of us working super hard and putting our nose at the grindstone and asking ourselves for more.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that what that means for how we play live is that uh you're less likely to see like you know, us improvising for an hour and a half, but we have now started to craft together 45 minutes set, 60 minutes set, 75 minutes set, 90 minutes that that keeps people engaged.
• 14:35
  SPEAKER_01: And yes, there's still soloing, and yes, there's still that that spirit of what got people into snack time in the first place, but now we're super into making people feel the song, and we really want people.
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_01: The my you know, our biggest goal, and at least one of my biggest goals, is that I want people to be shouting the music back at us.
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like I grew up in the hardcore and punk world, and like they that feeling when everyone's like on top of each other screaming the words.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I obviously don't know if we'll get that because it's a different vibe, but we want people to feel this music and we want it to make a difference in people's lives because we're really truly speaking from the heart on these songs, and having a guy like Nico, who's such a brilliant lyricist and songwriter to help infuse his talents into what we do has completely opened up the possibilities of what we can do.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_01: So we're we're really feeling this next group of music, and uh I think it's gonna it's gonna make some waves.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: Nico, whenever you're considering previous iterations of snack time and kind of the fluidity and the jamming nature of the band to taking it more a structured direction, if I I think that's the the right word I'm going for there.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_00: Are are you focusing a lot on the hooks or are you focusing on the story itself?
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_02: I'm hyper fixating and focusing on it all.
• 15:50
  SPEAKER_02: Like I you you could ask Sam or you could ask any of them.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_02: Sometimes it's just hard to pull me away from something.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_02: But uh, I believe that my friend once told me you can't create without feeling, you know, and then from there you can kind of rein it in and set the intention.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_02: So the story of the song and what it's saying is very important, and also the delivery, I think it's important.
• 16:12
  SPEAKER_02: Like you could be saying the heaviest thing ever, but delivering it in a way that's light and like people can digest it, you know, and they don't even know that it's you know, it might be better in them, or it's like I didn't even realize I was going through what I'm going through as much as I am.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_02: Like I'm connecting with this song or whatnot.
• 16:32
  SPEAKER_02: So I I believe the feeling is important, the delivery is important, and then of course, from a musician standpoint, like I'm like, yeah, the parts, and we gotta get the parts and everything too.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_02: Like I said, hyperfixate and hyper-focus on everything because that's just how I am.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_02: That's how I've been wired, you know, writing songs throughout the years and such.
• 16:53
  SPEAKER_00: So is this new collection of songs that are eventually going to see the light of day?
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_00: We don't have a definitive date yet.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_00: Are they a huge departure from what Snack Time has done before, or is it more of a refinement?
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_00: How would how would you define that, Sam?
• 17:09
  SPEAKER_01: I would say for my for for personally speaking, as I've been I I am extremely close to every song we write.
• 17:16
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, it's very important for for for me for all these songs to really come through in a very truthful way, going all the way back from the top.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, do I think it's a departure?
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 17:32
  SPEAKER_01: Like it's the music is different.
• 17:33
  SPEAKER_01: Like in the music, if the first song you heard was from our our live VP, you're it's not gonna sound like the same band.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: But the one thing I can promise is that the music's gonna feel really good, and the music's gonna make you move, and it's gonna make you smile, and I think that's what got people into us in the first place.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_01: But now the hope is that we're going to you know make people emotionally feel the feelings that we're feeling because in the past almost six years of being a band, we're all much different people.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_01: We've all, you know, we some of us have gotten engaged, we've had some of us have had breakups, some of us have moved and and and had all these crazy experiences, and we've had so much stuff go on that we want to kind of tell the stories of what we go through all the time.
• 18:17
  SPEAKER_01: So uh I yeah, I really do think people are gonna really appreciate the change, and then it's a change for the better.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, you know, leaning into some of the opportunities that you guys have had, most bands don't wake up one day and become the house band for a national ESPN show.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_00: How did that opportunity with they call it late night with Jason Kelsey come together?
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so it's funny.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: Uh with snack time being so synonymous with Philadelphia as it is, we're just around.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_01: We are around, and everything every single thing we do, we are tied into somebody else.
• 18:57
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like we did another event with uh with with Jason at one point uh a couple years prior to that, and then some of the professors that actually taught Nico and I had worked with Jason on a previous record, a previous project for the Philly Special thing, and they're like, hey, need a cool funky band that has cool horns in it, and they're like, There's your band.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: So we got connected, and then it really gave us this awesome experience to be part of this like production.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: Like, you know, I was in meetings twice a week, like listening in on the script reads and and and and kind of like producing the music for the sh like you know the what we were playing, and then come back to rehearsal on Friday and work with the guys to to make the to make all the skits and things kind of run seamlessly, and it was a really awesome experience, and it was crazy because like you know, there'd be times where we'd have a a thing to be doing on the show that we didn't even get to run in rehearsal, and then it was like a really interesting experience.
• 19:53
  SPEAKER_01: But all to say is how do we end up there?
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like I said, the same way we end up everywhere is by working our asses off and you know, keeping a good attitude because we want we want people to want us, we want people to have uh to think we have good attitudes, so we come in with a big smile and uh a willingness to bust our asses for the for the thing we're doing.
• 20:13
  SPEAKER_00: Has being part of that show changed the way people recognize you all when you're out on tour or even just out on the town.
• 20:21
  SPEAKER_01: It it's funny, you know.
• 20:23
  SPEAKER_01: I I think that there are a lot of people back in the day in Philly, they'd be like, Oh yeah, I saw you X, Y, and Z.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: They'd be like, Yeah, aren't you Kelsey's band?
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, there's a lot of sports fans that heard about us from this that didn't know anything about us prior to this.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_01: And it's it's interesting because like, you know, I feel like uh there's some people who probably didn't even know what if Snack Time was a band because it was just like we're up on stage with like you know, all of our jerseys and stuff.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, I mean, everything we do, I think adds to the mountain.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_01: Like, we we'll play a wedding, and this is actually how this happened.
• 20:55
  SPEAKER_01: Like, we played um a friend's wedding, and that our friend happened to be friends, the producer of the Kelsey show, so it all just kind of keeps adding on to everything.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_01: So whether you found us from Kelsey or you find us at Lollapalooza, you're gonna find us.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, dude.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_00: I was just walking around, I was just on a short little vacation walking around Seattle, and I was thinking about inflection point moments like that, and you know, the number of people that were there because World Cup's going on, and you know, normally Seattle's already a tourist trap, and I'm just like, man, sometimes we see the world and it's such a big place, but then you get involved in these uh countercultures like music, and you realize how small the world actually is, kind of leaning into your your wedding experience, and that's that's really cool that it worked out that way.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I'm sure if you took me, you, and Nico's uh people we knew and sort of just like looked at it from the top down and saw all the interconnectivity.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_01: Of our life, like the world's actually a lot smaller than we think.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that's a lot of the time what we're trying to say is like there's a lot more, there's a lot more stuff that is uh connecting us than separating us, and not everyone wants you to believe that.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm glad you said that.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_00: That has been kind of the byline for my show.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: When I started this podcast, I started it in 2020, and you know, taking all the the socio-political divisiveness going on in the world and everything, I'm not going to offer commentary on that, but my goal when I started-why enough my goal when I started this show was to prove that we have more in common that we do different, and that you know, that people are just people, and that really the only way to heal the world is through through a little bit of love and compassion.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, I I'm I'm glad to kind of hear somebody kind of share a similar mindset that it is a lot smaller than we realize, especially in these corners.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: So you guys have played major festivals and support of huge artists, but this is your first headlining tour that you have coming up.
• 23:10
  SPEAKER_00: How different does it feel when people are buying tickets specifically to see snag time?
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_02: Well, it feels real good.
• 23:18
  SPEAKER_02: No, in all fairness, uh, you know, it just it was a you know a bit of a test to ourselves, like, you know what?
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_02: We're gonna step out.
• 23:27
  SPEAKER_02: We're gonna see how this goes, we're gonna see how this goes.
• 23:31
  SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, it's a good feeling to see people show up and and be like, yeah, we came here to see snack time at a snack time show.
• 23:39
  SPEAKER_02: And some people, now these are these are my favorite people.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_02: They come up and they be like, I had absolutely no idea who y'all were, but I love y'all now.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_02: I'm like, yes, we have more believers and family members.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I'm talking about.
• 23:54
  SPEAKER_00: I love that.
• 23:55
  SPEAKER_00: What do you guys hope that first time fans take away after seeing a show?
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_01: Well, this is what we say.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, outside of like, you know, it's not just about, oh, I hope you like the music.
• 24:06
  SPEAKER_01: It's we want everyone to leave the show and feel like they can look people in the eyes and say, like, I got your back.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 24:15
  SPEAKER_01: You said it, you said it already, but there's there's forces at play trying to make us hate each other and trying to divide us, and there are bots on the internet trying to make us fight so we could pay for their ad revenue.
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_01: Like, it's it's crazy.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_01: It's crazy times, and it's truly unprecedented what is going on with how they are treating us as people.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_01: So we hope that everyone looks to their left, looks to their right, and whoever no matter who that person is, treat them five percent better.
• 24:40
  SPEAKER_01: Because if we try just a little bit more every day, we will be in a much put better place than we started.
• 24:47
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, gotta take care of each other.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_00: Man, that's awesome.
• 24:53
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you guys are headed to Lollapalooza on top of everything else.
• 24:57
  SPEAKER_00: You got headlining tour underway and the momentum keeps building.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_00: What's the next chapter look like for snack time?
• 25:05
  SPEAKER_00: Next chapter.
• 25:07
  SPEAKER_00: Hmm.
• 25:08
  SPEAKER_02: I believe it was uh Captain James Tiberius Kirk who said to boldly go No Man is gone before.
• 25:18
  SPEAKER_02: Boom.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_02: Damn, you pulled the Tiberias out.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_02: Hey, tracky all day.
• 25:24
  SPEAKER_02: Shout out to my pops, he put me on.
• 25:26
  SPEAKER_00: So we're definitely getting more music in 2026.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_00: We just can't say when as of yet.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_00: What's one goal each of you has for the band that you haven't achieved yet?
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_01: I think that we haven't achieved yet is just um every single person who doesn't know us yet.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_01: Every single person who might be listening to this podcast, who might be interested in catching a new band, like we want we want you to love us, we want you to like our music, we want you to hear what we have to say, and we appreciate you.
• 25:55
  SPEAKER_01: So every single fan that we can get along the way, that's what we're looking for.
• 26:01
  SPEAKER_01: I know that kind of sounds like a cop-out, but like we're gonna do the work, we're gonna make the music, like we're gonna play the gigs, we're gonna make cool merch, like that that shit, anybody could do that.
• 26:10
  SPEAKER_01: Like, music is one thing, but connecting to people is not something that everyone has the chance to do.
• 26:14
  SPEAKER_01: So we want to connect with as many as you as possible and uh, you know, turn 200 people into 2,000 people into 20,000 people and see what happens.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_02: How about you, Nico?
• 26:26
  SPEAKER_02: What's your point of view here?
• 26:28
  SPEAKER_02: A Grammy nomination, Madison Square Garden, and just being able to high-five and hug a bunch of people and sign things.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_02: Because I love signing things for people.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_02: Like, I love it.
• 26:38
  SPEAKER_02: Because then they're like, oh my goodness.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, yes, oh my goodness.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_02: It gives me the same feeling that I got when I used to get things signed by like my favorite artists and like people, I'm like, yo, I think you're dope, you know.
• 26:48
  SPEAKER_02: So to be able to give that, that means the world.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_00: Dude, I gotta tell you, now that we're all friends here, I'm hoping once the album drops, I can get a signed copy on vinyl sent my way because I'm a vinyl nerd.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_00: So I like you.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: I like it.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, we're making that happen for you.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_00: Awesome.
• 27:09
  SPEAKER_00: Well, guys, my closing question that I ask every single guest that does the show, and each of you can go one at a time.
• 27:15
  SPEAKER_00: And I want you to lean into your own personal perspectives more than anything else.
• 27:20
  SPEAKER_00: What's your advice for making the world a better place tomorrow than what it is today through your eyes and your experience?
• 27:26
  SPEAKER_00: Stand up for each other.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_01: Pick up, pick up people when they fall down.
• 27:31
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I think that so many people are like so stressed the fuck out about everything that's going on.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone is at their peak, or another peak, everyone is at their the their the their boiling point in all times because you know, no one has enough money, no one has enough time, everyone's pushed around, running around like ants.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_01: But if you see someone fall, pick them up.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_01: Understand that we are all trying to do the same thing, which is more than likely live a happy, fulfilling life.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: So just like I said, look each other in the eyes.
• 28:02
  SPEAKER_01: Stop stop making enemies out of each other.
• 28:05
  SPEAKER_01: Everyone, we should have each other's back because there is a group of very, very, very rich people who depend on us not having that.
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_02: So you need to.
• 28:17
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I believe that people can just respect each other, respect themselves, give each other grace, find inner peace.
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_02: Oh love.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_02: Love's a need of love today, man.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_02: There ain't enough of it.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_02: There needs to be more of it.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_02: Starts here.
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_00: I agree.
• 28:40
  SPEAKER_00: Sam Nico, why don't you tell everybody where they can find you guys and your music online?
• 28:46
  SPEAKER_01: You can find us at Snack Time on Instagram.
• 28:48
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I think we're snack time official on TikTok, but you know, more importantly, just wherever you listen to music, check us out at Snack Time.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_01: Lots of new music coming out.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_01: You're gonna like it a lot.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, if you see us in your town, say what's up, give us a hug, and uh, you know, let's hang out.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, snacktimefilly.com, the website, check out the bookings, check out the check out when the shows are.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, well, guys, I have really enjoyed this conversation.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_00: I want you guys to know that I I'm a conduit for you.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_00: Anytime you guys want to come back on and hang out, I would love to make that happen, and I'm hoping we can make it happen in the real world for sure.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_00: Let's do it.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we'll come out to Lincoln, we'll come out to Lincoln or something, eat some corn.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_00: Hell yes, hell yes.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_00: Sam, Nico, thank you so much for doing the show.
• 29:36
  SPEAKER_00: The world is a much better place with you guys in it.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you so much.
• 29:41
  SPEAKER_00: I want to thank my friends Sam and Nico from Snack Time for joining me on the podcast today.
• 29:47
  SPEAKER_00: That was a lot of fun.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure you're following them on Instagram, search out SnackTime.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe you've seen them on Jason Kelsey's ESPN show.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_00: They're a great band.
• 29:58
  SPEAKER_00: They've got an album coming out soon.
• 30:01
  SPEAKER_00: Pay attention, it's gonna be a big one.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_00: While you're being generous with follows, make sure you're following at Caught on the Mike on all social media platforms.
• 30:10
  SPEAKER_00: Go to YouTube, find Caught on the Mike's YouTube channel, and give me a subscribe.
• 30:16
  SPEAKER_00: You can also find me at www.caughtonthemic.com or shoot an email caught on the mic at gmail.com.
• 30:25
  SPEAKER_00: I appreciate you all being here and continuing to support the show.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: This has been Caught on the Mike with Michael Clark.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: I'm Michael Clark.
• 30:34
  SPEAKER_00: Until next time, thank you.