Sam Gellerstein and Ben Stocker, both Fort Lauderdale natives who'd moved to Philadelphia to study music, started Snacktime in August 2020 with free shows in Rittenhouse Square built as much around food and neighborhood community as the music itself.
The full seven-piece — Yesseh Furaha on vocals and alto sax, Gellerstein on sousaphone, Austin Marlow on drums, Larry Monroe Jr. on guitar, Eric Sherman on trumpet and guitar, Stocker on tenor sax, and Michael Spearman on trombone and keys — built an actual local institution out of those park shows: sold-out headlining gigs, curated neighborhood festivals, and multiple Sixers halftime appearances.
A 2025 clip of Jason Kelce enjoying their set on ESPN gave them a wider audience than any of that groundwork had reached on its own — a viral moment for a band whose whole identity was built on being a hyper-local Philadelphia fixture first.