Philadelphia soul, funk, and alternative band SNACKTIME gave an outdoor performance at Bryn Mawr College, as the first event of the year in the college’s Performing Arts Series.
On a warm evening in September, Byrn Mawr students gathered on Merion Green. Groups of friends brought picnic blankets and lounged in the grass. Others played spikeball, or stacked blocks in a game of giant Jenga. Gradually, the energy of the event ramped up. SNACKTIME was working their magic.
On Oct.18 of last year, Bryn Mawr College invited SNACKTIME to be the first musical performance of the Performing Arts Series in the 2025-26 school year. The performance represented a shift in the Performing Arts Series goals. What was once a program geared toward the larger community outside Bryn Mawr College, has increasingly moved toward catering to the interests of the college students, maintaining a balance between more classical performing arts, and up and coming local artists, with greater appeal to young people.
Jessica Johnson started her role as Performing Arts Series Program Manager in May of 2025. She inherited the SNACKTIME concert from her predecessor. Johnson was excited to be working with a band she knew well, but quickly made some changes to the event. The show was originally supposed to take place in McPherson Auditorium, in Goodhart Hall. To Johnson, this would be going against the band’s entire ethos and origin story.
Johnson explained: “I love SNACKTIME. They are this amazing band that sprung up out of the pandemic, and they started outside because that’s the only place they could be.”
SNACKTIME’s first shows all took place in Rittenhouse Square. The band attracted their first crowds by performing for free, in the open air.
Johnson decided to host the event on Merion Green. Then she thought, “But if we’re going to be outside, maybe we should have snacks.”
The event was growing in scale as Johnson contemplated the perfect way to kick off a new year of Performing Arts events. She booked three food trucks, serving popsicles, tacos, and Philly cheesesteak egg rolls. These trucks rivalled the musicians in terms of turnout on the night of Oct 18. Each food truck had its own long line of students as the show went on and the music and the chattering crowds attracted more and more passersby.
Johnson summarized her event planning experience: “I was like, okay, but if you have snacks and you have music, maybe we should also have games. So it’s grown from a concert with a food truck to several food trucks, games, music, and giveaways as well.”
The combination of all these activities– snacks, games, and music– meant students could participate in the concert at their comfort level. Those who didn’t feel like dancing could enjoy the food and sit in the grass with their friends. This was what most students were doing at the start of the event. However, the infectious energy of the band soon brought many students to their feet. As SNACKTIME began their song, “I Don’t Give a Damn,” the crowd grew closer to the stage and danced along. Students sang along, participating in some playful call-and-response when SNACKTIME played “Smokin, Drinkin, and Talkin Shit.”
Jessica Johnson reflected: “SNACKTIME Philly is a beautiful example of what Philly offers. They are a reflection of the community, this mix of funk, punk, and rock. They can do it all.”
The band is made up of seven members: Larry Monroe Jr., Sam Gellerstein, Ben Stocker, Yessesh Furaha-Ali, Michael Spearman, Eric Sherman, and Austin Marlow. They are the house band in the sports talk show “They Call it Late Night with Jason Kelce.” This winter, SNACKTIME will be going on tour across the United States. For information about concert tickets and access to stream their music, visit https://snacktimephilly.com/ .
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