SNACKTIME and Ron Santee

Brass, Soul, Community, and the Jersey Shore: SNACKTIME and Ron Santee Bring a Powerful Summer Soundtrack to Bradley Beach

Summer along the Jersey Shore has always been about more than sunshine and ocean breezes. It is about gathering. It is about community. It is about discovering the artists, musicians, and creative voices that help define New Jersey’s cultural identity. For more than two decades, one of the state’s most enduring summer traditions has embraced all three of those ideals through a simple but powerful concept: free live music directly on the beach.

Since 2005, Brookdale Public Radio’s 90.5 The Night has transformed Newark Avenue Beach in Bradley Beach into one of New Jersey’s most unique outdoor music destinations through its annual Songwriters on the Beach concert series. The program has become a cornerstone of the Shore’s summer entertainment calendar, bringing together nationally recognized artists, emerging performers, and dedicated music fans for evenings that celebrate original songwriting, independent music, and the shared experience of live performance.

That tradition continues on Thursday, August 13, 2026, when Philadelphia’s explosive soul-funk collective SNACKTIME joins New Jersey singer-songwriter and producer Ron Santee for another memorable installment of the free weekly concert series.

At first glance, the pairing may seem unexpected. One act arrives with a horn section, dance-floor energy, and festival-sized ambitions. The other brings deeply personal songwriting, roots-driven musicianship, and a creative life shaped by the forests and back roads of the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Yet together they embody exactly what has made Songwriters on the Beach successful for more than twenty years. Both artists represent authenticity. Both are deeply connected to their communities. Both have built audiences through hard work rather than hype. And both remind audiences that some of the most compelling music being created today continues to emerge from independent artists operating outside the traditional industry machine.

For SNACKTIME, the journey to Bradley Beach represents another stop in what has become one of the most remarkable grassroots success stories in modern independent music.

The Philadelphia-based collective did not emerge from major-label development meetings or social media marketing campaigns. Their story began organically during the uncertainty of the pandemic, when a group of musicians started performing free pop-up concerts in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square. What began as a simple effort to create joy during a difficult period quickly grew into something much larger.

Word spread. Crowds gathered. Videos circulated online. The energy became impossible to ignore.

Today, SNACKTIME has evolved into one of the most exciting live acts on the East Coast. Their reputation is built on a singular ability to transform virtually any environment into a celebration. Whether performing at a festival, a club, a public park, or a beachside concert series, the band brings the same level of intensity, joy, and musical firepower.

The group’s sound is difficult to categorize because it deliberately ignores traditional genre boundaries. At its core, SNACKTIME blends classic soul, funk, hip-hop, rock-and-roll, jazz influences, and contemporary grooves into a style that feels simultaneously familiar and completely fresh. Massive horn arrangements collide with infectious rhythms. Powerful vocal performances weave through intricate instrumental passages. Hip-hop sensibilities meet old-school soul traditions. Every element contributes to an experience designed to move both body and spirit.

Tracks such as “Together” have helped define the band’s growing catalog, capturing the collective energy and optimism that have become central to their identity. Their recordings are engaging, but it is on stage where SNACKTIME truly distinguishes itself.

The band’s live performances have become legendary among fans throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Audiences rarely remain stationary. Dancing becomes inevitable. Participation becomes unavoidable. What separates SNACKTIME from many contemporary acts is their ability to create an atmosphere that feels communal rather than performative. The barrier between artist and audience often disappears entirely.

That dynamic has earned them opportunities far beyond their Philadelphia beginnings. Their growing reputation led to major festival appearances and high-profile touring opportunities, including sharing stages with internationally recognized artists such as Portugal. The Man. Yet despite that success, SNACKTIME has retained the grassroots spirit that first attracted audiences in Rittenhouse Square.

The band continues to emphasize connection, community, and accessibility as core components of its identity. Those values align perfectly with the mission behind Songwriters on the Beach.

Sharing the bill is an artist whose creative journey reflects a very different, yet equally compelling, vision of independent music.

Ron Santee has quietly become one of New Jersey’s most intriguing multi-hyphenate creative figures. Musician, songwriter, producer, engineer, broadcaster, and studio owner, Santee has built a career defined by artistic independence and unwavering commitment to authentic expression.

Operating from Desert Dog Studios in Browns Mills, deep within the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Santee occupies a unique place in the state’s musical landscape. While many artists relocate to major urban centers in pursuit of opportunities, he has built a creative ecosystem rooted directly within one of New Jersey’s most distinctive natural regions.

That environment influences his work in meaningful ways. The Pine Barrens possess a mythology and atmosphere unlike anywhere else in the state. Their isolation, beauty, mystery, and rugged character often seem reflected in Santee’s songwriting and production style.

Musically, Santee resists easy categorization. His work moves fluidly between garage rock, soul, folk, Americana, roots music, and country influences. Rather than adhering to a single genre, he follows the emotional requirements of the song itself. The result is a catalog that feels both eclectic and cohesive.

His recent single, “Feral Love,” exemplifies that approach. The track combines raw emotional storytelling with earthy musicianship, creating a listening experience that feels simultaneously intimate and expansive. Like much of Santee’s work, the song embraces imperfection and humanity rather than polished commercial formulas.

Beyond his own music, Santee has become an important supporter of New Jersey’s independent music community through his work as a producer and engineer. Desert Dog Studios has served as a creative home for numerous regional artists seeking an environment that prioritizes artistic integrity over commercial trends.

His influence extends further through broadcasting. As host of The Sonic Boom on Radio Garden State, Santee regularly spotlights independent musicians, underground artists, and emerging voices that might otherwise struggle to find exposure. The program has developed a loyal following among listeners who appreciate its commitment to authentic, uncompromising music.

That dedication to community-building mirrors many of the same values that have fueled Songwriters on the Beach since its inception.

Together, SNACKTIME and Ron Santee create a lineup that showcases the remarkable diversity currently thriving throughout the regional music scene. One artist represents explosive collective energy and large-scale musical celebration. The other embodies introspection, craftsmanship, and the enduring power of independent creativity. Both approaches are essential. Both deserve audiences. Both contribute to the vibrant cultural ecosystem that makes New Jersey such an important music state.

The setting itself amplifies the significance of the evening.

Few concert experiences can rival watching live music unfold against the backdrop of the Atlantic Ocean. As daylight fades and the sound of waves mingles with amplifiers and applause, Newark Avenue Beach becomes something far more than a concert venue. It becomes a gathering place. Families spread blankets across the sand. Friends reconnect. New listeners discover artists for the first time. Longtime music fans experience familiar sounds in a completely different environment.

These moments have become increasingly valuable in an era dominated by screens, algorithms, and digital experiences. Live music remains one of the few cultural activities capable of bringing strangers together around a shared emotional experience. Songwriters on the Beach has spent more than twenty years proving that those experiences remain as important as ever.

As August arrives and another summer evening settles over Bradley Beach, audiences will once again have the opportunity to experience something uniquely New Jersey. They will witness a nationally recognized Philadelphia collective whose rise has been powered by community, authenticity, and pure musical energy. They will discover a Pine Barrens artist whose work reflects the depth and diversity of the Garden State’s independent music culture. And they will do so free of charge, surrounded by neighbors, visitors, and fellow music lovers gathered on the sand.

That combination of accessibility, artistry, and community is precisely why Songwriters on the Beach continues to thrive after more than two decades. It is not simply a concert series. It is a celebration of what live music can still accomplish when artists and audiences come together in a place designed for connection.

On August 13, SNACKTIME and Ron Santee will provide the soundtrack. Bradley Beach will provide the setting. And for one summer evening, the Jersey Shore will once again remind everyone why live music remains one of the most powerful forms of community we have.hare the same stage, creating a performance that promises to be among the season’s most memorable highlights.