Snacks At Midnight gives back to supportive Sandpoint community through fundraiser

Local indie rock group Snacks At Midnight have become a staple of not only the Spokane scene, but also the Inland Northwest as a whole. It isn’t out of the ordinary to see frontman Rory Babin running off stage through the crowd, continuing to perform with microphone in hand especially during their cover of the Killers’s iconic hit, “Mr. Brightside.”

But when the band was first landing on their feet, before their status as consistent, energetic performers, the town of Sandpoint was willing and able to show support.

Nestled between Lake Pend Oreille and the south end of the Selkirk range, Snacks At Midnight first began performing at a Schweitzer Mountain restaurant and bar, the St. Bernard, in 2021. Ever since, they have been consistent performers in the area with a local community that always shows up in a major way.

“I don’t know how to express it much more than a meaningful relationship with the people in the town and the audiences over there,” Babin said. “Gratitude, final answer. So much gratitude for them … Everybody’s there to have a good time, there’s no negativity in the room. It’s a joy, truly.”

There’s something about a Sandpoint crowd that Babin can’t quite put his finger on. While performing in the Bonner County hub, the concertgoers seem just a bit more receptive and the post-show conversations more meaningful. From Spokane to Alaska and even Japan, Babin has played countless shows and has had a number of touching moments with crowd members, but a large amount “particularly in Sandpoint, strangely.”

“I’ve had so many amazing experiences with the people in Sandpoint at an individual level and at a crowd level,” Babin said. “There’s this feeling that the music we’re playing is really touching people, you know, that it really matters to them.”

During last year’s Festival at Sandpoint, the town’s annual summer concert series, Snacks At Midnight opened for Third Eye Blind – the group responsible for hits such as “Semi-Charmed Life” and “Jumper.” Although a daunting task initially, Babin soon fell back into the comfortability of the town he knows so well.

“It was intimidating,” Babin said. “The moment where you’re like walking up on the stage for the first time and there’s like 4,000 people in the audience, it’s hard to remember to breathe for a little bit … but it was an amazing experience; very grateful.”

Soon after the band’s summer series performance, they were asked by Festival at Sandpoint to play a charity show supporting local music programs. It was a quick “yes” from Snacks At Midnight.

Alongside the band’s appreciation for Sandpoint, they also hold the power of musical education near and dear to their hearts. The Saturday show will raise money for music programs such as in-class pre-K lessons, scholarships, youth string orchestra and more. Babin used to be a music instructor at Mead High School, so the show at the Hive has an extra sense of meaning.

“Being able to share music with children is huge for me,” Babin said. “I love knowing that playing the instruments we play, and doing the things that we do, and just having fun doing the things that we love to do can change other people’s lives and if it’s the right thing for them, draw them into it as well. I think that’s really awesome and beautiful.”