Just over one year ago, Alex Gaggino a.k.a. Gino manifested his longtime dream to host Snack Time Detroit, a weekly evening party at TV Lounge that hosts a plethora of local talent, a chill and welcoming atmosphere, and a free meal to anyone that needs a good happy hour spot.

As they gear up for the One- Year Anniversary, A Year of Snack w/ Gino & AndrewCharles, we spoke with Gaggino about the story of Snack Time and his aspirations for the future of the series. Check it out below, and join us Thursday, October 31st from 5-9pm at TV Lounge to celebrate!

How did Snack Time get started?

Gino: It’s been a long time coming actually. I guess it all started when I was interning for Soul Clap back in college. I worked the merch table at TV Lounge for the House of E-Funk parties a few years in a row, and then when I moved to Detroit after school I met Josh, the manager at TV.

After talking with him for a bit, I expressed interest in helping out however I could so I started working with him on a few things, and spinning in my free time before doors open during the Thursday night parties. The TV Lounge staff helped me out a lot with learning the skill especially early on, and I came back pretty much every Thursday for about a year.

Tell us about how those practice sessions eventually became the series that you now host.

G: It was really by accident in a way, originally I wasn’t meant to be hosting the series. It started with myself and a few other people that had worked at TV for a while, and I think I just got really excited about it and ended up taking more of a leading role in what was going on. I think it was really just the TV staff recognizing that I had a lot of passion for making Snack Time a real thing, and so they let me go for it and I’m really thankful for that opportunity.

How do you choose the artists for the lineup?

G: It’s no secret that Snack Time is not a paying gig; It’s a free show meant to be accessible to as many different types of people as possible; we take donations just for the different non-profits that we support, and sometimes for the vendors that come to the event will charge or accept donations, but that’s about it. My approach to booking is just about fostering an open and inviting space for people to play, a low-pressure situation that is available to the incredible amount of talent that this city has to offer.

Detroit has no shortage of DJs, so there more legitimate opportunities that we can give to artists, the better. We’re lucky to have had such a wide range of artists join us at Snack Time, from young locals on the come up to more established names in the scene, and we couldn’t be happier that they are willing to share their time and energy with us.

Tell us more about the food at Snack Time.

G: When we got the 5-9pm slot, we knew that having food was essential. My mother is a chef, so often we would use her recipes or her and I would collaborate on the menu, and eventually we evolved into inviting pop-ups and independent chefs to come through and share their creations with us.

It really vibes with the whole energy behind Snack Time- we want people to feel nourished, both physically and emotionally, and we’ve found that by providing a free, accessible party along with great music and a meal to go along with it, we’ve been able to curate that kind of atmosphere at our events.

What should we look out for coming next from Snack Time?

G: Definitely more events at TV Lounge, same day same time, and also some additional offerings under the Snack Time umbrella that are more focused on the late night and after-hours scene. We’re really proud of the energy that we’ve been able to create, and we hope to keep riding that momentum as far as it will take us.

Come to Snack Time Detroit on Thursday, October 31st (bring a costume!) to celebrate their 1 year anniversary, admission is free and music will be going from 5-9pm!

MORE INFO: Facebook Event

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