The Hip Snacks

jam band · rock

The Hip Snacks are a rock and soul band based in Denver, Colorado, formed in 2022 after vocalist Kara Durante and guitarist Ben Suarez, who are married, relocated from Maryland. The two had met at the All Good Music Festival in 2011, and after the move they assembled the rest of the group through Denver open mics and community jams, playing their first show under the name on May 29, 2023. The six-piece is fronted by Durante and fills out with Suarez, Felipe Cantuaria and Ricky Feria on guitars, Adam Schini on keyboards and Dylan French on drums. Durante has said she was reluctant to perform live at all until sitting in with Suarez's former band at a show in Panama. The group calls itself a rock-and-soul outfit but pulls in pop, jam and hip-hop, with Suarez describing the approach as deliberately not getting stuck in any one genre; the members cite Lake Street Dive, Lettuce, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Lotus as touchstones, all acts they encountered as longtime All Good attendees. Two albums have been released: the 2024 debut What Lies Ahead and the ten-song Out On A Limb, both recorded by engineer Steve Avedis at Colorado Sounds Studios. The arrangements are built to carry Durante's voice, leaving room for guitar and keyboard solos over the rhythm section, and the band states its aim as keeping audiences moving. The Hip Snacks work the Denver club circuit, including Globe Hall, and Suarez has pointed to the depth of talent and musicianship in the local scene as the reason the band came together as quickly as it did.

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