Philadelphia-based bands, each representing different musical genres, performed on the lawn outside Campion Student Center on the Hawk Hill campus Sept. 13. The concert, hosted by student-run radio station, Radio 1851, featured local bands Betty Lawless, Valendina and The Jesters.
James Miller ’26, executive board member of Radio 1851, helped organize the event. Miller says one of the club’s central goals is spotlighting campus musicians.
“We’re always looking to hear from musicians on campus,” Miller said, “to have them send us their songs to play on the radio, or just let us know who [they] are and that [they] exist, so we can get [them] in a concert.”
Miller said another of the aims for projects like these is simply bringing more excitement to campus life, adding, “On the weekends, not a lot of people are coming to events on campus, so we’re really trying to build that up.”
Several members of the Radio 1851 executive board confirmed there are plans to host a similar concert during the spring 2025 semester.
Christina Molinari ’25 watched the concert with her friends and said she thinks the concert is great for the local music scenes in Philadelphia and here at St. Joe’s.
“Music brings a community,” Molinari said. “Everyone has a good time.”
Shannon Tonetta ’26, a personal friend of the Philly area alternative rock band Valendina, has experience in musical education and with the local Philadelphia music scene. Tonetta said having a tight music community is important.
“Having the bands get to know each other through events like this is great,” Tonetta said. “Because then they can put on their own shows. Philly’s really good at DIY, and so the only way you can do that is by building community and doing shows together with bands that otherwise wouldn’t have met.”
Pop-punk band Valendina was established in 2021, but the members have known each other for much longer. After meeting at the Delco’s Let There Be Rock school a decade ago, they played in various bands before forming Valendina. They were invited to this year’s concert after playing at the Radio 1851 concert in the Perch in November 2023.
Karina Patricelli, Valendina’s lead vocalist and bassist, said it’s important to network with local radio stations and venues.
“[Booking bands] is just a cool experience for the radio stations, too, because they’re getting immersed in how shows work, and how booking people works,” Patricelli said. “We’re here all to help each other.”
Indie rock band The Jesters have been releasing music since 2019. The four-person group closed out the show with some feel-good tunes.
After forming in 2019, the members of rock band Betty Lawless are now split across several universities, including St. Joe’s. The group has faced increasing challenges to their rehearsal schedule. Colin Cooper ’25, member of Betty Lawless and president of Radio 1851, said it’s worth it to power through these challenges in order to practice and perform together.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s on a stage or if it’s in my childhood basement,” Cooper said. “Just getting to make music with your friends is a blessing, something everybody should experience at one point.”
