On Oct. 21, a new student band debuted outside the West Campus apartments for Delta Gamma’s annual Anchor Slam fundraiser.

Consisting of guitarists Bill Bishop, Mac Costonis and Thomas Newton, bassist and singer Seamus Daniello and drummer Lucas Deane, “Study Hours” put on its first official show, which was long overdue.

“This has been a long time coming,” Deane said, talking about how he had jammed with Costonis and Newton since he was a freshman living in Catherine Hall. 

This small group performed together last year for a Pi Kappa Phi event, but it was not until this year that it added Daniello to the roster, thus creating the band now known as “Study Hours.” 

“Study Hours” performed two hours of classic 2000s radio hits at Anchor Slam, including “Party in the USA” and “Mr. Brightside.” While currently just a cover band, the members are not opposed to eventually writing their own music.

“I think there’s a lot of potential for it; with the chemistry and creativity of the group,” Bishop said. 

As well as playing together, many members of the group are a part of other musical groups. Daniello is a member of the Spires, a competitive a cappella group on campus, and both he and Costonis are members of the Villanova Singers, Villanova’s all-male choir. Newton also has his own music on Spotify and Apple Music and has more than 1,000 monthly listeners. His first song, “Love Moat,” went viral on TikTok when it was released in late 2020.

The band comes from a wide array of musical backgrounds, with influences ranging from “Nirvana” and “The Smiths” to Jimi Hendrix, John Mayer and Ed Sheeran. This diverse range of upbringings helps the band keep its setlists interesting, as it doesn’t spend too much time on one specific genre or artist.

While the group usually uses the Student Performing Arts’ Rock Band Room to practice, the band’s first (and only) practice before Anchor Slam was cut short due to a noise complaint from students living in St. Mary’s Hall. Even with the lack of preparation, the band put on an incredible show.

“The performance really brought the whole event to life,” Alexis Huber said, a student who attended Anchor Slam. “The music brought a great energy that left you in an amazing mood.”

Anchor Slam is Delta Gamma’s annual charity volleyball tournament that raises money for Service for Sight, which helps provide access for the blind and visually impaired. This year, it teamed up with Pi Kappa Phi, and the fundraiser was a huge success.

“I knew we had to do something fun, different and exciting to get people hyped and involved in such a short amount of time,” Gabby Slentz, Delta Gamma’s Director of Service Hours said. “It was the perfect day, and we are so grateful to the Sisters of Delta Gamma, the Brothers of PiKapp, the boys of ‘Study Hours’ and all of our friends for their help and support in raising the most we have ever raised for our Philanthropy, Service for Sight.”

“Study Hours” does not have any future shows yet, but this does not mean the group isn’t ready to go back out and perform.

“We’re definitely on the lookout for opportunities to play, but they don’t present themselves all that often,” Deane said. “But I think we all agree that playing live music is a super exhilarating, just great experience overall.” 

To follow the band and be caught up on any updates for future shows, check out its Instagram @studyhoursband.