Marching to their own beat

While Ivy League rock stars may be a rare breed Stealth Foxx stands out as a Harvard band with bigger plans.

Described by guitarist John J. “Jay” Costa, Jr. ’09 as “rock with folk and jazz pretty heavily intertwined,” the quartet has garnered a solid fan base of Harvard students and Bostonians alike.

Costa and vocalist R. Derek Wetzel ’10 started jamming together while attending Boston College High School. The duo continued their artistic pursuits at Harvard, and were eventually joined by drummer Peter Simonelli, a student at the Art Institute of Boston, and bassist Mike Leitzel.

Stealth Foxx has performed in a variety of area venues. The band recently won a battle of the bands at Church Restaurant & Nightclub in Boston. “We’re very devoted to live performance and an organic sound, and all our recordings thus far have been live,” said Costa.

Fans also note the band’s apparent enthusiasm for their art. “It’s obvious that they love their art, and the peaceful and funky vibe that they have on stage is contagious,” said Lauren E. Schwartze ’09.

Stealth Foxx’s first album is slated for a spring release. “We’ve been totally independently producing it,” said Wetzel, who is also a Crimson Arts editor. “We would love to be signed if there’s someone interested in our sound for what it is, we really have a love for music and we have a very specific vision of what we want our music to be.”

That “specific vision” doesn’t necessarily extend to the band’s peculiar name. “It just came out of a goofy conversation and kind of stuck,” said Costa, “[it’s] sort of reflective of how seriously we take ourselves,” .

Check them out March 6th at the Cantab Lounge in Central Square or April 17th at the Queens Head Pub.