Contest Winner Will Play in Pub

Student band Stealth Foxx will take the stage at the Cambridge Queen’s Head Pub this Sunday as the winners of the Student Band Contest at the first-ever official Yardfest After Party.

The contest is a new Yardfest addition, developed by the College Events Board and the Harvard Concert Commission, a student-run committee that organizes campus-wide events and seeks to bring professional entertainment to Harvard.

Both groups hoped that adding a student band to Yardfest would help keep the excitement going after Yardfest, said HCC Director Julia Goldenheim ’10.

Stealth Foxx was chosen from approximately 10 bands that submitted up to three songs for evaluation by members of HCC and CEB, she said.

“We were looking for something that would both sit well in atmosphere of the pub and go well with other artists we have,” said Goldenheim, referring to singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles and electronic music group Ratatat, who will be performing earlier that evening at Yardfest.

Steath Foxx is composed of R. Derek Wetzel ’10 on keyboard and vocals, guitarist John “Jay” J. Costa, Jr. ’09, bassist Mike Leitzel, and drummer Peter Simonelli, a student at the Art Institute of Boston.

Stealth Foxx was notified of their selection on the night of April 14.

“We had prepared a couple of tracks specifically for this...so we had our fingers crossed,” Costa said.

“It was definitely a surprise,” Wetzel added, “It was really exciting to be selected.”

The band stood out because of their unique sound, Goldenheim said. Costa described the band’s music as “rock with a jazz and folk influence.” Above all, he added, their music was spontaneous, featuring improvisation that makes each show a unique experience.

Wetzel and Costa have been playing together since high school, but the current band was formed only this year.

The band is currently working on its debut album and performs at Harvard and other locations in Cambridge and Boston. It recently won a battle of the bands held at Church Restaurant & Nightclub in Boston.

The After Party and the Student Band Contest may become a regular part of Yardfest in the future.

“If the student response is good, we’d love to continue it after this year,” Goldenheim said.