They are a group of young musical artists who channel retro soul and incorporate sounds from legendary singers and songwriters of the 1960s and 1970s blues-rock era to create an original sound.

The Stone Foxes, a San Francisco-based band, is composed of four young men, all in their early 20s, who are doing what no one else does anymore in terms of sound, according to drummer, harmonica player and vocalist Shannon Koehler.

“If you look around, nobody really takes the blues anymore and rock it,” said Koehler, an SF State junior.

The Stone Foxes originally consisted of three members over two years, brothers Shannon and Spence Koehler along with guitarist, harpist and vocalist Aaron Mort, said Shannon. In the fall 2007, SF State senior Avi Vinocur joined the group as a bass player, guitar player and vocalist, blending the musical sounds of the group by creating his own acoustic music.

What makes the Stones Foxes unique is their ability to switch off instruments and positions in the band, Mort said.

“We have no set singer, no set guitarist, bass player, harmonica [player],” said Mort, an SF State senior. “We can switch it up and are experimental. That’s how we approach covering and writing our songs as well.”

“We also like to have a lot of fun with the crowd by talking and telling funny stories,” Shannon said. “It’s real personal when we do a show with the audience. We’re not just a bunch of guys who think we’re just bad ass.”

Besides the multiple roles and down-to-earth personalities, the group stands out with Vinocur being the only member able to read notes. No music is written down, according to Mort.

“[The music] is all memorization and improvisation based off of a solid progression,” Mort said.

Inspired by the blues rock and British rock of the 1960s and 1970s and the acoustic blues of the 1930s, the Stone Foxes produce sounds and techniques with inspirations from American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, the Canadian-American rock group The Band, the Los Angeles-based blues rock/boogie band Canned Heat and the British rock
band Cream, Shannon said.

“We classify ourselves as hard, heavy blues and rock,” he said.

The Stone Foxes’ music also involves collaborating in songwriting to create lyrics about topics such as war and an individual’s emotional problems.

“We deal with problems and try to talk about things that really matter,” Shannon said. “Music sort of has a way to allow you to forget about or deal with that stuff in a way you can without expressing it.”

For around half a year, the Stone Foxes have performed in local venues and filled guest slots on local rock radio station 107.7 The Bone/KSAN. But Shannon said the band’s biggest accomplishment as a group is being able to harness the sound that they feel comfortable with.

When Vinocur joined the Stone Foxes, he became the bass guitarist, adding a new sound the band previously didn’t have.

“The bass added a lot of body to the band,” Vinocur said.

Along with adding a new sound to the group, Vinocur said he organized the songs with heavy influence from the blues, folk and pop music of the 1960s.

“We’ve become more comfortable with the different sounds and everybody really gels together a lot better,” Shannon said.

The Stone Foxes will begin recording their first album in early April.

“Our goal right now is to keep playing at bigger, better places and get that record out because we’ve got a lot of good songs that are ready to be put down,” Shannon said. “We’re all pretty excited about it.”

The Stone Foxes will be performing on April 11 at Fat City, located on 314 11th St. in San Francisco.

For more on the band, check out the MySpace page.