If you have set foot on Northwestern’s campus sometime during the last few years, you probably have probably seen a group of guys staring up at you from yellow flyers taped to the ground. If you logged into their Myspace.com Web site you may have signed off singing “ooh ahh ooh.”

Just by being a part of Northwestern, you’ve heard of The Foster-Walker Complex, the rock quartet that formed on campus during fall 2002. But now that the guys from FWC have graduated, their plan is to make sure everyone outside of Northwestern knows their name, too.

“Right now the goal is to get famous,” said vocalist and guitarist Danny Leavitt.

It started out as a simple e-mail on NU mailing lists. Freshman guy seeks fellow musicians to start a band. Four years later, the guys known as The Foster-Walker Complex are a growing presence on Midwest’s rock scene. Today the group includes Leavitt, bassist Jon Echt, drummer Dave Moyer and Marcus Ricci on vocals, guitar and piano.

“I got to Northwestern and couldn’t major in rock ‘n’ roll,” Leavitt said. “So, I started a band.”

Talking to the man that started it all with an e-mail, it’s clear that The Foster-Walker Complex is aiming for success. The band has hit the road with a mission to reach as many people as possible. They kicked of their mini tour by performing at Mobfest in mid-June, an event noted for bringing local music to industry executives.

Their next “little thing” with a big name was Lollapalooza’s “Last Band Standing.” Thousands of bands compete to be on the bill for the music extravaganza and appear alongside headliners Kanye West, Wilco and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Though the band did not make it to the next round, Leavitt said competing was a learning experience.

“In this industry there is a lot of rejection,” Leavitt said. “You learn not to take things too harshly. I don’t think we actually expected to win.”

But they do expect to win fans using methods that are conventional and others that aren’t. “Once we made Sudoku puzzles and put ‘Brought to you by The Foster-Walker Complex’ on them,” Leavitt said.

For many bands trying to make it, the Internet, and especially Myspace.com, is the main publicity tool.

“We log on and look for people who might me interested in our music,” he said.

Searching for fans and telling them about the group and upcoming events is time consuming. But the technique is one that has served them well.

“I heard about FWC when the band requested me as one of their friends on Myspace,” said Christine Torres, a high school senior from Clarendon Hills. “I looked at their photos and listened to the songs they had on their site, and I was hooked.”

More recently, requesting people’s friendship helped them fill seats at a gig in St. Louis.

“It was funny because it was our first time there, and we brought more people to the show than the band that was from the area,” Leavitt said.

Though drawing more fans than a local act could be the highlight of performing for some bands, these guys get their satisfaction from their on-stage chemistry.

“I might decide I don’t want to sing right away, or someone will decide to do something different,” Leavitt said, comparing the band’s on-stage decisions to the improvisation of jazz.

The rock ‘n’ roll life has also helped the band members become closer. “Being able to be together as a band does not happen as much as you think,” Leavitt said. “We are all pretty busy with getting new jobs and such. Being in a band is a full-time job, so we have to sacrifice.”

But day jobs haven’t gotten in the way of the ultimate goal, Leavitt said.

“If we get a gig traveling with a big band, we’ll quit the jobs,” he said.

While they haven’t given up jobs yet, they have given up their social lives. The band dedicates free time to practicing three times a week. It’s a time commitment that will increase as they start work on a new album. The group is even flirting with the idea of producing the album as cheaply as possible so they can give it away for free.

“Yeah it will cost the band.” Leavitt said. “But it is the only way to really get the music to people.”

Reach Niema Jordan at [email protected].