The Special (Fall 2015)
The Special is an online magazine produced
by
journalism
students
at
Texas
A&M
University-‐Commerce.
Content
and
produc on
are
the
responsibili es
of
the
students.
The Special
is
produced
during
the
fall
and
spring
semesters.
conTacT:
The
Special,
Texas
A&M
University-‐Commerce,
Box
4104,
Commerce,
Texas
75428. STaff:
Devanta
Durgan,
Mason
Meyers,
Chevall
Pryce,
Keilah
Whitaker,
Sara
Wray faculTy adviSer: Fred
Stewart
(Fred.Stewart@tamuc.edu)
Inside this issue ‘Trendsetter’ By Devante Durgan
Holograms give stars new concert life By Mason Meyers
DJ Ayo
By Mason Meyers
It all started as a hobby By Chevall Pryce
DJ Sammy By Keilah Whitaker
Davies at Carnegie Hall By Sara Wray
Harris is hip-hop ‘Trendsetter’ By Devante Durgan An up and coming talent known as “Trendsetter” has his mind set on the music and at 22-years of age, Chris Harris focused on hip-hop for
the
past
five
years.
“The music took my attention when I was a sophomore in high school,” Harris, from Sulphur Springs,
said.
He started searching for inspiration to help him with lyrics and beats and admits that for the first
three
months,
the
outcomes
were not workings out as he had planned.
With
few
resources
to
get
him on the right track, Harris began to
lose
hope
in
the
music
industry.
“I
was
very
disappointed
because I had put a lot of time into something that I was not exceeding at,”
he
said.
Trendsetter, a business several
years
ago,
so
finding
a
management major, began planning studio
was
just
a
phone
call
away. ways
to
improve
himself
lyrically
by
To his friends, Trendsetter listening
to
some
of
his
favorite
artists.
was a diamond in the rough that “J.Cole,
Future,
Rich
Homie,
had
not
been
found
yet.
They
were
and
Big
Krit
are
the
first
names
that
amazed
by
the
hooks
he
wrote.
come to mind anytime someone asks “My friends teased me me about who I think are the best about
h aving
a
ghostwriter
to
write
artists,”
he
said.
down the things I had cooked up,” These lyricists helped Harris he
said.
realize what style of hip-hop he But he knew his music would
sound
better
performing.
After
could
reach
a
variety
of
people
he wrote more songs in his school notebook,
he
felt
it
was
time
to
reveal
because in high school, he was known
as
Trendsetter.
Now,
at
some
of
his
work.
Texas
A&M
University-Commerce,
“How could I make music his name has become known without a microphone or studio?” he to many students who listen to asked
himself.
hip-hop.
Still
as
an
underground
rapper,
Trendsetter
believes
his
first
That is when he knew he opportunity will be the only one needed a recording booth to actually put
the
music
to
work.
Harris’s
uncle
necessary.
* was a recording artist in Mesquite
Holograms give stars new concert life By Mason Meyers Rockers,
rappers,
and
pop
stars come and go, but now people may
have
the
opportunity
to
see
their
favorite
deceased
music
artist
perform
“live.” Hologram technology has come a long way in the past couple years from unrealistic looking projections of people standing in one spot on a stage with choppy movements.
Now,
projectors
aimed
down at the stage project an image onto mirrors installed into the stage floor,
which
are
then
reflected
and
give
more
realistic
images.
Most
people were introduced to the world of
modern hologram performances when Tupac
Shakur’s
hologram
performed
at
Coachella
in
2012
with
Dr.
Dre
and
Snoop
Dogg.
“The
online
videos
don’t
do
it
justice,”
Texas
A&M
University- Commerce
student
Tobasia
Griffiths
said.
“You
have
to
see
it
for
yourself.”
Fans
were
also
surprised
to
find
out
that
the
Tupac
hologram
was
a
rather
expensive
CGI
model
of
the
rapper
created
by
Digital
Domain.
The cost of the holograms has
proven
problematic
for
the
people
who
create
them.
Digital
Domains, the company that created the
Tupac
hologram,
had
to
file
for
bankruptcy earlier this year and is now owned
jointly
by
Beijing
Galloping
Horse
America,
LLC
and
Reliance
MediaWorks
USA.
“We
knew
–
working
with
Dr.
Dre,
working
with
Snoop
–
that
it
would
be
big,”
Digital
Domain’s
Ed
Ulbrich
said.
“We
didn’t
know
how
big.” Another was Michael Jackson’s
hologram
performance
as
a part of “Michael Jackson: One,” a Cirque
de
Soleil
show.
However,
should
technology
keep
advancing,
hologram
performers
could
be
the
concert-going
venture
of
the
future.
*
DJ Ayo
‘the reason things happen’
By Mason Meyers
Events
need
music,
whether it be pre-recorded or from a
live
performer
and
for
Texas
A&M
University-Commerce
student Angel Jasso, offering his
DJ
services
around
the
DFW
Metroplex is what brings people, good tunes and a good time together. In the spring 2013, Jasso decided to start playing around with a DJ app he downloaded to his
phone.
After
a
few
months
of playing with the app, friends started to compliment him on how good
he
had
gotten
at
DJ-ing.
One
friend,
Travis
Young,
suggested
he
start
DJ-ing
at
events.
“I’m
just
a
guy
who
liked
to
play music,” Jasso said about why he
started
DJing.
“At
first,
I
wanted
reasons
he
loves
DJing
is
that
he
to rap or produce, but my mom said has
total
control
over
his
audience.
that
was
a
waste
of
time.” “I like being the reason In the fall 2013, Jasso things
happen,”
he
said.
“If
two
played
his
first
event,
sparking
people
meet
at
an
event
I
DJed,
and
interest from people on the A&Mthose people later get married, then Commerce
campus.
Over
the
next
maybe
I
helped
make
that
happen.
two years Jasso, who now goes I like being in control of a good by his DJ name, DJ Ayo, grew his situation.” reputation and honed his skills as a
DJ.
Today,
he
has
played
from
Jasso
also
plays
events
for
San Marcos to Tyler and into different groups and organizations Oklahoma.
so depending on the audience, Jasso’s
playlist
might
differ.
The
“I generally charge $50 an crowd
determines
the
songs
played. hour
for
university
events
and
$100
an hour for Dallas or non-school Every
year,
Jasso
DJs
a
events,”
Jasso
said,
concerning
his
dance
for
The
Fandom
Society.
rates.
“Trial
and
error.
Just
seeing
“I’ll
play
the
Pokémon
what
worked
and
what
didn’t.” theme song for them, but I would Jasso said that one of the never
play
that
anywhere
else,”
he
said.
However,
Jasso
considers
his DJing to be a hobby, and claims that
it
will
always
be
one.
That
being said, he also has no idea when
he
wants
to
stop.
“My
love
for
music
is
never
going
to
stop,
so
I
have
no
idea
if
I’ll
ever
stop
DJing,”
Jasso
said.
“I
can’t
decide
when
I
want
to
stop,
because
I
never
decided
that
I
wanted
to
start.”
*
Inspira on
comes
from
music
listened
It
all
started
as
a
hobby By Chevall Pryce
Zach
Nichols
is
a senior business major at Texas A&M
University
–
Commerce
who makes music that he wants to hear with limited equipment and improvisation.
Nichols
began
producing music as a hobby in high school with a computer, a simple music production program, and inspiration from artists that he listened
to.
“It
wasn’t
even
serious
at
first
and
I
had
no
idea
what
I
was
doing,”
Nichols
said.
“I just made stuff that sounded like
8-bit
Nintendo
music
originally,
because I had no idea how to use the
program.
Eventually,
I
just
started
learning.
The
thing
that
helped me was showing it to people who knew how to make music and they would tell me what sucked and
how
to
fix
it
and
how
to
use
the
program.
I’ve
just
picked
things
up.”
Nearly
five
years
after
starting
his
hobby,
Nichols
is set to release his latest album “Press
Start”
under
the
pseudonym
“Free2Play”
with
a
similar
production setup coupled with more
experience.
“Brad
Davis,
who
runs a music production class on campus, showed me a production kit
that’s
worth
a
little
under
$200,
and
that’s
what
I’ve
been
using,”
Nichols
said.
“It’s
Presonus,
which
is
like
the
Walmart
brand
of
music
equipment,
but
it
works...I’ve
been
working
with
that
and
FL
Studio
for
a
long
time.
For
a
while,
I
didn’t
even
have
a
pop
filter
for
my mic and I would just record a
certain
distance
from
the
mic.
There are times I wish I had $1,000 to blow on equipment, but you just have
to
work
with
what
you
have
at
the
time.”
Nichols
draws
his
inspiration from music he listened to
as
a
child
and
his
love
for
video
games.
His
musical
style
is
an
attempt to combine the sounds of artists such as hip-hop producer Nujabes
and
rock
band
System
of
a Down with his nostalgia of oldschool
video
games
like
“Super
Mario
Bros.”
and
“The
Legend
of
Zelda.”
He
calls
this
genre
“Stuff
I Like” and it resembles chiptune with
a
mix
of
hip-hop
and
pop.
“It’s
kind
of
all
over
the
place,
but
it’s
mainly
hip-hop,
electronic, and some orchestral stuff,”
Nichols
said.
“It’s
tough,
because
every
time
I
write
a
song,
I
sit
there
forever
because
when
I
upload
the
song
to
a
website
I
have
to
select
a
genre.”
Over
the
years,
Nichols
has
been
working
on
his
writing
and
producing
process.
With
his
latest
album
on
the
way,
he is beginning to rework the lyrics and style of his music for his current
unfinished
future
album. “I want to focus a little more and write about social issues,”
he
said.
“At
the
moment,
I
never
write
lyrics
before
I
do
a
song.
I
usually
just
improvise
singing
and
attach
lyrics
later.
“This
album
I’m
about
to
to
as
a
child
and
love
of
video
games Mefford
and
hosts
a
YouTube
channel with his co-star and fellow student
Tony
Feduccia.
But,
he
never
stops
trying
to
improve
his musical craft, making sure to practice his production at least once
a
week. “If I was going to give
advice
to
someone,
it’d
be
to
keep
making
music,”
Nichols
said.
“The one thing I like about music, compared
to
film
and
other
stuff,
is
that
you
can
do
it
by
yourself.
It
doesn’t
matter
if
other
people
think
you
suck.
Just
keep
making
music,
if
you
like
it.
I’m
pretty
sure
if
I
graduate
and
get
a
nine
to
five
job
I’m
still
going
to
be
making
music.”
Zach
Nichols’
first
album,
“Press
Start,”
will
be
released on the online music store CDBaby
within
the
next
month.
* release has a lot of personal stuff on it because I would just sing about
what’s
on
my
mind...I
would
just put together a song and then sing
to
it,”
he
said.
“Now,
I’m
trying to write songs, plan ahead, and work with other people who make
music.”
“I had no idea what I was doing” Zach Nichols
Nichols
has
also
promoted his new album by making
a
music
video
for
his
song
“You’ll
Find
Someone,”
produced
by his friend Taylor Mefford, a
student
at
A&M
–
Commerce.
“You’ll
Find
Someone”
is
from
the
album
“Press
Start”
and
it
gave
Nichols
insight
into
his
music
production “The song was really
significant
for
me,
because
it
was
the
first
time
I
understood
chord structure and how to make [my music] sound like a radio song,”
he
said.
“That’s
how
a
lot
of
my
songs
are
now.
It
has
a
hip-hop
flare
to
it.
“The newest song I make is
usually
my
favorite
because
I
learn
from
it,”
Nichols
said.
“For
instance,
the
last
song
on
[Press
Play]
is
the
one
I
like
best...that’s
the one where I feel like all of my knowledge
is
there.” In his free time, Nichols
likes
to
make
films
with
DJ Sammy aka Samuel Brisby
‘My style is adjusting to my audience’ DJ Sammy wants to be original and different from other DJs DJ Sammy is one musician on campus that is always performing.
at
Texas
A&M
University-
Commerce, majoring in communications.
His
medium
of
music is beat producing and DJing.
Samuel Brisby, aka DJ Sammy, is a graduating senior
Raised
in
North
Texas,
the
23-year-old found his passion for
By Keilah Whitaker
this
activity
his
freshman
year
at
A&M-Commerce
in
2012.
“I started doing it as a hobby, because I really like the sound of chopped and screwed music, and I wanted to hear certain songs chopped up, so I started to do
it
myself,”
he
said.
and
EDM
house
music.
Sammy is best known for
being
a
DJ,
however,
he
is
still a full-time college student and remembers his journey to Commerce from another school and his personal transition into a musician.
“I
have
to
listen
to
many
genres
since
I
offer
my
services
to
a
lot
of
different
crowds,”
he
said.
“I started off as a freshman at
this
little
private
college
and
I
didn’t
really
like
it,
so
the
next
semester I transferred here (A&MCommerce),”
he
said.
“Plus
I’ve
always kind of been a loner and so once
I
moved
to
Smith
Hall,
I
just
stayed
in
my
room
a
lot.
Then
once
I got enough equipment, I started teaching myself and practicing, and then
people
started
to
book
me.”
DJ
Sammy’s
catalog
of
music is made up of Top 40, pop, hip-hop,
Latino
style,
old
R&B,
Although he listens to all of those genres to keep up with a
variety
of
people,
his
personal
library
is
very
simple. “Personally,
I
just
listen
to old school west coast rap and R&B,”
he
said.
“Like
I
mess
with
N.W.A,
Snoop
Dogg,
and
Tupac,
but
I
also
love
the
Isley
Brothers,
George
Clinton
and
the
Parliament
Funkidelic.
Like,
those
are
my
classics
as
well
as
my
favorites.” His inspiration and artistic style when it comes to beat mixing and producing come from his audiences.
“My style is just adjusting to
my
audience,”
he
said.
“I
mainly
play
for
them.
However,
as
far
as
my
inspiration,
it’s
like
an
inner
voice
that
tells
me
to
keep
going.
I
think
I
inspire
myself,
because I want to be original and different
from
other
DJ’s,
so
I
challenge myself to switch it up so people
won’t
get
bored.”
*
Davies at Carnegie Hall By Sara Wray
Dr.
David
Davies
of
the music department at Texas A&M
University-Commerce
is not only an educator, but is an internationally performed composer, an organist and conductor. Davies
studied
composition,
conducting, and piano at the Greatbatch
School
of
Music,
Houghton College, and earned his doctorate of musical arts in composition
at
the
Frost
School
of
Music
at
the
University
of
Miami.
He joined A&M-Commerce in 2014 and is now assistant professor Musica
de
Puerto
Rico
in
San
Juan.
of music theory and head of theory He said the one that stands studies. out
for
him
most,
however,
was
“I think at a certain point, having
his
piece
Cantate Domino probably when I was in high premiered at Carnegie Hall in the school, I just realized that [music] spring
of
2014. was the only thing that I really was “That
was
definitely
a
passionate
about,”
Davies
said.
“I
major highlight of my career, being know a lot of other musicians that feel
the
same
way,
where
it’s
not
so
there
for
that,”
Davies
said
of
the
Carnegie
Hall
premiere.
“It
was
for
much the act of choosing music as a career, but more of the realization choir and orchestra, so it was a big piece.
I
got
to
go
up
on
stage
and
that
you
can’t
imagine
yourself
everything
afterwards
and
that
was
doing
anything
else.” cool.” Davies’
music
has
been
Davies
began
taking
piano
performed across the globe in lessons
around
seven
or
eight
years
venues
like
the
Great
Hall
at
old.
He
didn’t
want
to
practice
at
Cooper
Union
in
New
York
City,
the Culturo Jorge Borges in Buenos the
time,
so
he
quit
and
didn’t
start
taking lessons again until he turned Aires,
and
the
Conservatorio
de
13
or
14.
Before
taking
lessons
again,
he
had
been
playing
by
ear.
He
also
played
the
trumpet,
French
horn,
and
sang.
“I
was
still
involved,
and
I
was
still
doing
music,
but
I
didn’t
start
aggressively
practicing
and
getting lessons and training until I was
in
middle
school,”
Davies
said. Davies
teaches
several
classes at A&M-Commerce, such as
all
four
levels
of
music
theory,
ear training, orchestration, and counterpoint.
However,
his
favorite
subject to teach is contemporary music theory, or “post-tonal music theory” which focuses on music written mostly in the twentieth century
and
after. “It tends to be more unconventional
music,”
Davies
said.
“I
like
it
because
a
lot
of
students come at that music with
a
certain
level
of
hostility
because
it’s
unfamiliar.
A
lot
of
it
is challenging and not particularly pleasant
to
listen
to.
What
I
enjoy
about
that
class
is
giving
students
the tools to not necessarily enjoy that
music,
because
you
can’t
make
anyone enjoy anything, but to understand
it.
More
than
any
other
class,
that’s
where
I
have
students
who
find
they
like
things
that
they
didn’t
realized
they
liked,
and
I
like
that.” Although
Davies
has
accomplished a lot in his career,
he still looks for new things to accomplish
in
the
future.
would
be
cool
to
have
something
like
that
done.”
“I
would
love
to
have
a
major work, like a large symphony or an oratorio or something like that, performed professionally, like by a major orchestra or something,”
he
said.
“I
think
it
Davies
and
his
wife
serve
as
the
directors
of
Worship
Arts
at
Trinity
Presbyterian
Church
in
Plano.
He
is
also
an
active
member
of
the
Society
of
Composers,
Inc.,
the College Music Society, and the
Christian
Fellowship
of
Art
Music
Composers.
In
2014,
he
became
vice
president
of
the
board
for
the
Christian
Fellowship
of
Art
Music
Composers.
He
currently
lives
with
his
wife
and
four
children
in
Royse
City.
*
‘That was definitely a major highlight of my career...’ -- Dr. Davies
Dr.
Davies
at
Carnegie
Hall