After two years of mixtapes and basement tracks, Sam Phan, Sidney Fox, and Lj Delacruz have refined their sound together as artists to form James Smith.

“We are college kids, just like everybody else here and even when we just make beats without words, we do us and we don’t try and be anything that we are not,” said Sidney Fox.

Although they are college students recording in a Brown Hall dorm room, they are not amateurs. The group doesn’t care about becoming rock stars; they do it for the music.

Since the beginning of the group’s friendship, they have always shared the same passion for music. Sidney remembers the first time he met Sam; they first spoke about some common interests like clothes and music. Once the subject of music came up they found themselves meshing their two individual sounds into one.

“Our music is a composition between two artists, and the 155 was the room that I lived in the time. Composition 155 sounds like a course, so it was kind of a play on words.” said Sam Phan.

In the early stages of the group, they had to rent a studio and were really restricted on what they could do with the music because they were rushed paying to use a studio. Although the studio time never resulted in a perfect sound they did make some unusual collaborations.

“We first went to the studio just to watch Lj record with a Christian singer from Sioux Falls. We ended up writing some verses that ended up on his album, then after me and Sidney were vibing with Lj we decided ‘Hey, let’s start a band.’ In two weeks we wrote about five songs, then two weeks later we recorded them,” remembers Phan. “Right after we recorded, we got a concert at a church event called ‘Hype’ in Sioux Falls and it was about abstinence. It was at the convention center and I remember there were hundreds of people there. We were playing a show before our CD was even out. I was thinking, ‘Our songs are about smashing on girls and this event is about abstinence.’ So we changed a couple of our lyrics and it was like all middle-schoolers, but it was fun.”

Other than their first big show, James Smith hasn’t performed much since other than some birthday parties and barbecues. Though the shows aren’t huge the group gets a lot of downloads and a lot of views.

“We did a remix last year that got really big on campus called ‘I Like It’, it was played on the radio here. We’d go to parties and get recognized, they knew us and that’s cool and everything. That’s what fuels my fire is having people like my music. That’s all I want to do is make people excited about music,” said Fox.

After a few good investments, Sam has turned his dorm room into a recording studio. Now the group has unlimited time and opportunity to record music all hours of the day and night. This has helped refine the band’s sound and create some collaborations with artists around the dorms, like Sam’s roommate Carlos Vargas. Sidney likes working with Carlos because he has always been a big backer of the group, and because of the dorm studio Carlos was able to express himself.

Sam will get calls from Sidney at all hours of the night to record a song because it’s just something that comes to them naturally. The music just happens; once the group gets stuck on a song they switch off and do that until the track is finished.

Sam said he has no problem expressing his feelings on tracks because of all of the music that doesn’t say anything like rap or hip-hop. He is trying to put substance in his music.

Going over his lyrics with a fine-toothed comb, Phan makes sure the group’s music doesn’t fall under the meaningless category, scrapping any lyrics that don’t stand for something. Sidney shares that enthusiasm, making sure the group never dumbs down the music just to make a club track.

Sam has even taken out the radio in his car because he says mainstream music is purely for profit. The songs on the radio are catchy, but Sam wants something more; he wants it to mean something. Sidney recognizes good original music still exists but is not played on the radio. He realizes there isn’t any passion in the music so he never really connects with the music.

Composition 155 wants to get exposure and get heard, just recently getting a manager. They don’t want to just get a record deal. They want to do it on their own.

Sidney said, “We want people to recognize that we do us, we want people to say ‘you did you’ and when you blow up like that it shows that we really care. We always put in work whether we are writing or making beats or doing shows, we are excited and we bring a lot of energy.”

The next big thing for Composition 155 is Sidney’s instrumental album Headphones that came out April 1. The album is inspired from Sidney’s walks between classes and the music that he takes inspiration from. It is titled Headphones because it is headphone music. To truly catch and hear everything in the song you have to put the headphones on.

“All of the songs are named after things you keep in your pocket. If I had to pick one song to say this is what Headphones is all about, it’s Wallet, the last track on the album. It is full of progressive sounds and Wallet really encompasses the whole album,” said Fox.

Headphones is just one of the many new albums on the horizon for Composition 155. Also coming out this year is James Smith Volume 3. All of Composition 155′s music is available on their website for free at Composition155.bandcamp.com.

Fusing Sam’s trance influences and Sidney’s old school drum patterns, they are constantly progressing as full musicians, making the tracks from start to finish.

“From start to finish it’s us. If you don’t write your own lyrics or don’t produce your own songs then it’s not 100 percent you. For us it’s important to make our own beats,” Sam said.

Creating a sound bigger than the city, James Smith’s music speaks for itself with the most inventive flow and fresh sound that makes their music amazing.

After a drunken rant during MTV’s Video Music Awards (which are a joke – everyone knows MTV doesn’t show music videos anymore), Kanye West has been crucified by the media and the public ever since. His acting out and outrageous behavior at award shows have defined him more than his music.

VH1′s release on Jan. 5 of his live performance at VH1 studios adds Kanye to a list of amazing artists like Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie, both of whom performed for VH1 in the earlier years. Storytellers, similar to MTV’s “Unplugged,” gives artists the chance to describe the history or inspiration of the songs that made them great.

Kanye’s set list consists of five tracks from his latest album, 808s & Heartbreak, along with his Grammy-winning Good Life and a few other crowd favorites. 808s & Heartbreak was largely influenced by the death of his mother after plastic surgery, and the split between him and then-fiancee, designer Alexis Phifer. It features more intimate songs that have been far and few between on his albums.

Armed with a live orchestra, a scratch- happy DJ, a full band and an energetic crowd, Kanye puts on quite a show, something that can also be visually experienced with the accompanying DVD that comes in the two-disc pack. He acts as a maestro at times during the songs – composing, changing the tempo, sound and arranging instruments.

The album’s more surprising moments involve his song “RoboCop” and his love for comedian Jack Black’s band Tenacious D. At one time, West said, “I know I’m supposed to talk about what these songs mean, but some of these songs are so personal. The things I’ve been through are so real … Certain things are just hard for me to talk about, certain things are too serious.”

That really gives the listener a vibe of how honest and painful some of the newer Kanye songs are.

His most touching and personal “rant” on the entire album is during “Amazing” when he said, “I apologize for acting like a d**k at award shows, but it’s an award show, I mean I didn’t kill anyone. I still apologize for my ungraciousness.”

This album is a touching addition to Kanye West’s already stellar list of albums. Three of his four albums have appeared on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of the top albums of the decade, along with his beats accompanying Jay-Z’s Blueprint album. West has two songs on RS’s list of top songs of the decade, so the future is looking bright for Kanye West in the new decade.

This is a great, honest, revealing and truthful album kicking off the 2010 music year.

The University Program Council office is buzzing a week before Hobo Days. Pale yellow posters, random scraps of paper and three-ring binders flow over the edges of the table.

In the center of all the chaos is Michael Preszler, a senior journalism and Spanish major and first-year UPC member. This year Preszler is hosting Cavorts, which, in his eyes, is one of the most important events of the year.

Cavorts is the student talent show hosted by SDSU on the Friday of Hobo Week. Do not expect an amateur hour, however; the contestants have to participate in an audition and pass the rigorous judges.

The board of judges consists of relevant faculty, who are “an integral cog in the SDSU machine,” according to Thomas Brinker, a media production major and Cavorts participant.

This year 23 acts, consisting of bands, comedy acts and everything in between, tried out. Only 10 made the cut.

“You can expect comic geniuses, a capella, singers, bands, singer/songwriters, dancers. There is a really diverse group of acts that will perform,” Brinker said.

At the show, performers will be given six to seven minutes to showcase their skills. Performances will be evaluated by five judges consisting of Students’ Association President Matt Tollefson, Grand Pooba Megan Schiferl, Student Union Director Jennifer Novotny, SDSU Director of Choral Activities Steven Grives and Billy Wilburn of the Theatre Department.

Jared Schager, a freshman majoring in health promotion, is excited to attend his first Cavorts.

“I am excited for the whole Hobo Days week and all the events of the week, ” Schager said. “I once heard that the men in Mathews (Hall) would host naked aerobics in the parking lot every morning.”

Schager does not know if things will get that crazy this year, but he hopes the week will include some joy.

“Cavorts sounds like something fun and legal to do. I’ll be there for sure,” Schager said.

Similar to many SDSU students, Schager is looking for something enjoyable to do during the week since many have midterm tests.

Fraternities Delta Chi and Sigma Phi Epsilon will compete as part of Cavorts, as well, and there is no telling what they will bring to the table.

Kyle Beck, a singer/songwriter who competed last year will return to Cavorts, but there are also some newcomers to the stage.

Brinker and sophomore sociology major Maggie Aldrich will be competing this year.

“We are popping our Cavorts cherry,” Aldrich said during a sitdown with her “partner in crime,” Brinker. They will be performing a chess tournament skit made famous on Saturday Night Live.

“Soak up the awkwardness of everything on stage, really waft it in,” Brinker said. “It will be flowing off the stage.”

Other than on stage at Cavorts, students can catch Brinker on 90.7 New Rock on Tuesdays from 5 to 7 p.m.

“I attended Cavorts last year, and the variety of acts was brilliant,” Brinker said.

“We poured our sweat, tears and blood into this skit. I mean on a scale of one to fun, I’d be purple!” Aldrich said.

Cavorts promises to be interesting to say the least, or in Preszler’s words, “Get some entertainment at Cavorts and stay classy, SDSU.”

Walking down Main Avenue, people may find themselves fixated on a Vegas-style neon sign.

The sign hangs above 308 Main Ave., signaling the entrance to Pizza King, a landmark of the downtown area. The striking neon sign has hung above the building since April 1961.

Prior to becoming known as Pizza King, the building was a barbershop and its tiles still pave the entranceway to the King.

In May 1961, at the age of 61, a Greek immigrant by the name of Gus Kakas opened the first pizza parlor to grace the streets of Brookings.

Kakas’ dream lives on at Pizza King, where his black-and-white photo still hangs on the wall to this day.

The current owner, Shannon Brown, a former employee of the Pizza King, acquired the restaurant in 1998 and has carried on the tradition of making traditional homemade pizzas. Brown, a Brookings native, remembers eating at Pizza King as a kid and working during the ’80s.

When Brown was an employee, SDSU students fueled Pizza King’s business.

“When I worked here in the early ’80s, I used to deliver a lot to campus,” said Brown.

Today, Pizza King delivers to campus only about once a month. Yet Brown said this has no direct correlation to the pizza itself: Brown does no advertisements, so not many SDSU students know about Pizza King other than those who spend a lot of time downtown.

“It’s all word of mouth, plus once people try it and like it, they come back,” Brown said.

Other than students and residents, Pizza King brings in return customers from all around the United States. People who grew up in Brookings often return to Pizza King to remember their childhood, including a man during hunting season who has a standing order for fifty half-baked pizzas.

“A lot of people tell me they had their first date [here], or they met their wife here,” Brown said.

The original owner’s children and grandchildren also visit frequently. Brown said he remembers the stories the Kakas kids tell about early Pizza King.

“Back then, at about 8 o’clock, his grandpa would lock the door,” he said. “If you were in, you were in. If you were out, you were out. That’s how busy they got.

“[Pizza King] used to be a place to go after the school dances. Back then, people would cruise Main and stuff. ? They don’t do that anymore.”

Even though times have changed, Pizza King’s pizzas have not. When Brown purchased Pizza King in ’98, he received the original 1961 sauce and dough recipes. The recipe has not changed since.

All the dough and sauce is made daily from scratch by Brown himself. Whole fresh cut mozzarella cheese, supreme pepperoni and freshly cut vegetables go into every pizza. A crispy, almost cracker-like thin crust, forms the base for the homemade pizza.

Though never a frequenter of the traditional pizza shop, Tami Bergen, a senior biology major, has heard positive things about it.

“I’ve heard that [Pizza King] is really good because it tastes different than the others,” she said.

#1.881429:67343767.jpg:Pizza.King.RG.CMYK.jpg:Formerly a barbershop, Pizza King has been a part of Brookings’ downtown since 1961.:Robby Gallagher
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