“You’re only as good as your last meal.” – Joe Sanfilippo “You can’t qualify your life as successful just because of finances.” – Joe Sanfillippo Joe’s career in the restaurant business began at the age of 11 when he filled in at one of his uncle’s restaurants on New Years Eve as a busboy. He enjoyed the tips and working with family, a group of brother and sisters who immigrated from Sicily to St. Louis. The older generation has mostly retired but the family empire is in good hands with Joe...

“A large cross represented a person who had died of cancer and a small cross represented those who were battling cancer. There were way to many crosses out there.” – Tony West “People said you’re a television cameraman, what do you know about nuclear waste. Well I’m learning. You have to learn.” – Tony West How much industrial waste has been dumped into our environment the past 100 years? Are companies concerned about the well being of their employees or is it all just a facade? These are a...

“I love the pull yourself up by your bootstraps philosophy but that implies that you have boots.” – Jason Cleaveland “We've created so many barriers to entry for the for these low-level entry-level jobs that were people are really doomed to life a life of poverty.” - Jason Cleaveland “So many times what happens is they lose that hope after going to 10, 15, 20, 30 job interviews and being denied that it's very attractive to go back down to the corner and sell dope” – Jason Cleaveland What...

“The whole origin for doing this project was…it gives us an excuse to explore the city. Learn more stuff around us and hopefully be better St. Louisians or just people in general because were going out and exploring something.” – Matt Sims “Well it's important to think about that the "24 hour news cycle is a new thing in journalism. It used to be there was actually a gap of time. If the 5 o'clock news and the 7 o'clock news came on five days a week you had to wait a full 24 hours before...

“Everything you want is on the other side of fear. It takes a couple of attempts to push through the fear to realize you can!” – Matt Hodel “If you don’t know where to start…it’s forward. Just go! Start…continue!” – Matt Hodel “On working with other people – “I think a lot of times it’s just planting seeds and the weird thing is that just because you have a vision and you see things your way doesn't mean that when you plant the seed in someone else there going to grow the same tree or...

This episode is dedicated to Ken Calcaterra Sr. “I believe that we are here to contribute love to the planet each of us in our own way.” – Bernie Siegel “Mother Theresa said that she would not attend an antiwar rally, and the people who invited her were very upset, but she said to them, “If your ever have a peace rally, call me.” – Bernie Siegel “I’d say, unfortunately, for the majority of people, most of whom are the authors of multiple books that I interview, they have to have a tragedy...

“The theory behind it all is to shine a light on the St. Louis music scene. I’m of the mentality that if one succeeds we all benefit.” – Shane Presley – Rock Paper Podcast “People hit me up all the time…how do I do a podcast? I want to do it and I’m like, do it! Grab a mic and do it and have some fun.” – Shane Presley – Rock Paper Podcast How does a city develop a successful music scene? It’s takes people like Shane Presley who is beyond passionate concerning St. Louis musicians and...

Step into the world of Songbird Café a unique St. Louis listening experience modeled after the Nashville’s famed Bluebird Café. Ken sits down with Songbird founder and curator Steve St. Cyr to discuss some of Steve’s favorite moments from the past five years of Songbird Shows on the eve of the events sixth anniversary. Check out what listeners have to say about this heartfelt event in a video created by Ken - https://youtu.be/PRbCZTTZgrE Songbird Playlist featured in Conversations with...

“Everybody knows us, the Molina brothers in the Major Leagues…this man, this dad we had was our Hall of Famer!” – Bengie Molina “All of us were pulling for each other, and we battled our butts off out there! We wanted to be very special, we wanted to do it! Sometimes you don’t have that in the family – Bengie Molina on three brothers as World Series winning catchers. “I think that’s why we made it to the big leagues because he sacrificed his own life for us.” - Bengie Molina on his...

“We’re going to raise hell…responsibly! – Jeff Stevens (Entrepreneur/Creative) – Well Being Brewing Company “Because of the speed of communication the standard of perfection really isn’t there. It’s more about trying shit! – Jeff Stevens (Entrepreneur/Creative) – Well Being Brewing Company Jeff Stevens is one of the forces behind America’s first non-alcoholic craft brewery. The longtime advertising creative has teamed up with St. Louis’ O’fallon Brewery to fully brew the beer and then...

“Music along with love is probably the most powerful force in the universe and I think it has the power to change lives!!!” – Connor Weinstein (Singer/Guitarist) – Next Door to the Moon “The most meaningful aspect of being a musician is making an emotional connection with someone who hears your song!” – Connor Weinstein (Singer/Guitarist) – Next Door to the Moon “How can you convince a whole consumer audience to go backwards and buy music when they have access to it for free?” – Connor...

“Life is collecting experiences and that’s literally my job!” – Tony Rehagen - Journalist “I think that the definition of success is when work becomes fun and a lot of people never get to experience that. I feel extremely fortunate that I have.” – Tony Rehagen - Journalist Is what we know as print journalism dying in the age of the internet? Has the digital age shortened our attention span to the point where most people won’t sit down to read a long form article? Tony Rehagen answers these...

“If you want to build a fan base do it by caring about that fanbase!” – Ryan Gaughan, Among Criminals – La Capitana “Holding yourself accountable to other people is the best muscle to start holding yourself accountable! – Ryan Gaughan, Among Criminals – La Capitana How many musicians do you know who would consider turning down a record deal to teach kids? This statement illustrates the character of Ryan Gaughan who spent the first half of 2017 in Los Angeles teaching kids with “learning...

Art is one’s legacy. When we create art a piece of our soul is infused in the work and when we leave this planet it remains for others to cherish our energy. Jimmy Smith affectionately known as Jimmy Buckets based on his prowess behind a drum kit (and sometimes plastic construction buckets) left this world in February of 2017 due to reported heart failure. In this episode of Conversations with Calcaterra, Ken is joined by Jimmy’s bandmates from Nervous Pudding; Josh Lawson (guitar), John...

“If you get out of politics and you’re rich, it’s because you either got bought off, you sold out your people or you did something wrong. I’m a public servant!” – Curtis Wylde, Professional Wrestler and Public Servant “I don’t ever want to be called a politician. To me the word politician is like holy water on a vampire. It’s dirty to me!” – Curtis Wylde, Professional Wrestler and Public Servant Curtis Wylde was inspired by Bernie Sanders to run for office and he has taken his...

“There’s just something about being barefoot in a public place that makes you feel really connected to it and those around you.” – Elle Brodsky, Founder Yogabuzz “Yogabuzz is one of my favorite activities as I’m able to take part in a fun yoga practice and then meet new people and observe my surroundings in a euphoric state.” – Ken Calcaterra, Conversations with Calcaterra and Professional Visual Storyteller Elle Brodski is the visionary creator of Yogabuzz an organization which combines the...

“I definitely wanted it to be not just a glossy Hollywood tale but to have some drama.” – Corey Stulce on “The Union of the State” What is the current Union of the State? Do you even know who the State are? If not then you should definitely tune in to learn why author Corey Stulce spent 7 years chronicling their epic tale. If you are a fan of the comedy troupe then you are going to want to curl up with this book to capture the more intimate details of their relationships and comedy...

“Art is the almost undefinable component that creates a distinction between information and a story.” – Evan Grae Davis “Even the corporate work that pays well, I’m not going to do unless I can do it in a way that moves my soul!” – Evan Grae Davis There are not many people out there who offer their services for free to celebrate a monumental birthday…that’s the character of Evan Grae Davis who is giving away a promotional video to a charity in celebration of his half century mark. Evan has...

“Focus on the finish line. That finish line isn’t moving it’s waiting for you!” – Ronnie Notch “It’s all about planting seeds and when you plant those seeds you get the chance to watch the tree grow and the fruit is the students through where they go! Later we’ll see the seeds they plant through the universal language that is music.” – Tiffany Notch What advice or tip did you receive in your youth which helped you throughout your life? This wisdom from our mentors helps to shape us to create...

Which organ in the human body is the largest? Wait for it…this episodes guest is Julie Longyear owner of a Blissoma a company which manufactures and distributes holistic skincare and apothecary products, plant based which is good for the body and the planet. The skin is the largest and fastest growing organ of the body. Adults carry approximately 8 pounds and 22 square feet of the organ which protects us from microbes and the elements, helps regulate body temperature and permits the...