St. Louis Public News Volume 3, Issue 1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Dear Reader, Well, here we are again. A new year and a new vision for the St. Louis Public News. This issue is a “proofof-concept” that a full color digital newspaper covering all of the metro St. Louis area, 75 miles circumference worth, can thrive in the marketplace. It’s easy to download and easy to digest.

...and best of all, it’s free!

I would love to hear from you, listen to your feedback and together build this new newspaper even better. If you have an idea or news tip, let me know.

As always, I am at your service.

- Ken Petty

MARK CRAMPTON 1953-2022

Remembering The Maestro

Where would I begin to tell you about Mark Crampton in order to give you a sense of who he was and what he was all about?

I could tell you about the numerous times he was banished to Facebook jail for being so very opinionated.

I could tell you about the first time I met the man while he was working at a bookstore in an upper Houston suburb, one of my first advertisers.

I could also tell you about how excited he was to learn about this newspaper (Public News) and how it was designed to go against the progressive media and leftist government. Liberty was one of his passions which of course led him into Facebook cross hairs so often he created a back up Facebook account in the name of his service dog, Maggie-Me-Love, so he could stay connected.

Mark was eager to be a part of the Public News from near the very beginning as a music writer. He had majored in Journalism but never put it to any use.

“Look, you don’t even have to pay me,” he would tell me. “I want to do this!”

And he was consistent, for 54 issues all through Public News’ time in Houston. He dedication to detail and rewrites were second to none. He even earned the well deserved title of Music Editor.

In the last few years, Mark had told me that he was having health issues, but he still wanted to write for the St. Louis

version of the Public News. In fact, he was working on two articles at the time of his sudden passing.

Mark will remain as our de facto Music Editor until all his articles have hit the newsstand. We may even reprint a few of his from years past.

To us, Mark was an icon. A man who inspired others. A man who did not waver as a writer or as an editor.

Moving forward I am establishing the Mark Crampton Journalism Award for Excellence to reward future writers of the Public News, in his honor.

Mark Crampton will always be a part of our history. His legacy will live on.

Mark Crampton & Maggie-Me-Love

To The Fox

The all-new tour of BLUE MAN GROUP will play at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in St. Louis for a limited five performances February 9-12.

Tickets for Blue Man Group at the Fabulous Fox are on sale now at MetroTix.com or by calling 314-534-1111. Ticket prices start at $29. Prices are subject to change; please refer to FabulousFox.com for current pricing. Blue Man Group is part of the U.S. Bank Broadway Series.

Performances of Blue Man Group at the Fabulous Fox run February 9-12. Show times are Thursday through Saturday evening at 7:30 p.m., Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m. and Sunday matinee at 1:00 p.m.

Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation will present Kids’ Night at the Fabulous Fox featuring BLUE MAN GROUP on Thursday, February 9, 2023. A free child’s ticket (17 years and under) is offered with the purchase of an adult ticket by calling MetroTix at 314-534-1111 or in-person at the Fox Box Office while supplies last; some restrictions apply. For more information about Kids’ Night at the Fabulous Fox, please visit www.foxpacf.org. For Box Office hours, please visit www.fabulousfox.com.

More than 50 million people around the world have experienced the smash hit phenomenon that is BLUE MAN GROUP and now it’s your turn! BLUE

MAN GROUP returns to St. Louis for a limited engagement on their new North American tour. It’s everything you know and love about BLUE MAN GROUP— signature drumming, colorful moments of creativity and quirky comedy—the men are still blue but the rest is all new! Featuring pulsing, original music, custommade instruments, surprise audience interaction and hilarious absurdity, join the Blue Men in a joyful experience that unites audiences of all ages.

Blue Man Group is the global entertainment phenomenon, known for its award-winning theatrical productions, iconic characters and multiple creative explorations. Blue Man Group performances are euphoric

celebrations of human connection through art, music, comedy and non-verbal communication. Since debuting at New York’s Astor Place Theatre in 1991, the live show has expanded to additional domestic residencies in Boston, Chicago, and Las Vegas, an international residency in Berlin, and multiple North American and World tours, reaching more than 35 million people worldwide. Blue Man Group is universally appealing to a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds.

A part of the pop culture zeitgeist, Blue Man Group has appeared countless times on hit shows including Dancing with the Stars, The Tonight Show, Arrested Development, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Schlag den

Raab (Germany), WOWOW (Japan) and Caldeirão do Huck (Brazil). Additionally, Blue Man Group has served as the face of branding campaigns for Intel and TIM/Brasil.

Continuously identifying and developing new ways to impact the entertainment industry, Blue Man Group has contributed to various film and TV scores, and released multiple albums including the Grammy-Nominated Audio. The rock concert parody, “Megastar World Tour” played arenas across the globe. The book, Blue Man World, is a visually stunning anthropological exploration of the curious bald and blue character.

EVENTS

Samson Young: Sonata for Smoke FREE

Jan. 6 - Mar, 1, 10:00 am TO 9:00 pm

Saint Louis Art Museum

1 Fine Arts Dr

St. Louis, MO 63110

(314) 721-0072

Hong Kong–based artist Samson Young’s practice centers on installation-based work stemming from sound and music. He interweaves cultural paradigms across media while focusing on poetic translations between the sonic and the visual.

Young has a doctorate in music composition from Princeton University, and his studies inform his artworks and their relationship with musical history. He often examines the difficulty of translating visual and aural material cross-culturally.

Through his work, Young asks us to ponder how cultural conditioning might affect aesthetic reception and challenges inherent assumptions about art being a universally shared

or neutral experience.

The 2021 video Sonata for Smoke is a meditation on the symbolic and impermanent nature of smoke. Throughout the video, Young captures the ephemerality of smoke – in particular, the various sounds that accompany its fleeting appearance. He also references the religious significance of smoke through incense burning.

Sonata for Smoke, created as part of an exhibition organized and conceived while Young was an artist in residence at the Ryosoku-in Temple in Japan, consists of a sequence of actions and images that progress with forward motion across time and space, creating a sense of directionality. However, certain motifs and choreographies of events –including ritualistic sounds and actions – repeat throughout the piece. These consecutive, meditative acts were inspired by the temple setting and its arrangement as a sequence of rooms.

St. Louis Sound FREE

January 3-21, 10:00 am TO 5:00 pm

Missouri History Museum

5700 Lindell Blvd St. Louis, MO 63112 (314) 746-4599

St. Louis just can’t stay quiet. The region has produced legends who are on a first-name basis worldwide, like Ike & Tina, Miles, Chuck, and Nelly. It’s been home to the “Velvet Bulldozer” Albert King, the “Black Venus” Josephine Baker, and the original “king” of pop music, Scott Joplin. And don’t forget worldclass songwriters like John Hartford, Jay Farrar, Jeff Tweedy, and Willie Mae Ford Smith. Few cities anywhere can claim so many leading lights in such a wide range of style.

It’s time for St. Louis to raise a loud voice about its contributions to American popular music. This exhibit serves as your introduction to that music—it can’t cover everything, but inside you’ll find familiar tunes, deeper cuts, and a new musical outlook on the city you love. So lend the city your ears. We guarantee you’ll hear something incredible.

Mona Chalabi: Squeeze FREE

Jan, 8 - Feb, 12, 10:00 am TO 5:00 pm

Contemporary Art Museum 3750 Washington Boulevard St. Louis, MO 63108 (314) 535-4660

Data journalist, illustrator and

writer Mona Chalabi presents a large-scale exhibition on the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis’ Project Wall.

Chalabi’s work is informed by statistics gathered on politics, human rights, demographics, COVID-19 infections, climate change and many other topics. Finding truth in numbers through journalism, she makes that truth easier to digest with illustrations. “My job is to take a story, zoom out and provide context for readers,” Chalabi says. “The thing that excites me about data is the scale of it. Data gives you a new frame of understanding.”

For her exhibition at CAM, Chalabi focuses on endangered species of plants and animals, some of which are so close to extinction that every remaining member can fit on a New York subway car – if they squeeze,

America’s Monsters, Superheroes and Villains FREE

January 3 - 15, 1:00 pm TO 5:00 pm St. Louis Public Library 1301 Olive Street Saint Louis, MO 63103

(314) 241-2288

This featured exhibition in the Great Hall of the St. Louis Public Library – Central Library explores how iconic characters both reflect and influence American culture from the 1960s to the 1990s.

Monsters, superheroes and villains have always been part of America’s cultural fabric: They scare us, thrill us and help guide us through the most terrifying and exhilarating moments of our lives. More than simple “pop culture,” characters such as Dracula, Wonder Woman, Luke Skywalker and the Joker create a lens to examine complex subject matter in 20th-century American history, including the Cold War, rapidly accelerating possibilities of science and technology and America’s portrayal of women and people of color in our popular media.

The exhibition includes vintage toys, posters, packaging, TV commercials and movie trailers. Visitors of all ages are sure to enjoy the nostalgic visual survey of American identity in the 20th century.

COVER STORY

6 Safety Tips During Darker Nights This Season aka How To Survive The Cold

be sure to keep them posted of your whereabouts.

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ous situations when used wisely. For example, the free SABRE Personal Safety App sends help alerts to selected contacts with your location when the in-app alert button is pressed or when SABRE SMART Pepper Spray is deployed.

(StatePoint) During the long dark nights of fall and winter, concerns about personal safety may increase. Whether commuting for work or class, getting in an evening run or walking the dog, you likely need to carry out daily activities long after the sun goes down.

To help keep you safe, David Nance, founder of the SABRE Personal Safety Academy, shares six essential tips, along with safety product recommendations:

1. Make a plan before going out. Tell someone you trust your plans and

3. Use night walking safety rules. Don’t walk in the street. Use well-lit sidewalks, avoiding dark areas with lots of shrubbery. Go in the opposite direction of traffic so you can see what’s coming and whenever possible, walk with a friend. In a dark parking garage? Be extra alert.

4. Get tech support. Though looking at a smartphone while walking isn’t safe, your tech devices can actually help protect you from danger-

5. Light your way. Practically speaking, you may not always be able to stick exclusively to well-lit areas, but a multifunctional tool can keep you prepared to protect yourself against threats while also helping you stay aware of your surroundings. Serving double-duty, the SABRE PepperLight includes a maximum strength pepper spray while illuminating any dark area with 750 lumens, visible up to 540 feet. Another illuminating tool is the brand’s Personal Alarm With LED Light And Snap Hook, which also features an alarm audible up to 1,250 feet, giving users an additional level of protection.

COVER on page 9

XFL ADD TO ROSTERS

QB Bryan Scott Assigned to Vegas Vipers

Arlington, TX (January 1, 2023)

The XFL kicked off the new year by conducting a Supplemental Draft Sunday to fill the remaining roster spots on each team.

Prior to the draft, quarterback Bryan Scott was assigned to the Vegas Vipers.

The draft consisted of 17 rounds, with a total of 90 players selected. The teams followed a snake-style format with the pick order reversing each round.

The selections included 1) players

who were previously ineligible to be drafted, and 2) players who were not selected during the XFL Draft November 16-17.

NFL Alumni Academy graduates who were not selected will be assigned to teams and instructed to report to training camp with their teammates.

League and team personnel evaluated nearly 6,000 players at XFL showcases, NFL training camps, tryouts and via film. The top prospects from these evaluations were invited

to enter the XFL Draft pool of 1,700 players.

The XFL will kick off on February 18, 2023, in partnership with its exclusive broadcast partner, The Walt Disney Company and ESPN. Season tickets are on sale and can be purchased for all teams at XFL.com/ tickets.

One question still remains. Will we see Jordan Ta’amu back in a BattleHawks uniform this year?

JORDAN TA’AMU

The Beatles’ Revolver:

Remixed & Reintroduced

by Phil Bausch

Nearly everyone agrees that Revolver is one of the best albums of all time, if not the best. So let’s get right to the review of the much anticipated remix.

Although the original Revolver is fantastic, it has an old-fashioned

mix with poorly separated voices and instruments. This was due to the limited number of recording tracks available (four), and the increasingly more complex use of instruments and overdubbing. The new remix brings a freshness to the

whole album! For the first time, we can hear all the vocals and instruments clearly, and with full stereo imaging.

Instead of some tracks having the vocals on one side and the drums on the other, the new remix centers them better, and spreads them out across the stereo spectrum along with the other instruments.

The preview track released earlier, “Taxman”, was good, but did not prepare us for how great the rest of the album would be. What a joy to hear “Eleanor Rigby”! It sounds so open and real, it’s like you’re in the room with Paul McCartney and the string octet. The strings are spread out. The “attack” violins are on the left, and the low, more melodic cellos on the right. Wish it could have always sounded like this.

All the rest of the songs on side one are also impressive. The voices and instruments are so clear on “I’m Only Sleeping”, “Love You To”, “Here There And Everywhere” (Gorgeous!), “Yellow Submarine”, and “She Said She Said”. We’re hearing the nuances of the instrumental arrangements for the first time.

Ringo is the only other Beatle on the track, with tasteful drums & percussion. “Doctor Robert” is the best it’s sounded, and I definitely prefer this mix of “I Want To Tell You”. George’s voice is fuller, and the dissonant piano blends in better with the other instruments. “Got To Get You Into My Life” is exciting, with the sound of the horns improved.

“Tomorrow Never Knows” is a treat with John’s voice better, Ringo’s drums fuller, and the psychedelic instrumentation in more effective stereo.

The remixing was again done by Giles Martin and Sam Okell, but they also got approval from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.

In fact, McCartney sat at the mixing board with Martin. Paul switched back and forth between the remix and the original 1966 mix, and then voiced any slight tweaks he wanted. After listening to Revolver again, McCartney said… “It was such a great time.”

In May of 1966 The Beatles released a single with the songs “Paperback Writer” and “Rain” which were recorded in April during the Revolver sessions. A separate CD/ Record has the new stereo remixes and the original mono mixes.

Although not on the original album, ”Paperback Writer” and “Rain” gave us a preview of the progressive electric sound that was

The quality continues on side two. “Good Day Sunshine” and “And Your Bird Can Sing” sound great, and then “For No One” is outstanding. The French Horn sounds like it’s really being played in the corner of the room, and Paul’s perfect vocal is right in front of you. Paul plays the piano, clavichord, and bass. see BEATLES on page 11

Resolve to Protect Your Finances and Your Family in the New Year

(StatePoint) After a holiday season spent racking up credit card bills, many Americans consider making financial resolutions in the New Year. However, now is the perfect time to not only reevaluate your saving and spending, but also commit to creating a more holistic financial plan designed to protect your finances and your family.

Consumers are seeking stability and preparedness in today’s uncertain economic environment, according to a recent Consumer Sentiment Tracker study by Lincoln Financial Group. With ongoing inflation and market volatility, 56%

from

on page 7

6. Wear reflective gear. Make yourself visible to cars and cyclists whenever you’re running or walking in the dark with reflective apparel and gear, such as the SABRE Pepper Gel Runner Series with UV Marking Dye. Its adjustable hand strap and reflective logo offer protection and visibility. It’s also a good choice as winter winds howl. Unlike pepper spray, pepper gel resists wind blowback.

Products from SABRE are avail-

of respondents cited protection from risk as being most important to them. When it comes to thinking about their finances, people said they have the greatest interest in protecting their family (39%) followed by their income (26%).

“Our research reinforced the importance of financial solutions that can help consumers navigate through market cycles and protect their loved ones,” said David Berkowitz, president, Lincoln Financial Network, Lincoln Financial’s wealth management business. “People are not only concerned about having enough to pay their bills, but also saving

for retirement and preparing for the unexpected. It’s important to have a wellrounded financial plan that can address those risks, protect assets and create positive outcomes for today’s families.”

To achieve a stronger financial future, don’t neglect your finances in 2023 — instead, add a little TLC (Talk, Learn, Commit). Resolve to create a robust financial plan using these three tips from Lincoln Financial:

1. Talk about it. Financial conversations play a crucial role. Be transparent with your loved ones about financial priorities so you can set expectations and work toward your shared financial goals. Initiate ongoing discussions to stay on track with everything from saving for retirement to paying for a long-term healthcare event, which can happen sud-

able nationwide at Walmart, Target, Amazon, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Lowe’s, Menards, Academy and Bass Pro Shops, among other national retailers. While it’s legal to carry these safety products in all 50 states, check local laws. For more information and safety tips, visit www.sabrered.com.

FINANCE

2. Learn more about tax-deferred investments. Life insurance can be more than just a death benefit, with some types of policies offering income replacement for unforeseen events. It can also protect your financial security from the impact of taxes, market volatility and longevity. It’s not just for individuals and families either, but businesses too. Also, consider diversifying your portfolio with an annuity, which can provide protected growth and monthly lifetime income to help cover expenses in retirement and ensure you have a stream of income.

3. Commit to maximizing your workplace benefits. Look into supplemental coverages like disability, accident and life insurance that may be available through your employer. Solutions like these protect against unexpected events that can disrupt your ability to provide for your family or drive you into additional debt. If you have an employer-sponsored retirement plan, make sure you are contributing and getting a match, if offered. Tap into any financial wellness tools offered at work to help provide you with an accurate picture of your holistic financial situation and lower stress.

Visit www.lfg.com for more tools and resources.

With a robust plan, you can help ensure a solid financial future for you and your family.

Wicked Chicken Cafe Lands In High Ridge

It used to be that you couldn’t possibly associate High Ridge with anything other than chain restaurants. This is not the case anymore.

Restaurateur Ed Pupillo and Executive Chef Terry Rasmussen have put together a cuisine guaranteed to satisfy any palette. Nestled in the middle of Boulevard Plaza in downtown High Ridge sits the quickly growing Wicked Chicken Cafe. A concept restaurant that both Pupillo and Rasmussen worked together to create. I got a chance to sit down with Executive Chef Rasmussen and chatted about this amazing restaurant that’s

turning heads and winning fans. How did Wicked Chicken Cafe get its start? Ed Pupillo, who also owns the Grand Slam Restaurant & Bar in Fenton, bought Boulevard Plaza and put a high end banquet center at one end.

“There already was a cafe in there whose owner wanted to retire, so when she left we decided to put another restaurant in that space. Parking might have been an issue so we decided to run the cafe from 7 in the morning till 2 in the afternoon. That way we would have adequate parking for the banquet center at night and we would have staff

available.

“We looked at doing a breakfast/ brunch place that was upscale. There is nothing here like this.”

Pupillo and Rasmussen looked at a lot of breakfast places from California to New York but Indiana, which is known for truckers traveling through and getting something good to eat, was a good place to focus.

“We looked at pancakes, but everyone does pancakes. So we thought about stuffing pancakes.”

“I create menus, I create recipes. So I came up with recipes to stuff our pancakes. Nobody does that, you don’t see that anywhere.”

“We looked at omelets and created a build your own omelet menu. We also came up with specialty omelets and skillets. Our skillets have a whole meal built in it and they come out to the table hot. We always have our servers advise that the skillets are very hot even though they are served on a platter so as not to burn the customer.”

“I like to watch customer reactions when their meals are served. When I see the expression on their faces, and they are like, ‘wow!’, I know I’ve hit a home run.”

You can get Eggs Benedict pretty much anywhere the same way; English muffin, egg and sauce on the top. So they decided to do something different. They decided to put their Eggs Benedict on a puff pastry. They can make them with ham or sausage or mix it up. Those have

been a big hit.

“Where else are you going to be able to get Eggs Benedict on a puff pastry? Nowhere that I know of.”

“All my sauces I cook from scratch, all my life. I worked for the Blue Owl for many years as the Executive Chef and Mary (the Blue Owl owner) does the most beautiful things there. I looked at some of the things that they did, how I wanted to present my plates to the customers.

“We have a culture here where most of the employees love what they do and the customers can see it. Even on days when we are busy, my cooks are in the back singing, enjoying their day and throwing that food out, perfect plates every time.

“ I’ve had several customers remark that our food is amazing and how much this is needed in the area.

“We been here a year now and we still get new people from all over the area to come eat here. I’ve have folks from as far as Illinois, St. Charles, Washington and even Cape Girardeau. They come in on the weekend because they love our food.”

What about evening hours and what kind of offerings would be on the menu, The plan is to be open for dinner hours up to 8pm in a few weeks. As for the menu, sauteed bacon wrapped shrimp with a spicy gold sauce was mentioned. Whatever it will offer, it will be amazing. Plan on getting out and visiting them soon. Wicked Chicken Cafe is located at 3025 High Ridge Blvd. High Ridge, MO,

COMMUNITY

PERSONALS

review and interview by Ken Petty

SOUTHWEST SKILLET

M3GAN (January 13)

She’s more than just a toy. She’s part of the family. Check out the creepy trailer for M3GAN, an upcoming movie starring Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Lori Dungey, and Stephane Garneau-Monten.

M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by bril-

from BEATLES on page 8

going to be on Revolver in August of 1966. Here we get a fresh remix of “Paperback Writer”, and the first remix of “Rain”. They sound the best they ever have. The extra session tracks include the instrumental backing of “Rain” at the original speed it was played by The Beatles. It sounds like it’s been sped up, and Ringo’s drumming is even more impressive when you know how fast he really played it. The instrumen-

liant toy-company

(Get Out’s Allison Williams), M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes friend and teacher, playmate and protector, for the child she is bonded to.

When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-yearold niece, Cady (Violet McGraw, The Haunting of Hill House), Gemma’s unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN

tal was slowed down for the effect they wanted on the song, and that’s the music bed John sang to for the completed track.

Besides the versions of “Rain”, the other outtakes are interesting in how the songs progressed to the finished versions. “Yellow Submarine” started completely different, with John singing… “In the place where I was born, no one cared, no one cared.” Of course it eventually became a children’s singalong song.

The unnumbered second version

prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems—a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.

KNOCK AT THE CABIN (February 3)

While vacationing at a remote cabin, a young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand that the family make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. With limited access to the outside world, the family must decide

of “Got To Get You Into My Life” is an enjoyable take, just The Beatles, using a fuzz guitar in place of the horns. Take 5 of “And Your Bird Can Sing” is a little more straightforward, and sounds similar to The Byrds. Very few of the outtakes will be versions that will be played often, but they help us understand The Beatles’ recording process.

The box set also includes the original mono mix of Revolver. Although fans of mono will love it, most people prefer to listen to music

what they believe.

Based on national bestseller, The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay, the movie stars Dave Bautista (Dune, Guardians of the Galaxy), Jonathan Groff (Hamilton, Mindhunter), Ben Aldridge (Pennyworth, Fleabag), Nikki Amuka-Bird (Persuasion, Old), newcomer Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn (Little Women, Landline) and Rupert Grint (Harry Potter, Servant).

in stereo.

The box set includes a 100 page hard bound book. It has previously unreleased photos, plus comments & detailed information about the songs on the original album. Online, the CD set is currently $109, the vinyl $192.

Money saving tip: The best value is the 2 CD set, online for $22. You get the remixed album, a second disc with the remixed “Paperback Writer”, “Rain” & 13 outtakes, plus a 40-page booklet.

Revolver and Rubber Soul are the two Beatles albums that were most in need of remixing, with Rubber Soul expected in 2023.

This remix of Revolver is the most important remix so far. It doesn’t sound exactly like the album we’ve enjoyed for 56 years, and that might bother some people, but the remix sounds better. It’s the way this innovative album deserves to be heard.

roboticist Gemma

M3GAN KNOCK AT THE CABIN