Friday

It’s Happy Hour Again! Today's Newsletter is hot off the digital presses and in your [phone] feed for 5:00 PM somewhere! Quick stories and highlights today, designed to be read at the bar or waiting for something or someone who will help you take the edge off another week that was. A favorite publication, the ONION, has some guidelines for us; a snobby discussion on Martinis follows, along with a matrix that screams for approval. We finish with an interesting question by a music journalist on the responsibility of critics.

Cheers!

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🤘We are here every day, and every minute you spend with us sends ripples of gratitude through our souls! 🤘

Start your Friday Happy Hour with a smile and a laugh. The ONION has put together a slide show perfect for a flip-through while you are waiting for drink number two. The self-described "Finest News Source" has put together Social Media Guidelines For Reporters; here are a few of our favorites:

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As a martini lover, this story resonates with me. PUNCH is a frequent highlight on Happy Hour Friday, and writer Noah Galuten stands up for the original martini; as Galuten describes it, the two ingredients are gin and vibes. I agree with the vibes, but I prefer vodka, even if you have to call a martini made with vodka a "vodka martini." Further down in the story, right past the diatribe on another martini with pickled Romanesco and black garlic oil, Galuten talks about another element of the O.G. martini…

This piece of the discussion was given by a friend of his, and it goes into the hardness that can go with martini drinkers. The descriptions of "dressing up for the end of the world" and "a brief pause on a pleasant moment, savoring it before it is gone" brought a smile to my thirsty, drink-snobby face.

A perfect accouterment to the drink itself, this story is part drink snob, part history lesson, and all parts humorous and fun. Ultimately, neither the O.G. martini, the latest craft martinis, nor the many personalities who drink them have anything to complain or worry about. There is plenty to go around, in the words of an old football coach:

New York Magazine has a great weekday piece called Dinner Party, similar to With A Shout; it highlights interesting stories and goings-on and links to other interesting stories. Here are two stories in the links sections that make great Happy Hour discussions.

The first, Meg Ryan is arguing with the Rom-Com. The second and even more bizarre matrix of weird approvals.

Our friends at indieCAST, Steven Hyden and Ian Cohen, have a new episode this week, and it's worth a listen. The discussion goes from a new Beatles track (thanks, A.I.) to new indie music from Diiv and Hotline TNT. It is always a solid conversation, but in this episode, Hyden asks an interesting question. If listen to a band you don't like and don't think is good at what they do, and you are a journalist and critic, and what you say could affect a small indie band's ability to be heard, should you criticize that band? The question has overtones of ego, and Hyden admits that. He wants the band, which he does not name in the episode, to find more success, so he feels comfortable criticizing them. It’s an interesting thought.

Another indieCAST recommendation. Waiting For A Cloud - Golden Apples

Click on the Apple Music image to listen to the song on Apple Music or on the Spotify Image to listen to Spotify.

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🤘We are here every day, and every minute you spend with us sends ripples of gratitude through our souls! 🤘

With A Shout newsletter is written by Johnny Christian with the support of a thousand idea bits and the help of many people.

5 minutes of good cheer every day. Become a Fan to get daily posts and updates.

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