It's a musical Sunday with poetry, nostalgia, and recommendations for a rest day. We start with reflections on a concert we attended earlier in the week and how memories and emotions are essential. Nothing better after a late night than a great cup of coffee the following day; Wirecutter has a few recommendations to upgrade your coffee gear, and now that you are awake, let's look at a tribute from The Guardian to a young Sinead O'Connor. We start with music, end with music, and sprinkle music throughout the day – enjoy while dancing, please!

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On Thursday, I went to a concert featuring a band I used to see performing at bars back in college. My college days were back in the 90s, and Big Heat Todd and The Monsters moved on from the bar scene to mediocre success. Todd Mohr (Big Head) is a "Stevie-Ray Vaughn esc" frontman and guitar player who plays poetry. The concert was fantastic, and dancing around with friends from college, remembering what we were like before our personal worlds exploded with jobs, kids, and real responsibilities, was as good as the music. 

Emotions are closer to consciousness and awareness than biology, meaning the power from your personal emotions associated with memories can transport you to the past. 

Long-form content, books, and other stories that provide the details are great; as writers and readers, we love all kinds of content, but poetry is unique. Like a poem, a song allows the listener to fill in the blanks. The way you fill in the blanks when listening to music creates an atmosphere and experience filled with memories you will treasure.

Go see and support live music; if you are young, start creating memories from experiences; if you are wise, return to the concerts and experiences you've had and dance with your youth again.

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Sunday is an excellent day to Shoutout Coffee Gear. NYTs Wirecutter gives us a review of 30+ products for coffee lovers. The gifts range from practical; coffee presses, electric steam kettles, and coffee grinders to fun; ceramic cups of the New York City to-go cups and more. One of the items is a big win for coffee addicts (like us). It's a canister for keeping your coffee fresh. It's one of those items you might not think about for coffee, but it makes a difference depending on the type of coffee you use.

One of the categories we are lower on is the hot plate; it's a coaster-like plate or sometimes attached to a cup that keeps your coffee hot. The problem with that concept is that it continues cooking the coffee, and you end up with a half cup of hot, bitter coffee. Better to make a cup of coffee and put it into an insulated mug to keep it warm for longer. Speaking of insulated, the French Press is a great way to make coffee, but part of the process is to let the coffee steep for several minutes before you press it; the old French Press had a heat problem that the new ones solved – insulated press.

Another item in our kitchen is the Moka Pot, famous in Europe and works a little like a percolator. Water in the base is heated up, usually on a gas stove; the water passes through a tube to the coffee and lays in a basin after percolating. A good moka pot, like the one recommended by Wirecutter, will make strong coffee. It is also easy to pack and travel with if you ever travel to a relative’s house who only drinks decaffeinated coffee. Decaffeinated coffee should be illegal.

With the unexpected loss of Sinead O'Connor, there have been many stories about the artist's life, struggles, and the lasting impact of her music. The Guardian gives us something a little different and pulls up a photo shoot from 1988 as she was promoting her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra. 

When you think of how you want to remember someone, especially someone who brings back great memories of your past, this is how we want to remember O'Connor. Young and full of spirit, Sinead wasn't any less true to herself, but in '88, she was just a punk-rock kid with a guitar and a bunch of great songs she used to sing with a big innocent smile.

Apple Music has always had the advantage of being on the iPhone and native to iOS. What it has yet to do, as well as other music streaming services, is build a sound recommendation system. Creating stations on Pandora based on your interests is easy and often leaves you wondering how they get so good at recommendations. Spotify is taking it to another level and making it easier to create playlists between people. Digital Music News reports on a new feature Apple Music recently rolled out called "Discovery Station," the station is designed to give listeners a personalized station of new music based on previous likes.

Cool For Cats before Love Cats.

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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Thank you for spending a few minutes with us. Here’s one for the road!

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

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