Puzzle Notes

Hello solvers!
This is Dan, the newest addition to the AVCX Cryptics editing team. If you don't know me, I'm a musician from San Francisco, a former crossword tournament champion, and the editor of the now-defunct weekly cryptic crossword in The Browser. As a friend and fan of AVCX since its inception, I'm thrilled to have my first byline here, on this delightful offering from Matthew Stock. You know Matthew:

Matthew Stock (he/him) is a puzzlemaker and newly minted stay-at-home dad originally from Dallas, TX. This is his fourth cryptic with AVCX; you can find a list of all of his published work at happylittlepuzzles.com.

Enjoy (online if you like), and we'll see you again in two weeks --
Dan and the AVCX Cryptics team