Re: DJ Cassidy
When Cassidy was in high school , I was at his Dad’s house (Jon Podell), at the time a great booking agent (CSNY) and many other huge artists. Jon sent me in to  try and tell Cassidy to put aside his passion to be a DJ and stay in school. Cassidy told  me basically to f*ck off. Yesterday I realize he became a star to spite of his Dad and me.
I take great pride in his success .
Ron Stone
(Note: Zillions of people e-mailed to tell me DJ Cassidy was Jonny Podell’s son, and almost all of them told me to KEEP IT OFF THE RECORD!, which I find hysterical, since it’s public knowledge. But that’s the music business, if you’re not in it, you don’t know it, because nobody talks. Having said that, those who stand up and speak their truth on the record are the ones who win.)
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Re: DJ Cassidy
I’ve done a bunch of events with Cassidy… he’s an absolute professional, and a curating party machine!!! We produced a few pass the mics for streaming fundraisers during the pandemic and raised a lot of $ for people hurting.  He’s a good dude and a monster DJ!
Kerry Brown
Owner Licorice Pizza Records & RLS
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DJ Cassidy has been making his bones for 20 years or so. He often opened the years of JAYZ shows I ran and was professional and a step above the rest. He read the crowd and was grateful to be up there.
We have hope and much to look forward to. Music is hope.
Cheers
Bobby Schneider
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From: HARVEY B. LISBERG
Subject: 10cc
Hi bob glad that you and many fans felt the benefit of seeing 10cc again  . Just to clarify the move to mercury  which one of your readers  queriedI was purely because they were a subsidiary of phonogram whose offer was one of the highest in advance and royalty rates at the time no 4%of nothing any more !Â
Regards HarveyÂ
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Subject: Re: Self-Promotion
Well BobÂ
I wrote a song ‘Zo Zomer’, a dutch song about the summer.Â
Than i released the song, choose a name- John de Koning- and it gotten played on the radio. And therefore it jumped on the Sterren Top 25, an hitlist that focus on dutch songs. On #22
Suddenly i was asked for promotion and photo’s, but the singer of the song was not available.Â
So I decided that John was not available for promotions on the radio. Other artists are killing for a promotion slot on the radio.Â
Meanwhile the radio got some good feedback from the listeners.Â
And suddenly the media were writing about the song. Good or bad, and I was feeding them with information. But key was the unknown artists, with some funny facts (in the past he was writer of fortune cookie  texts) and a strong song (according to some radio dj’s). The song went to #12.Â
After a podcast about the music industry (De Machine) cover the whatabouts of the song, all the serious main media jumped on the song.Â
The song went to #5
Other radio stations played the song, on tv there were coverage about this ‘Song of the summer’ and it went to a real hype.Â
‘Zo Zomer’ was on top of Spotify Viral 50 NL, and -still- Spotify Vital Hits
AndÂ
The song went to #3!Â
All with no budget, expect hiring a great plugger: Paul Jong!Â
There is still little information about the artist, and there is still 1 photo of him.
What a great adventure!Â
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Subject: Re: Re-Greg Kihn
Hi Bob,
Lots of mentions here about Beserkley label-mates The Rubinoos. A couple of weeks ago it was a thrill to present them at the small venue that I book, Hank Dietle’s Tavern–their first time in our area since 1977, and they did not disappoint. It was sold out, and I was surprised to learn that a number of attendees didn’t know their music, but wanted to check them out because, as one person said, “the cool kids were excited about itâ€. Our musician community was out in force, and one exclaimed, “they sing like they’re still in their twenties!†And they do. The harmonies were super, the energy in the room was really joyful. Long-time fans and new ones are still talking about it. Nights like that are why lifers in the biz like me do what we do, and fortunately for all of us The Rubinoos will be out & about again, in my opinion they are not to be missed!
As for “Pablo Picasso”…for many years now whenever I see the words Pablo Picasso, or hear them spoken, my brain adds “was never called an as*hole†in my head. Happens every time and I don’t expect this will ever stop…nor do I want it to.
Lisa V. White
Hank Dietle’s Tavern
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From: Nick Petropoulos
Subject: Re: The Last Dinner Party At The Fonda
This is a fascinating observation on the state of bands. Which proves your point on the commonplace of solo act/brand extension focus today.
“The Rest Is Entertainment on Instagram: ‘There have been just three weeks so far this decade where a band has been number one in the charts.'”
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From: Johnny Lloyd Rollins
Subject: Re: The Medium Affects The Message
Random note of how out of touch the labels are. My 17yr old son and I were recently watching Mad Men together. In season 2 there is a scene where Don Draper walks into the ocean as he contemplates his life. I immediately started to sing “return to innocence” by Enigma with the Native American vocal track. My son looked at me and was like “wtf are you singing?”. So I showed him the video and he got it and laughed. The next day we were still watching mad men and he said “that song reminded me of some other tune that everyone is using on tik tok memes with some flute part and sampled drums”. So he tried to sing it and I reply “yeah! That’s the same band that I showed you! ENIGMA!”. He was sooo blown away that we both were listening to the same band independently.Â
How many labels right now know that Enigma is trending with the kids on tik tok???? I doubt many at all. Apparently some remix of Sadeness is trending with kids right now. LolÂ
I told my son “this used to be called world music”. Today it’s just called music.
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Subject: The Country Coup
Bob,
Would love your thoughts on something that’s been bugging me.
I’m calling it “the country coupâ€
“The Country Coup ”
This may be my hottest and most contraversial take yet.
Post Malone, Beyoncé, Lana Del Rey, Falling In Reverse, and MGK. This is just the beginning. A plethora of stars already taking their shot at not only writing but releasing Nashville hit records. After all – Nashville does call itself music city. No need for any identifier or adjective before the word “musicâ€.
Country is the most commercially successful the genre has ever been in its lifetime which has just surpassed its first century.
But how did we get here?
In a land where radio seems to still be claimed as king, it would appear the streaming giants have arrived and a coup is taking place.
In recent years it is my opinion that some of the strongholds of the Nashville music business have failed to understand their own expirations. Denied change. Resisted adaption and therefore ceased to survive and advance.
It’s not just labels, or radio, it’s much more than that.
A rich genre which once held its own grounds so sacred it hesitated to let outsiders in now has to deal with a hostile takeover.
While artists like Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and Lainey Wilson brought mainstream country music to the forefront globally, the “silent majority†of country fans, led by the likes of Zach Bryan, bolstered the anti-music row attitudes that fueled the flames of the genre to new heights.
Outsiders saw an opportunity.
There was blood in the water.
Country music will be the hottest genre in the world for the next 18 months and who will be the face of it?
Post Malone.
One of the world’s uncontested, non genre confirming superstars.
Not only will he be the face. But he will do it with an album completely written and recorded in Nashville. With features of every single one of the genres hottest acts.
And he was just the Trojan Horse.
Today I saw MGK’s Spotify cover of “There’s Your Trouble†released.
I loved it.
Lana says she will release a country album.
One of metal’s biggest acts (Falling In Reverse) currently has a chart topping song with Nashville’s own favorite redeemed outlaw, Jellyroll.
It’s fantastic.
Why does country, and Nashville, continue to have these identity crisis?
The biggest artists in the world are now coming into the genre. Ruling the charts.
Let’s not forget that once upon a time already that Nashville’s darling and biggest star left the genre to put out one of the most pure pop albums of all time.
If country music were your ex is now the part where they admit “it’s not you it’s me�
Is this thing still on?
From Nashville with love
Bradley Parker
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From: Dylan Charbeneau
Subject: Re: The United States Of Cults
Hey Bob,
I have listened to Joe Rogan (full podcasts/episodes) for years, as well as a handful of my friends and colleagues. We all agree that while we have enjoyed much of his content and guests, he has become ideologically captured and less interesting. The reasons why we think that vary, but we all have now dropped listening to him regularly and only check in once in a blue moon when there is a fascinating guest.Â
From my perspective, Rogan has alienated much of his base that built him into the juggernaut podcast host he has become.
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From: Steve Lukather
Subject: Re: The Solo In Do It Again
That’s Denny on Your Gold Teeth II on Katy Lied and the song Aja as well!!
Incredible choice of notes and phrasing! NO one sounds like Denny.
One of THE most unique and original players… and a great old friend and hero as well.
Steely Dan is one of my all time fave bands! Â It is desert Island music for me.
The detail and genius of their entire catalogue is peerless, including Nightfly, Â Donald’s 1st solo album!
I love the later stuff too but the early stuff hit me and my muso friends hard.
Denny’s solo’s always made the music special. Glad you are giving him the credit he deserves!
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From: Gary Lang
Subject: RE: The Solo In Do It Again
I met Denny when I became one of the developers of the dBase product and language at Ashton-Tate, which was in Culver City, though us programmers were in Glendale.
A company called Nantucket, also in Culver City developed a compiler for the dBase language which Ashton-Tate didn’t like because after you compiled your code, it just ran on a PC without any Ashton-Tate software required to run it.
As a developer who used compilers every day to develop dBase itself, it made sense to me that someone did this, though I was supposed to see Nantucket as a kind of pirate company.
In 1986, an Ashton-Tate documentation writer, Tommy Rettig, who lived in Marina Del Rey had a party at his house and invited me to it. Tom was a friend of mine, who came to my bachelor party and who’s desk in Glendale I took when he left Ashton-Tate.
(BTW, he was a former child actor, who had played in the Lassie Movie, a Dr. Suess live-action film “The 5 Fingers of Doctor T†and was in “River of No Return†with Marilyn Monroe: he had a poster of himself as a kid clinging to her legs in his Marina condo.)
At the party were several second string Hollywood types along with a bunch of Ashton-Tate, dBase, and Nantucket developers. One of them was Denny Dias! I was super pleased to meet him.
It soon transpired that I was the only person in the room that  had seen him play, in May 1973 at Winterland, with the actual band Steely Dan (before they mostly used studio people). He seemed genuinely pleased to hear that someone remembered him and not the other guitar player (Jeff Baxter) at that show. I was glad to please him, especially after he said that he was the person who started the band in the first place. They were – I’m not kidding – third-billed to Humble Pie and Slade.
Many of my programming friends have made more money than most of the rock stars of my youth so I’m glad he was able to become one of us and make some money.
I’m with you – he was a _killer_ guitar player! I asked his wife on FB a few years back if he still played, and she said that indeed he did. I just met him the one time.
So, he’s still around, still playing guitar. I don’t know why I was so pleased to hear this, but once again, you’ve recognized a hidden gem, as you often do.
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Subject: RE: The Solo In Do It Again
Hi Bob,Â
This piece really interested me because I did not know that Steely Dan originally started on the East Coast. I knew Fagen and Becker had gone to Bard College (Annandale), but were a couple years behind me. I moved out to Cali in 1969. I had an acoustic guitar– a good one– an old Gibson J-50. It had an exceptional sound, but I needed an electric. One night in the parking lot of the all night Mayfair Market on Santa Monica Blvd. I acquired an old Gibson Melody Maker for $15. Why was it so cheap? Two reasons: 1) probably hot, and 2) on closer inspection, I noticed that the neck had been broken and reset improperly. I instinctively knew this guitar could be resurrected. I took it to Valley Sound on Sunset. It’s rep was that it had the best repair dept. in LA. And there I met my old bandmate from Boston, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter. He was an excellent lead guitarist, but he was also great at repairing and modifying instruments. This was about 1972. We hadn’t seen each other in a few years, so we chatted and caught up. He checked out my Melody Maker and told me he could make it like new, which he did. What must’ve been about two weeks later Skunk called me up and said he’d been playing with a bunch of studio cats over at Dunhill (which had it’s own state of the art studio), and would I be interested in auditioning with them as lead singer. I asked if there was anything on tape I could listen to. I went over to his apartment, which was furnished in amps and myriad guitars, including a pedal steel, which had become his new momentary passion. So he played me this one tape they had recorded called “Bye Bye Dallas.” It was good and well-recorded, but, with Jeff’s pedal steel, it sounded kind of country-ish. Definitely not my thing. Fagen was singing on it, and I think Walter Becker and Denny Diaz were singing harmonies. But the impression I got was that this was a brand new band that was just starting up. Fagen did not want to sing lead live, so they needed to recruit a front man, which is what I had been in the final permutation of Ultimate Spinach with Jeff, back in Boston. I complimented the music, but said it wasn’t my thing. Besides, I was primarily a songwriter, and didn’t think much of my singing. So I passed on the audition. A short time later, I was invited to their debut club performance at Under the Ice House in Pasadena. I was very impressed, especially by the songs. Why didn’t Jeff play me “Dirty Work” or “Reelin’ in the Years”? Later, I found out that most of the lead guitar work on their albums was done by an array of studio cats. Not Skunk. And “Bye Bye Dallas” was not on the set list. I thought I had witnessed their very first gig, but your story casts doubt on this. Wow, all these years later…
Anyway, that’s my Steely Dan story and I’m stickin’ to it.
Fond regards as always,
Ted Myers
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From: Dannielle De Andrea
Subject: Re: Production
I know you get inundated!
BUT this little story on the ABC in Australia is worth the watch!
It’s on the phenomena of
Mr Beast and YouTube!
Incredible what he has created
“How Mr. Beast Hacked The Algorithm”:Â
Have a great day.
Thank  you for your emails
Cheers and chocolate
Dannielle
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From: Steve Lukather
Subject: Re: The Nicky Hopkins Movie
Nicky is a legend !
As one who knows… when someone gives you a bunch of letters on a piece of paper…. often not even legit music paper, NO rehearsals- no demos, just show up ands say ‘ what are we doing today?’ …the artists and producers that hire you expect a lot!
This is what most people don’t know is that they THINK the music us session guys did was all just ‘read the notes on the paper.’
Nope.
Had to read music once in awhile but.. 98% was as I stated above. ‘Make up your own parts and they better be GOOD.’!
That’s how ya got called back time and time again.
Nicky delivered EVERY time!
Dig the piano intro on She’s a Rainbow! Â Pretty sure Mick and Keith didn’t write that out in legit music notation note for note for him! That was him.
The list of songs HE made better is vast.
I got to work with him once and fan- boyed out and asked a ton of questions and he smiled and was very humble.
It was an honor for me.
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Subject: Re: The Nicky Hopkins Movie
We had an album with Nicky on Columbia. Great guy. We went shopping for Stones bootlegs that were recorded on his side of the stage so he could hear himself play.
I figured out how to cram a full upright piano into KMET’s tiny elevator and into their equally tiny studios.
Nicky played live on Steven Clean’s show. Aside from artists bringing their acoustic guitars no one had ever done anything like this with a huge real piano. Steven loved it so much he had Nicky stay for his entire shift and had him play ins and outs to commercial breaks just like the bands on late night TV.
Brilliant radio. Fantastic player.
Paul Rappaport
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Subject: Re: Reach
Hi Bob,
I used to manage most of the UK’s call-out research and recently put together some numbers for comparison. Let’s consider the BBC Radio 1 morning show in the old economy: one play on the show and another 12 plays on rotation in the same week would typically reach around 15 million + listeners.  Even though these listeners were often passive, the likelihood of converting this reach into significant sales was very high. Just a few plays on Radio 1 could empty the shelves within a week. A 6-week rotation could generate 80-90% familiarity with the station’s audience.
Now, let’s compare this with the new economy. How can you reach 15 million listeners in a week today? Achieving this in the UK alone is challenging. Even if you’re featured on several massive Spotify playlists, the numbers don’t stack up the same way. For instance, being on a playlist with 1 million followers, positioned between spots 20 and 30, might result in about 25,000 passive listens per week. This is the closest equivalent to an old economy radio play.
To reach 15 million people globally, you would need approximately 600 playlists, each with 1 million followers. For perspective, Taylor Swift reaches 893 million people through playlists. To reach 15 million people in the UK in any given week, she would need a global playlist reach of 6 billion, assuming a 10% UK audience share.
(There are some considerations like playlist overlap, engagement rates and playlist positions that impact these calculations of course)
Best,
Peter Ruppert
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Subject: Re: The Stones At SoFi
Hey Bob!
Loved your review of the Stones show at SoFi. What a crazy stadium. You enter and exit at the top of the building (kinda like part of Dodger Stadium) and go down to the sub basement to the stadium “floor.â€
The real reason I’m writing is to tell you about a cool part of my childhood. My father’s Aunts and Uncle owned the “Memory Motel†during it’s heyday as a Stones hangout in the 1970s. I was there quite often with my folks, though I never ran into Mick and Keith. I also was too young to appreciate that there were Rock and Roll icons hanging out at the bar during the summer. I would sit at the bar myself, Uncle Paul would pour me a coke, and Aunt Esther or Aunt Sara would fix me a sandwich. They sold the place in the 1990s, after Esther and Paul died, and Sara decided to finish her life in Florida. They never tried to make a dime off their relationship with Mick and Keith, nor did they ever think to try.
One of my favorite “Memories†of the Stones’ relationship to the motel is when Aunt Esther was interviewed on the radio, sometime around 1978. Living on Long Island, It was hard for us to tune in the interview, which was being done on WRNW in Westchester, New York. We huddled around the stereo as she was interviewed by a young DJ named Howard Stern (yes – him!). Oh how I wish I was able to tape the interview! I wonder if Howard thinks about it (or even remembers it!) when he thinks of the Stones.
(Just a Memory… that used to mean so much to me…)
Mark Pokedoff
Warrington, Pa.
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Subject: Re: Songs / Davina Michelle
Dear Bob,
Hope all is well in the heat over there. I manage Davina Michelle, thanks for your kind words!
If you have a minute or two, please check out the showreel we did on everything she’s done so far: https://youtu.be/L2hk7a2kibc
We’ve been slowly working the international market supporting acts such as P!nk, Robbie Williams and Maroon5, and mainly pushing for radio in Germany.
She’s a great writer and an incredible live artist, check out a full show: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMwUQIflgII&t=2303s (last month’s Pinkpop Festival, check Skyward and Liar) and her Eurovision intermission performance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QiftAFZoZM
She’s had over 20 top 5 airplay songs in The Netherlands, received numerous awards, etc.
We’re releasing a new album in September which will feature some of the songs you can find in this Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4LFVkIo6DJmkDGrMOG4XUX?si=11e051be84b84bf2 As you say, developing artists is a craft that’s starting to disappear, but if you have any suggestions for labels or A&Rs, I’d be happy to hear them!
Thanks again, stay cool!
Best regards,
Martijn Swier
Endless Music
The Netherlands
www.ndlss.com
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From: Ben Webster
Subject: Re: Self-Promotion
H Bob,
As the old saying goes, “Self praise is no endorsement”.
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From: Steve Gerardi
Subject: Re: Self-Promotion
Love this!
Once again you nail it!
I am constantly hit up by local / regional bands telling how they draw HUGE crowds and that I should book them.
I always think to myself if this band drew one quarter of the crowd, they claim their actual crowds would be twice the size that they are!
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From: Mitchell Fox
Subject: Re: Self-Promotion
…an old road dog once said…
“…If you gotta tell me you are…you ain’t.â€
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Subject: Re: Blue Lights
BobÂ
I grew up in Ireland in the 60s and 70s and occasionally would venture up to Belfast and Derry with some very political bands like Moving Hearts and. Clannad and also with a songwriter called Phil Coulter who wrote many great hits like Congratulations and My boy for Elvis .
Blue Lights captures exactly like you say and is so well cast and acted and I’ve heard loved by all the people in Northern Ireland .
The Catholic minority was in deep jeopardy always as the majority of the Loyalists who are not unlike the Maga crowd but also majority of Peelers were of Protestant background .
A lot of tension always and this fabulous show explains how deeply divided the communities were but are on the other side of peace now but still a lot of trust issues .
I was fortunate enough to do a New Year’s Eve gig in 1998 at the Ulster Hall..(where Stairway to heaven was performed first in the middle of the troubles in 1971) with a great Irish band called the Sawdoctors whose songs are all about loneliness and hope and lost loves, it was a few months  after the Good Friday agreement had been signed.
I do remember at the strike of midnight standing shaking hands with a RUC policeman and he had tears in his eyes as he could see, and he told me so \, an end to the fighting because of the bravery of both communities and some great American and European diplomats meeting in secret… As the band played on we had a great conversation…
Blue Lights shows how thin a line it is still and how difficult it is to police and how decent people will prevail to have a better life .
So happy you wrote about this show as a lot of other countries and ourselves here in Anerica could learn that peace only comes with both sides sitting down and a lot of honesty and admittances of wrongdoings .
Great words Bob and worth every penny to subscribe to Brit Box .. try and watch Extras .. house of cards uk version and Life on marsÂ
Tom Kenny
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Subject: Re: Mountain Queen-The Summits Of Lhakpa Sherpa
Bob,
Thanks for the heads up on Mountain Queen. I will check it out.
I too am into mountaineering having successfully summited Grand Teton and Rainier. Demanding but lots of fun. Rainier almost did me in….huge slog.
Into Thin Air was mesmerizing. I couldn’t put it down.
Hope all is well with you.
Best Regards,
Bill Powell
Circus Ring Of Fame Foundation
www.circusringoffame.org
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From: John Brodey
Re: The Pool
Wow, what an interesting parallel. I don’t know if it is age but, like you I did my share of snorkeling in the Caribbean and even the Great Barrier Reef (a wild ride for all time). But I’ve never been that comfortable in the water and my anxiety has increased in certain situations.
Last summer my siblings/spouses chartered a Turkish sailing ship called a gullah. Heavy and wide and very nice. 8 cabins, four meals a day and just us. Naturally the water is amazing and I love it. We were anchored in one little cove and everyone was overboard swimming to shore as did I. Most people made their way back after a while and I was the last. Now a good head wind was blowing onshore and the waves were choppy.
If there was a dingy going back to the boat I would have taken it. I start making my way and I start getting a lot of water in the face. Gradually, I get close maybe 20 feet away and all of a sudden I can’t breathe. I start to freak and that really does it. My head is barely above water and I can see myself dying. There are people on deck, I start waving an arm but not in a ‘hi everybody I’m here’ way but in a more dramatic one. Cristie sees me and dives in and one of the crew was in the dingy fortunately. Another crewman jumped into the boat. They got to me just in time and hauled my ass into the boat.
In explaining what happened to me, one of the crew said; You were in the process of drowning. I responded and said but I hadn’t taken in any water. The answer is what they call dry drowning. Your trachea closes by instinct, since there’s water and you’re gasping for air. So, people can drown without their lungs having filled with water. Suffocation isn’t fun.
Weird, not sure if I’ll have another encounter somewhere in the Med., but the conditions will have to be perfect. Glad you made it back in the water. High five.
