So for those that don’t know, you are entitled by law to a copy of your credit report from each of the 3 credit bureaus once per year. It is a good idea to spread these out and request one report every 4 months. This lets you keep an eye on your credit report throughout the year and makes it more likely that you will quickly notice any inaccuracies or problems with the report.

I just retrieved my credit report from Experian and as I would expect, all is well. Another 4 months (January 2009) and I’ll check with Equifax.

To request your free credit report go to: AnnualCreditReport.com

The credit report is free, but the credit bureaus try and convince you to pay for additional services (credit score, credit monitoring, etc). So be sure to say No to any of these items if you want a truly free credit report.

Now go ahead and pull yours and make sure everything looks ok. Especially with the crazy market conditions we are in, you are going to need some pristine credit going forward, so time to get any incorrect information fixed if you see it.

Here is a link to the Federal Trade Commission’s site regarding your free annual credit report: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/freereports/psa.html

Oh, and remember, even though those commercials on TV with the guys in the band singing songs about how they are in dire situations due to poor credit (singing in a fish restaurant, a basement apartment, etc) are awesomely funny, the site they are representing is not for the free credit report. It is for a pay service. Don’t go to their site. Go to AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the only free site.

Maria’s Stuffed Chicken Breasts

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 1 (15 ounce) container Ricotta cheese
* 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach (thawed and drained)
* 1 clove minced garlic
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1 (8 ounce) package shredded mozzarella cheese
* 1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place chicken breasts between pieces of plastic wrap and pound until uniform and flat
3. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper to taste.
4. In medium bowl, combine Ricotta cheese, spinach, garlic, eggs and 6 ounces of the mozzarella cheese.
5. Mix well and stuff chicken breasts (I did this by adding the stuffing to the top of the breast, folding the breast in half and then securing with toothpicks)
6. Place breasts into 9×13 lightly greased baking dish.
7. Pour spaghetti sauce over breasts and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear
9. Remove toothpicks before serving (the chicken will retain its shape after cooking)

Yield: 4 servings

Baked Boneless Pork Chops In Mushroom Sauce

* 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons paprika
* 1.5 teaspoons salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 2 lbs. boneless pork chops
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 minced small onion
* 1 cup minced green pepper
* 1.5 cups diced mushrooms
* 2 cups milk
* juice of 1 lemon

Directions

1. Mix 1/4 cup flour, paprika, salt, and pepper together in bowl
2. Dredge pork chops lightly in mixture
3. Brown pork chops on both sides in a skillet with butter
4. Transfer to shallow baking dish
6. Add onions, green peppers, and mushrooms to skillet and sauté until onion is soft and golden
7. Stir remaining 1/4 cups flour into skillet along with milk
8. Stir constantly cooking until sauce is smooth and thickened
9. Stir in lemon juice and pour sauce over pork chops in baking dish
10. Bake uncovered in preheated 350 degree oven for 1 hour

Yield: 4-6 servings

Butch Walker is back with a 2 disc live album just released today on Valentine’s Day. The album, “Leavin’ the Game On Luckie St.”, was recorded live at The Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA on April 20, 2007. The concert was recorded for a DVD that will be released in March and, this is the album version of the performance.

I was at that show and this album really captures the energy and excitement that was present that night. As always Butch demonstrates during this show what separates mere musicians from real performers. He is able to grab the audience and have them at his mercy and in his complete control throughout the entire show.

The sound on the album is awesome. The Tabernacle itself had pretty poor sound quality up in the balcony where we were sitting, but the mix that was recorded sounds great. Butch is an incredible live performer and always intermixes his song performances with various musical improvisations and crowd interactions. There are some nice instances of “Story time with Butch” in which he talks about some of the songs and their inspirations and background. These are always fun moments in his shows. And of course there are some great crowd sing-a-long moments which is a staple in almost all of his live shows.

This album also marks the beginning of him changing up how he releases his albums. Before he has always worked through a major label, but this release represents him commiting to switch to independent releases. This album is only available for download as mp3’s. Currently you can get it here through Amazon.com for the bargain price of $6.99. That is almost 2 hours of entertainment for only $7. Give it a listen, and pick it up. You will not be disappointed.

This will be a busy year for Butch. He has just released this live album today. Next, he will be releasing a live DVD, followed by a new band project called 1969, and then ending up with a Butch Walker album of new material entitled “Sycamore Meadows” before the end of the year.

Update: For a limited time, you can also download this record for free from Butch’s new provocatively titled site. It is via a strange little flash widget from Musicane.com so YMMV (I could not get it to work with Firefox).

Oh, and one of the best descriptions I’ve seen of a Butch Walker live show is written up here at RockNWorld.com

How To Master Spinning Drumsticks

So I just have to wonder, is a full book (and DVD) really needed to learn how to spin drumsticks. Maybe there are secret techniques I’m unaware of. Could it be that the art of spinning drumsticks is like Chinese Kung Fu and can only be passed down from a Master to a Student under strict supervision? If so is this author of this book risking his life by divulging the ancient secrets of this black art? If we hear of a drummer being killed by drumstick impalation (is that even a word?), then we will know the answer.

Oh, and notice the top of the book.. Once you master these techniques, you will be a certified master of…….Spinology. Now that is rock and roll!! Spin On!

I just saw this from Butch Walker’s MySpace Blog and this news article from MTV http://www.mtv.ca/news/article.jhtml?id=5523:

From his blog:

“hey all. i just want to say thanks for anyone and everyone who sent their wishes to me about the fire (yeah our house burned down in the california wildfires last week). it’s pretty crazy to lose everything you owned. but note that i said “owned” not “had”. there is a big difference. you can be sad about losing everything you worked hard to buy, and everything you inherited from late relatives, etc… but you have to be happy that you didn’t lose anyBODY. i am very thankful, in a screwed up sorta way, that i get to start anew and begin a new chapter in my life. i’m not gonna write some long-ass diatribe here about becoming spiritual and realizing what’s important because, trust me, if this happens to you then you will already feel the same way i am now… i’m just going to say “thank you”. friendship was always underestimated in my book… until now.

i’m gonna play a little show in LA at the Hotel Cafe with a bunch of friends on Dec. the 17th at 8pm sharp. we are going to raise some money to pay for some of the things that MY FRIENDS lost in the fire at my house. i want them to at least get back the things that they let me borrow, use, or just may have left over there when they were too drunk to remember to take it with them on the way home.. tickets will go on sale tonight on the Hotel Cafe website at

www.hotelcafe.com/tickets

so come out and have some fun for a good cause.

happy holidays….

Butch”

From the article:

“In a tragic turn of events, it has come to light that the rental home owned by Flea that burned in the Malibu, California, wildfires over the weekend was being occupied by Avril Lavigne producer Butch Walker - and he lost everything in the blaze.

Walker was touring New York at the time of the incident, and “had just consolidated my entire recording studio and house from Atlanta into the one house in Malibu,” the songwriter/producer, who has also worked with Pink, Fall Out Boy, The Academy Is…, Tommy Lee and others, said in a press release. “I lost everything I’ve ever owned. Every master of every song I’ve ever recorded, every piece of recording equipment, guitars, drums and things I’ve collected over the years, cars, motorcycles, every family memorial, heirloom, picture, and document we ever had. … Gone. I feel like I finally know the difference between ‘going back’ and ‘going home.’ ”

Over the weekend, Flea said in a text message obtained by the Los Angeles Times that his $4.8 million home in Corral Canyon was “burnt to a crisp” by the fires on Saturday morning. According to TMZ.com, a second, $10 million Malibu home owned by Flea - the one in which he currently resides - did not burn. The one that did was a $4.8 million house that the bassist had been renting - most recently to Walker - and currently has up for sale, the site reports.

Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose also had a close call when the fires burned his roof and singed some of his property. According to a report on KCAL-TV, Rose’s assistant said the rocker “was with the hose everywhere” on his property, fighting to save his home.

The fires, which have largely been contained, were the worst in Malibu in years, according to the Times. In late October, another series of fires forced evacuations in the area but hit the San Diego area much harder. ”

—————-

Sadly this reminds me of many of my friends’ experiences after Hurricane Katrina. Be strong Butch.

Normally opening bands are very hit or miss at shows, but these guys put on a great performance. Their songs have a great rock feel with some infectiously catchy melodies and beats. Joe Stark demonstrated that in addition to singing well, he is a very talented guitar player. Not overly flashy but able to deliver just what a song needs.

Prior to forming Sons of William, Joe released albums and toured as a solo artist and had been offered gigs playing guitar with very talented musicians such as Marc Broussard, Will Hoge, Rock Star INXS and even one of my favorites Butch Walker.

After their set I was able to chat with Joe at the upstairs bar for a bit while he ordered (and paid for, no freebies from HOB for the performers it seems) drinks for himself and the rest of the band. He was a super nice guy and very excited about all the shows they have been playing recently and the things they have scheduled in the future. He mentioned that they will be starting a residency soon at the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi, MS in the Hard Rock Cafe. A residency is a string of gigs at the casino that are free to the public. I guess it is kind of like being the house band but getting to play your own original stuff.

This past week I ordered and received their album What Hides Inside,

and it did not disappoint. If you like a nice variety of rock and roll then you should really check it out. If I had to sub-genre it I would say Southern Rock, but it is definitely more Will Hoge than Lynyrd Skynyrd. There are rocking guitar driven tracks, some piano driven tracks that are very soulful, 2 and 3 part harmonies, and really great backing vocals from bass player Jen Janet. All in all a great album from this talented group. I will definitely be ordering their EP and self-titled first album to get some more tunes from these guys.

I look forward to catching them in Biloxi at the Hard Rock and here in Mobile next time they pass through. Give them a listen at their myspace page or pick up the album, and let me know what you think.

Updated to add youtube videos:

Performing Independence Day at Monsoon’s in Mobile, AL

Performing Breaking My Back

Performing Easy To Love (youtube won’t allow this one to be embedded)

This was highlighted last April when Casey, Teddy, and I went up to Atlanta to see the Butch Walker show at The Tabernacle. The show was great, around 3 1/2 hours of entertainment from 3 different bands. Butch Walker put on an amazing show (as always), but the sound was way too loud (and not a great mix either for us in the balcony, but I have heard since that this is pretty common at the Tabernacle). After we left, everyone had ringing ears (medically known as tinnitis). The ears of the two kids (Casey and Teddy) were fine by lunchtime the next day. For me, the ringing did not go away until the afternoon of the day after the day after. So 12 hours to recover for the kids, 36 hours for grandpa (me).

In addition to my steady string of concert experiences, I have also been playing with some friends in a loud rock band once a month. With all of these potential assaults on my ears, you can see how I might start getting a bit more concerned with my longterm hearing.

Now when it comes to hearing protection for use at concerts there are usually two options that people turn to. There are the squishy, disposable foam earplugs and the reusable latex earplugs.

The foam earplugs are handy because they are super cheap (purchased in bulk they can be as little as $0.06 per pair) and are disposable. So you use them, toss them, grab another set. The average foam earplug will reduce the volume by 20-30 decibels which is fantastic and fits well with loud rocks shows. The problem with these in regard to music is that they cut much more drastically the higher frequencies than the lower ones. So you could put in your foam earplugs and then no longer be able to hear the singer or the blazing guitar solos.

Reusable earplugs (such as the Etymotic ER-20’s pictured here)

much more faithfully maintain the frequency response by evenly reducing the overall volume (usually around 20 decibels). The downside is that they are more expensive ($12/pair when bought in low quantities, but as low as $6.50/pair in quantities of twenty-five or more), and you must remember not to lose or misplace them. But if you take a look at the frequency response curve you can see they are much more well suited than foam for use when listening to loud music at concerts.

If you attend very many concerts a year or are frequently in a loud setting, I highly recommend picking up the Etymotic ER-20’s. I can vouch first hand that they do a great job and make the concert experience much more enjoyable. They even make a smaller size (the baby blues) for use in smaller ears. Remember, once you have lost hearing it never comes back, so prevention is the only answer.

If you see me out at a show, I will probably have a little baggy filled with foam earplugs (since they are cheap) that I am always glad to share, just ask. But remember it will hinder your concert going experience slightly (because of them cutting out too much of the high frequencies). I would love to keep a stock of the reusable earplugs on hand to give away, but the higher cost prevents this.

It is much more preferable to have earplugs and not need them than to need them and not have them.

Which begs the question, why don’t the music venues provide or make available hearing protection at low or no cost? With the low cost of the foam earplugs, it is inexcusable for a venue to not have a quantity on hand for patrons (and a big sign letting everyone know they are there). Even if they didn’t give them away but sold them for $1/pair at least people would have the option. Now those that want the best of both worlds would really prefer the reusable over the foam earplugs, so whey not have a venue also sell the reusable ones too (only $6.50/pair when bought in large quantities). Maybe sell them for $7/pair. A smaller number of patrons would purchase them, but at least they would have the option. I also wonder if a reason for not having them available is that providing earplugs opens the venue up to potential lawsuits related to the volume of their shows (your honor, why would the venue provide earplugs unless they knew beforehand that the show was being performed at an unsafe volume, etc., etc.).

So how sure am I that the message about hearing protection needs to be screamed from the highest mountain tops? So sure that I try to spread the word to anyone that will listen and so sure that I am gathering information to make a case with my local Mobile, AL music venues and try to convince them to make one or both types of earplugs available free or very cheaply to their patrons.

If you have never encountered Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, you really should go take a look. Basically it allows you to sign up for small units of work that are fairly easy for a human to accomplish but would be quite difficult for a computer. You can complete the task and be paid a small amount of money (from pennies to a couple of dollars depending on the task) for the work. Examples of various tasks are transcribing a video to text, drawing lines on a picture of a road to mark the edges of the roadway, searching for the correct UPC code for a product, etc.

In the case of the search for Fossett, recent satellite imagery has been taken of the Nevada desert where his plane was lost, and your job is to help examine these images. The task does not pay anything, but it is for a great cause. After signing up for the task, your are presented with a small satellite photo and are asked to indicate whether there is anything that could potentially be airplane wreckage in the photo. If you do see something that looks out of the ordinary you provide a comment about the artifact and submit it for further review.

This is a great use of Amazon’s system and very well could help find Fossett. Please head on over and sign up and go through some photos. It is a quick and easy way to help out in the rescue efforts for this adventurer.

I just retrieved my credit report from TransUnion and all is well. Another 4 months (January 2008) and I’ll check with Experian.

To request your free credit report go to: AnnualCreditReport.com

The credit report is free, but the credit bureaus try and convince you to pay for additional services (credit score, credit monitoring, etc). So be sure to say No to any of these items if you want a truly free credit report. Silly TransUnion has you create a login and then wants you to use it a year later when you come back. Good luck with that. I had to re-authenticate since I had forgotten my username and password.

Now go ahead and pull yours and make sure everything looks ok. It is a sad fact of life that your credit history is extremely important and can open or close many doors based on what information it contains.

And as I always say, if you really want to spice up your love live with your significant other, how about exchanging credit reports with that special someone. Honesty in a long-term relationship is extremely important, and if you can’t be open about your financial standing then you really aren’t sharing everything. Plus, nobody wants to find out a week after the honeymoon that your partner is $100,000 in credit card debt

Also here is a link to the Federal Trade Commission’s site regarding your free annual credit report: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/freereports/psa.html