Empty Checking with Derek Brink

Something's Wrong With Daddy - 1/22/21

In this one I talk about good starting points for some classic artists, all of whom share sad anniversaries in the month of January, as we just recently passed the anniversaries of the deaths of John Lennon, David Bowie, and Neil Peart, respectively. I also talk about my feelings of the recent happenings in the country a little bit and some personal stuff. And so on. But most of it is just me telling you where to start if you've always meant to get around to listening to one of those acts, but you just don't know what to listen to.

 

And that's it!

Check out the companion blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com and thanks for your support.

Here's the time-index:

• 0:00 - Introduction
  • Talking about the state of America - 0:52
  • Back to the show - 12:28
• 15:28 - Music Break - "Nobody Else"
• 16:00 - Starting Points
  • John Lennon - 18:46
  • Rush - 31:08
  • David Bowie - 41:09
• 52:03 - Music Break - "Always"
• 52:33 - Outro

Cool... Sorta Cool... Not Very Cool... - 1/3/21

This was a fun one for me, planted deep in the 1990s, when I first started switching on and becoming me. Listen to me fondly describe music from 1994 and 1995 and Batman The Animated Series, as well as whatever else comes to mind--including my recently broken toe! It's a fun one. Dig in.

 

Also please be sure to visit the companion blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com for photos and more.

 

Time index:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 7:34 - Music Break - In My Heart
• 8:04 - 4 Albums from 1994/1995
  • Dream Theater - Awake - 12:15
  • Pearl Jam - Vitalogy - 16:41
  • Van Halen - Balance - 22:08
  • Queensryche - Promised Land - 27:58
• 36:02 - Music Break - Out from the Light
• 36:32 - Batman The Animated Series
• 52:36 - Music Break - Not-Quite Middle-Life Crisis
• 53:06 - Outro

Top Ten Favorite Albums of 2020

The day has come! This week's episode is all about my favorite albums of 2020. I do the top ten plus some honorable mentions and some general life updates. Dig it!

There's no real time index this week, since it's pretty much all one topic, but if you're wondering what songs were used in the episode they're "Coronation" and "The Cycle Part 4" off my "Departure" album.

There's also a blog post at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com that's going to be pretty much a cut and paste of my post on my personal blog at http://derekbrink.wordpress.com. So that's a thing, too.

Thanks for your support!

An Update, Not An Episode - 12/14/20

This isn't really an episode, but it felt important to record it really quickly. I'm not going to get a full episode up this week, but I at least wanted to post SOMETHING. The fact is I recorded an episode last night, but this morning woke up in a LOT of pain and it's making the editing process unbearable. So here's five minutes of me talking about that and not having to edit it.

In short: Sorry there's not a full episode this week. But NEXT week (or maybe the end of this week--whatever) there will be a full episode where I break down my top ten albums of 2020! (Health permitting.) That'll be a good episode, I bet. It's a good list, anyway...so check that out next time!

And thanks for your understanding this week.

The One Where I List Beverages for a Long Time - 12/6/20

This is a fun episode. Despite the music being a little too quiet, the heater being a little too loud, and the fact that I referred to a movie as being something "I want to like so much more than I does." Still fun! I talk about a Drive-By Truckers Record Store Day release and give my thoughts on the Roger Moore run of the James Bond movies. Plus I talk a little bit about Avalanche Ale, The Lord of the Rings, and Pat Patterson. Dig it! And check out the blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com where normally there's a bunch of photos and stuff but not this week (because that's ANOTHER thing that went wrong!)

Time Index:

• 0.00 - Intro (including talking about Avalanche Ale at 2:10).
• 6:40 - Music Break
• 6:55 - Drive-By Truckers - Plan 9 Records Record Store Day release
• 19:21 - Music Break
• 19:36 - James Bond movie update: The Roger Moore Era
• 37:19 - Music Break
• 37:29 - Outro, including some chatter about Lord of the Rings and also a RIP to Pat Patterson.

That's How Biology Works!- 11/28/20

I start this week's episode thinking it's going to be a "Fast Cash" episode, but it ended up just being a slightly shorter regular episode. Whatever. I talk about music from Bob Mould, Neil Young, and Rufus Wainwright along with telling some personal stories. I like this episode a lot and hope you will too.

Time Index:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 6:50 - Updated thoughts on Newcastle Brown Ale / Listener mail.
• 16:06 - Music Break - Give It Up
• 16:36 - Music Talk
  • Bob Mould - Distortion Box Set - 17:37
  • Neil Young - Return to Greendale - 26:38
  • Rufus Wainwright - Northern Stars - 32:52
• 39:04 - Music Break - Coming Storm
• 39:34 - Outro
  • Story about my friend Bill and keepsakes and such - 40:03

Thanks, and as always please be sure to check out the blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com for photos and stuff.

Anyhoozit - 11/20/20

This episode is a little different just based on how long I spend talking about a personal experience with an online troll up top...but the greater message is "be a good fan" so I think it's worth sharing. Outside of that I talk about a couple James Bond movies, the Austin Powers flicks, and The Wrong Guy then go through some of my "Current Listening" including music from Gord Downie, Frank Black, Elvis Costello, Jason Isbell, Drive-By Truckers, and The Hold Steady. I had fun with this one and hope you will too!

 

Check out the companion blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com for photos and more!

 

Time Index:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 11:24 - I start yellin' about a troll and about being a good fan.
• 28:53 - Music Break - Remember Me
• 29:23 - Recent Viewing including The Wrong Guy, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Diamonds Are Forever, and the Austin Powers movies.
• 54:46 - Music Break - Out from the Light
• 55:16 - Current Listening: The Hold Steady, Elvis Costello, Jason Isbell, DBT, Frank Black, and Gord Downie.
• 1:10:05 - Music Break - In My Heart
• 1:10:35 - Outro

Mispronunciations With Derek - 11/14/20

This episode is all over the place and I had fun doing it. I talk about a bunch of stuff. The election (only briefly), my car, my back, and dining out to start...and then when it gets going (!) I talk about Deadliest Catch, some Connery-era Bond movies, and music from The Mountain Goats, Jason Isbell/Mike Cooley/Patterson Hood, Matthew Perryman Jones, The Wicker Man Soundtrack, Son Volt, Beth Bombara, J Mascis, Vigilantes of Love, and The Tragically Hip! (Whew!) (Also I accidentally called the guy from 30 Rock Jonah instead of Judah--I caught it listening back to it. I just didn't fix it.) It's a slightly different format because I just kinda babbled this week, but I hope you dig it!

Visit the blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com for photos and more!

Time Index:

• 0:00 - Intro Stuff - The election, my car, my back, eating at a restaurant, and more.
• 13:54 - RIP Alex Trebek
• 19:42 - Deadliest Catch
• 24:43 - Sean Connery-era James Bond movies
• The Mountain Goats - Getting Into Knives
• 35:38 - Mike Cooley, Patterson Hood, and Jason Isbell - Live at the Shoals Theatre 2014
• 38:45 - Matthew Perryman Jones - Land of the Living
• 45:00 - A Weird Pile of Music!
  • 46:11 - Son Volt - Trace
  • 47:10 - Vigilantes of Love - Audible Sigh
  • 48:23 - The Tragically Hip - Man Machine Poem
  • 49:56 - The Wicker Man - Soundtrack
  • 51:10 - J Mascis - Elastic Days
  • 52:15 - Beth Bombara - Ever Green
• 55:51 - Butcher Queen and outro

A President or a Resident - 11-5-20

This week's episode is a slightly-shorter-than-usual affair that isn't short enough to be a "FAST CASH!" but isn't as long as most full episodes. Whatever. In it, I freak out about the election for a while, then talk about Sean Connery, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, and even touch on Tana French and the Venture Bros. It's all over the place and I think that's probably pretty fun to listen to. Be sure to check out the companion blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com!

Here's the time breakdown:

• 000 - Intro: Derek freaks out about politics
• 8:07 - Music Break - Being There
• 8:37 - Rest in Peace, Sean Connery
• 25:29 - Music Break - Scars
• 25:59 - Music stuff - Springsteen and Costello
• 33:42 - Music Break - Coming Storm
• 34:12 - Outro, including hastily talking about Tana French and the Venture Bros.

An Episode About Dead Folks - FAST CASH - 10/29/20

The cover photo of this episode is an inside joke for people who understand what the 3 of Clubs means in magic circles. Figured it would throw some of you...

Anyway, this is more or less a "Fast Cash" episode, even though it's a *little* longer than that. I dish out what felt like a TON of "RIPs" to The Amazing Randy, Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver, and Tracy Smothers, and then I talk about the Tom Petty "Wildflowers and All the Rest" box set that just came out. And I also talk about my experience voting early in the intro and plug my buddy Jim's comic book in the outro. I had fun with this one. Hope you do too!

Time index:

• 0:00 - Intro Stuff
• 11:12 - Music Break - "Being There"
• 11:27 - Rest in Peace, Amazing Randy, Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver, and Tracy Smothers
• 24:29 - Music Break - "Beautiful Disaster"
• 24:44 - Tom Petty - "Wildflowers and All the Rest"
• 30:20 - Music Break - "Nobody Has It All"
• 30:35 - Outro Stuff including a plug for Butcher Queen.

Thanks for your support!