Empty Checking with Derek Brink

Episode 58 - Gaming is Fun but Leaning is Painful

On this week's episode I talk about all kinds of stuff including music from Prince, The Who, Yep Roc Records, the new format for Conan on TBS, gaming on the PS4, and so on... I also bid farewell to Bob Einstein and Mean Gene Okerlund. And more! Check it out! Here's the time index for those inclined to skip around: 0.00 - Intro with some personal stuff and tributes to Bob Einstein and Gene Okerlund 10:55 - Music Break - "The Last Folk Singers" 11:29 - Talking about the PS4 with focus on the games Fallout 4, Detroit Become Human, and Carmageddon. 27:10 - Music Break - "Not Okay" 27:43 - A Hodgepodge of Entertainment Stuff: Prince - Piano and a Microphone (28:07) Yep Roc Records Completist Club (33:30) The Who on Tour! (35:32) Conan's new format (37:56) A brief talk about the WWE (42:03) Loot Crate's Star Trek Mission Crate (43:13) 51:08 - Music Break - "Being There" 51:39 - Show Outro Check out http://emptychecking.blogspot.com for more!

Episode 57 - Top Ten Albums of 2018

It's a list of my top ten albums of 2018! That's pretty much it!

Episode 56 - Checkmates?

Sorry the description and whatnot is going to be lacking this week--I'm in a rush to meet a deadline on something else. This week I talk about how much fun I'm having playing Stardew Valley, I talk about new music from J Mascis, Greta Van Fleet, and Louden Wainwright III, and I talk about Patton Oswalt's special "Annihilation." It's a good one!

Episode 55 - The Asterisk (Vonnegut) Episode

This episode is all about my new album "Asterisk" and my love of all things Kurt Vonnegut. That's pretty much it! Be sure to check out the companion blog at http://emptychecking,blogspot.com for more stuff! The album referenced (and played!) throughout the episode can be downloaded for FREE (or pay what you want) at http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com/album/asterisk.

Episode 54 - An Interview with Jim Ousley

I like this week's episode a lot. It's a nice, long chat with my friend Jim Ousley, author of the awesome horror comic "The Dead Palace." We talk about the comic...and everything else we can think of from music to movies to personal stuff. It's a good talk. You can pick up a copy of The Dead Palace at http://thedeadpalace.bigcartel.com and it's worth every cent. This whole episode is just the two of us riffing, so there's no time-line like I'd normally provide. But there are still some photos and whatnot at http://emptychecking/blogspot.com if that's your cup of tea!

Episode 53 - Kicking Out at 2

This week's episode got a little intense as I talked about Roman Reigns' leukemia diagnosis right at the top and ended up telling some personal stories and getting kinda dark in places. Then I talk about music, because, sure... Talked about the new releases from Jason Isbell, The Bottle Rockets, and Trampled by Turtles, then talked about Neil Young's "Harvest," which is one of my all-time favorite records. After a series of malfunctions, I don't have a time-index this week, but the music stuff is about a half-hour in. Check out http://emptychecking.blogspot.com for photos and more!

Episode 52 - The Best Damn Turtle You Can Find

This week's episode is a longer one to make up for missing a show last week. I talk about music from Coheed and Cambria, Elvis Costello, Louden Wainwright III, and Thrice. I also talk about TV shows including Murphy Brown, Disenchantment, and Doctor Who. Plus other stuff, including a long rant about how the Internet makes people worse. Enjoy! Also be sure to check out the companion blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com 0:00 - Intro 4:43 - An extended rant about how sometimes the Internet sucks. 19:33 - Music Break #1 - Born in this Town 20:03 - New Music Releases 55:54 - Music Break #2 - Nobody Has It All 56:24 - TV Talk 1:12:49 - Music Break #3 - Coming Storm 1:13:19 - Outro

Episode 51 - Islands Don't Go in Streams

It's a short episode this week because I've got a cold. I mostly talk about the MC5, Amanda Shires, Adam's House Cat, and Tyler Childers. Short episodes are good jumping-on points, so this one might be the one you've been waiting for. Be sure to check out the companion blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com for photos and stuff! Here's the time-breakdown thing... 0:00 - Intro and Batting Cleanup 5:40 - Music Break #1 - "Not Okay" 6:10 - MC50 Concert Review 16:55 - Music Break #2 - "Being There" 17:25 - Recent Record Purchases - MC5, Amanda Shires, Adam's House Cat, and Tyler Childers 29:57 - Music Break #3 - "Napalm" 30:28 - Outro Stuff

Episode 50 - My Top 10 Favorite Concerts

So this episode is just me counting down my top ten favorite concerts I've attended. That's it! The blog at http://emptychecking.blogspot.com will have lots of pictures this week! 0:00 - Intro Stuff. Lots of Intro Stuff 16:00 - Music Break 1 - Give it Up 16:34 - My ALL TIME TOP 10 FAVORITE CONCERTS! 1:08:49 - Music Break 2 - Outdoor Summer Concerts 1:09:24 - Outro

Episode 49 - Hey Siri, Stop Recording

***EDIT: I COMPLETELY forgot to censor some swearing in this episode. So if you're not a grown-up, grow up.*** In this episode, I spend an extended amount of time talking about the Jason Isbell show in St. Louis this past week (and why I loved it). I also talk about the movie and book Juliet, Naked, and the Venture Bros. You know how it goes by now. Here's the time index: 0:00 - Jason Isbell show in St. Louis 22:15 - Music Break #1 - "Sometimes You Say Goodbye" 22:46 - Movie/Book Review - Juliet, Naked 40:40 - Music Break #2 - "You and Your Perfect Life" 41:11 - Venture Bros. and the Shirt of the Week Club 45:48 - Music Break #3 - Hindsight 46:19 - Outro, including tributes to Aretha Franklin and Burt Reynolds