It's a Christmas...well...not "miracle." But it's happening near the day! In the final Fab 15 (and EC episode) of 2025, your Uncle Derek and Papa Dave are counting down our favorite albums of 2025. It was a really fun talk and we hope you'll enjoy it and maybe find a few new things to listen to! Enjoy!

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com Bandcamp: http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com email: db@derekbrink.com Spotify Playlists: https://open.spotify.com/user/317eypfciiajkyay2kxloz3kreoa?si=f046115ad0514079

Time Index:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 14:39 - The List Begins!
  • 14:39 - #15 - The Living End - I Only Trust Rock N Roll / Envy of None - Stygian Waves
  • 20:23 - #14 - Peppermint Kicks - Pop Rocks in my Chewing Gum / Alison Brown & Steve Martin - Safe Sensible and Sane
  • 27:55 - #13 - The Rumjacks - Dead Anthems / Mumford & Sons - Rushmere
  • 33:43 - #12 - Lucy Dacus - Forever is a Feeling / Neil Young - Talkin' to the Trees
  • 38:47 - #11 - John Batiste - Big Money / Elton John & Brandi Carlisle - Who Believes in Angels?
  • 45:46 - #10 - Margo Price - Hard Headed Woman / David Byrne - Who is the Sky?
  • 50:35 - #9 - Sloan - Based on the Best Seller / Los Straitjackets - Somos Los Straitjackets
  • 57:45 - #8 - Cheap Trick - All Washed Up / Bob Mould - Here We Go Crazy
  • 1:05:42 - #7 - Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow / Sloan - Based on the Best Seller
  • 1:11:37 - #6 - Dropkick Murphys - For the People / Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow
  • 1:18:03 - #5 - Spin Doctors - Face Full of Cake / James McMurtry - The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy
  • 1:29:06 - #4 - Dream Theater - Parasomnia / HAIM - I Quit
  • 1:38:54 - #3 - Mammoth - The End / Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
  • 1:49:11 - #2 - Halestorm - Everest / Dream Theater - Parasomnia
  • 1:54:46 - #1 - Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party / Yungblud - Idols
• 2:00:50 - Honorable Mentions
• 2:18:07 - This is Your Christmas
• 2:18:37 - The FINAL 15 and Outro

This is an unfortunately "special" episode, in which I try to process the murder of Rob and Michele Reiner, while also celebrating some of my favorite movies, directed by Rob, and honoring their memory and legacy. I'm not happy with the episode. It's too rambly and aimless. But it's something.

I don't even have a good episode photo because all of my DVDs/BluRays are in stacks for the annual re-sorting that I do at the end of every year. So I can't easily physically get to my Rob Reiner movies to take a picture...but maybe this cover photo is appropriate. "None more black" and all that.

Let's try to have a happier episode soon, okay everybody?

This episode is very raw and emotional. It absolutely comes with a trigger warning, if you are negatively effected by grief, death, mourning, or just-plain hearing someone struggle with loss.

Sometime on Sunday morning, November 30th, 2025, my friend Michael Feldman passed away, after a lengthy battle with cancer. I had been in bands with Mike for about 25 years. He's someone who will remain in my heart forever.

Later that evening, I sat down in front of a microphone, played one of Mike's albums, and recorded this episode, while I listened (and beyond). What you're hearing here isn't my prettiest moment--I cry several times--and it is NOT the place I would begin listening to this show...but I needed to do it, for myself, and for my friend.

This barely scratches the surface of my memories of Mike. But it's something. I hope there's something in it that speaks to you. Thanks for listening.

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com email: db@derekbrink.com

It's a Thanksgiving treat! There's a new episode of Empty Checking!

In advance, I ended up doing something else and did NOT get the nap I was hoping for throughout the episode...but at least I got to talk about music from Cheap Trick, Envy of None, Drive-By Truckers, and Hayley Williams, then about the last Downton Abbey movie, Frasier, and the King of the Hill revival! I had fun doing this one, even though it was willfully rushed and could've been time spent napping. Hope it makes your Thanksgiving Day/weekend pass a little more happily.

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com Bandcamp: http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com email: db@derekbrink.com

Time Index:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 8:01 - Forever Home
• 8:32 - Recent Listening
  • 8:32 - Cheap Trick - All Washed Up
  • 13:46 - Envy of None - Stij(e)en Wavz (That's as close as I can get to their dumb spelling without using characters that won't show up on some computers)
  • 18:38 - Drive-By Truckers - The Definitive Decoration Day
  • 25:15 - Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
• 31:20 - You and You Alone
• 31:51 - Recent Watching
  • 31:51 - Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
  • 43:33 - Frasier
  • 45:28 - King of the Hill (Revival Series)
• 52:01 - Indelible
• 52:32 - Outro

In this episode, Your Uncle Derek and Papa Dave are counting down their Fab 15 Rush songs! Rush is one of our collective favorite bands, and narrowing it down to just 15 was a TOUGH battle. We had a lot of fun rehashing old stories and talking about music that means a lot to us. We hope you enjoy this one, as the subject is very close(r) to our hearts!

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com Bandcamp: http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com email: db@derekbrink.com Spotify Playlists: https://open.spotify.com/user/317eypfciiajkyay2kxloz3kreoa?si=f046115ad0514079

Time Index:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 11:55 - #15
• 15:42 - #14
• 23:46 - #13
• 33:51 - #12
• 43:24 - #11
• 50:04 - #10
• 53:48 - #9
• 1:02:08 - #8
• 1:12:50 - #7
• 1:12:58 - #6
• 1:15:40 - #5
• 1:23:17 - #4
• 1:33:05 - #3
• 1:38:53 - #2
• 1:50:23 - #1
• 2:02:31 - Honorable Mentions and Other Subjects
• 2:19:32 - Music Break: Greetings from Far Away
• 2:19:50 - The Final 15 and Closing Thoughts

It's a new episode of the thing! I talk about Dropkick Murphys, Alison Brown and Steve Martin, The Who, Downton Abbey, and a semi-obscure movie called Still Crazy. I had a lot of fun with this one, despite a lot of back pain. Enjoy!

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com Bandcamp: http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com email: db@derekbrink.com

Time Index:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 11:39 - I Hope You're Happy
• 12:10 - Recent Listening
  • 12:24 - Dropkick Murphys - For the People
  • 16:09 - Alison Brown & Steve Martin - Safe Sensible and Sane
  • 22:18 - The Who - Who Are You Super Deluxe Edition
• 29:30 - Useless
• 30:00 - Recent Watching
  • 30:32 - Downton Abbey Movies
  • 40:59 - Still Crazy
• 47:20 - That Weekend (Blue Tattoo)
• 47:51 - Outro

In this episode--which is neither spooky, nor scary, despite the upload date--I talk about a bunch of new music and get mad at Taylor Swift fans (but maybe not in the way you think). It's a fun one. Check it out!

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com Bandcamp: http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com email: db@derekbrink.com

• 0:00 - Intro, including a tribute to Prunella Scales
• 13:26 - Live Your Life
• 13:57 - New Music Reviews
  • 14:46 - Max Richter - Sleep Circle
  • 21:12 - Sloan - Based on the Best Seller
  • 24:28 - Amanda Shires - Nobody's Girl
  • 34:54 - Los Straitjackets - Somos Los Straitjackets
  • 38:35 - Halestorm - Everest
  • 43:08 - Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl
• 48:45 - Every Day
• 49:15 - Outro, including a brief review of Only Murders in the Building

In this slightly shorter (but if you ask me TWICE as fun!) episode, I mostly just talk about the 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the reunion of RUSH! I had a blast doing this one. I bet you at least sort of enjoy having it on in the background while you work or go to the gym or walk the dog or whatever!

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com Bandcamp: http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com email: db@derekbrink.com

Time Index:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 14:13 - Deeper Than Oceans
• 14:44 - Rocky Horror 50th Anniversary
• 29:23 - Burn
• 29:54 - RUSH!
• 48:46 - Intervention
• 49:17 - Outro