Author: Dan Seeger

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Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

I had a nicely balanced week at Spectrum Culture: one film review, one album review. First I reviewed the new album from Minor Alps, a duo comprised of Juliana Hatfield and Matthew Caws, the latter best known as the leader of Nada Surf. His involvement piqued my interest, though, because of his preceding tenure with the Cost of Living. And thus my quest to cite obscure bands from my college radio days in Spectrum reviews marks another tally. On the film side, I wrote about a new documentary tracing the genesis, production and influence of George A. Romero’s The Night … Continue reading Spectrum Check

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One for Friday: Darren Hanlon, “Video Store”

Dan Seeger

The announcement this week that the few remaining Blockbuster video stores would be closing inspired a lot of surprisingly wistful reminiscences for the chain with the garish blue and yellow color scheme that was once best known (and reviled in all the right corners) for a selective prudishness that deemed Henry & June unacceptable but Playboy exercise videos a-okay. (To be fair, I’m in absolutely no hurry to sit through the former again, so they may have had a point purely on aesthetic merits in my example.) Of course, this didn’t truly reflect a swelling of nostalgia for one particular … Continue reading One for Friday: Darren Hanlon, “Video Store”

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Top 40 Smash Taps: “I’ve Never Found a Girl”

Dan Seeger

These posts are about the songs that can accurately claim to crossed the key line of chart success, becoming Top 40 hits on Billboard, but just barely. Every song featured in this series peaked at number 40. Eddie Floyd started at Stax Records as a songwriter. In the mid-nineteen-sixties, Floyd partnered with guitarist Steve Cropper to write something for Otis Redding, emerging with the song “Knock on Wood.” After hearing it Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Records (then deeply connected to Stax) was convinced that Floyd didn’t need to loan the song out. He had a hit on his own if … Continue reading Top 40 Smash Taps: “I’ve Never Found a Girl”

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Spectrum Check

Dan Seeger

This week at Spectrum Culture…I didn’t write anything. Given my recent travels, I deliberately steered cleared of picking up stuff to review, and the editor-in-chief was also merciful (there were certainly music reviews I could have had deadlines this past week). So this is one of those rare instances when I have nothing new to share. My olleagues filled the site with good stuff, so do follow the hyperlink and click around. Continue reading Spectrum Check

MusicLeave a comment

One for Friday: The Postmarks, “Every Day is Halloween”

Dan Seeger

We have an uncarved pumpkin on our front porch. Initially, there was a little regret about that in our household. However, a different sentiment quickly overtook it, defined by a simple, direct statement: every day is Halloween. There’s not exactly an abundance of holiday cheer in our residence, most of the special days of the calendar coming and going with, at most, cheerfully unorthodox commemorations. There is one that is held more dear than the others, and that’s Halloween. That reverence for October 31st means I’ve long gone out of my way to make sure I have a small surplus … Continue reading One for Friday: The Postmarks, “Every Day is Halloween”