July 4th.  If your ears aren't still ringing after lighting up all of your noisemakers in tribute to our independence, enjoy some of my "America" selections. Brian Eno/David Byrne : "America Is Waiting" Yes : "America ( Simon & Garfunkel cover)"   Primus : "American Life"   The Mothers of Invention : "America Drinks and Goes Home"   Black Flag : "American Waste"   R.E.M. : "Little America"   MC5 : "The American Ruse"   Bad Religion : "American Dream"   David Bowie : "I'm Afraid of Americans" Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead

I found an obituary at Billboard . As a graphic designer by trade, I've gravitated toward poster art for as long as I can remember.  After college, I had aspirations of becoming one of those well-known poster and flyer artists that advertises gigs locally while inadvertently informing the look and feel of a generation and its music, sort of along the lines of Art Chantry , Raymond Pettibon or Emek .  Grimshaw was such an artist, someone who managed to visually capture a place and time memorably while helping to establish its aesthetic. Music and art define points in time and identify cultural shifts in consciousness.  From album covers and gig posters and flyers, to video and t-shirt design, would music have the same weight without its visual component?  Would any era in music's still developing history, whether it be jazz or country, disco or punk, new wave or hip-hop, have as much impact without texture or color, appearance or tone?  I personally ca...

Michael Davis , bassist for the loud and proud MC5 , has passed away due to liver failure .  Rock n' roll has lost one of its brightest, and while citing the obvious and essential contributions of the MC5 and their proto-stance as forefathers of what later became regarded as punk rock would be the usual stuff to address, let's instead "kick out the jams, motherfucker."   R.I.P. Sincerely, Letters From A Tapehead