Last year our melodic mates at Insound commissioned gifted designer Jason Munn to create the limited edition Insound20 line of posters, hoodies, and tees in tribute to 20 contemporary indie rock stalwarts including the likes of The National, Beirut, and The Decemberists. If last year’s collaboration didn’t do a good enough job convincing us of their good taste in both graphic design and musical arenas, this year’s sequel finished the job and damn near knocked our socks off in the process. Insound has turned to one of our favorite artists, Mike Perry, to create the “Insound 10 Classic” collection. This time the focus has been turned away from the contemporary and towards creating an updated visual representation of influential bands that helped define the genres of punk, post-punk and indie rock between 1977-1997. Included in the visually inspired line of tees, totes, and posters are seminal acts like The Feelies, The Magnetic Fields, and Sleater-Kinney. While the products are slated to arrive in September, pre-order officially launched on Monday at the Insound store, so your time to grab them is already running out. Save a Galaxie 500 Tee for me.

Mike Perry has continually wowed us with his powers of illustration. The Brooklyn-based artist has provided us with everything from hot hand-drawn patterns to super snowboard designs and even some killer typography. At the end of the day though, every artistic talent needs a place to hang their hat and Perry is no different. It’s this need for a home base that has given rise to a brand new site for the art director extraordinaire. Mike Perry Studio maintains all of the warm, fuzzy goodness of Perry’s past while shedding his Midwestisbest moniker in favor of a name that’s a bit more personal with an eye on the future.

Let's start things off right by saying this: Wow, did we love that Hand Job. Not that that's an atypical reaction for us (we'll take hand-drawn ABC's over Photoshop-perfected ones anytime), but regardless, that book just felt good in our hands.

Well Happy Friday to us, because the man behind Hand Job — the creatively inclined, Brooklyn-based Michael Perry — has just given us another. Over & Over, a book of people-drawn patterns, stays clear of the sexual innuendo that initially got our attention, but still manages to keep our attention in the same way that (your favorite punny porno title here) does. Or doesn't, or used to, or…hey. Sometimes, we just prefer a book.

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Alldaybuffet, Aww Sweet, and Good Wood are throwing a charity auction for the Stoked Mentoring Program. The 50 items up for grabs (which are currently on display at 3rd Ward in Williamsburg, Brooklyn until August 10th) feature deck designs from respected artists in the skate community like Mike Perry and Nathan Fox. Proceeds from the final sale price of each go towards the non-profit organization that coaches at-risk kids in action sports like surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding. We’re on board with that. (Groan.)

If you take a moment to think back to May of this year, you may recall us telling you about Mike Perry’s typography compilation, Hand Job! A Catalogue of Type, which featured the work of Spear Collective Compatriot RoyalRemarkable and that of 54 other massively talented typographers.

Do you remember? Good. Now, snap out of flashback mode and start living in the present tense because thinking about the past is not going to get you to the Jen Bekman Gallery in New York City this Saturday, where Mike Perry will be signing copies of his book. Perry won’t be alone, though, he’ll be joined for a talk by Kate Bingaman-Burt, who while included in Perry’s book, also serves as the mastermind behind the exhibit currently on display, Obsessive Consumption, “a brand, company, website and art project developed as a means to explore and showcase her personal relationship with money, shopping, branding, credit cards, celebrity, advertising and marketing” through the employment of her versatile skills as a visual artist. Get thee to a gallery, more specifically the Jen Bekman gallery on Saturday from 3pm to 5pm.

Our good friend and Spear Collective comrade RoyalRemarkable has been busy with a few projects lately that I thought I’d relay to you all. First and foremost, he has some sick type work featured in a forthcoming catalog entitled Hand Job, recently completed by Mike Perry of Midwestisbest. It’s is a compilation of work by 55 of some of the most talented freehand typographers out there; slated for release at the end of August, you can buy it on presale at Amazon for $23.

RoyalRemarkable is also gearing up to do a permanent installation for Ogilvy & Mather’s new digital agency outpost in Durham, North Carolina. He promised to send us some photos when his art comes to life in the next few weeks, so we’ll keep you posted with his progress. When describing the gig to me, he said: “think nesting dolls and old school security gates.” Suffice to say, all of us here at JoshSpear.com are excited to see his concept come to life.