Font Songs

Typographers by nature are nerds. So perhaps it's only fitting that one of today's best type foundries is also one of today's best nerds. Hoefler & Frere-Jones inspired quite a few tweeters to bust out song title puns using names of typefaces.

Below is a list of some of the best from this summer's #fontsongs Twitter tag. (We warned you of the nerdom.)

• We will, we will Rockwell
• Rock the Caslon
• I Meta Girl
• ITC Clearly Now
• Tempted by the Frutiger ’nother
• Rockwell Amadeus
• Gill Sans in a Coma
• Get Down Onyx
• I Wanna Bold Your Sans
• Janson Queen
• Take a Janson Me
• Hotel Caledonia
• My Tahoma
• I’m So X-Heighted

When we told Duckpin's own Mom M. about this post, she spouted off a few of her own:

• Lucinda, You're Breaking My Heart
• I Had the Times of My Life
  

Think you can you outdo her? That's what the comments section is for.

The Printer's Song

Over the years, printing has done wonders to build and support the music industry. And what have we gotten in return? Not so much. Until now. Tommie Rose, a musician and printer, offers us this song about the decline of the printing scene:




What do you think? Will the ink knife ever touch her fountain well again?

Shop Music: An American in Paris

This series celebrates what we're playing while we're printing.

The honk of taxi horns. The pitter-pat rhythm of drums. The swooning of strings. According to George Gershwin, An American in Paris musically portrays "an alert spectator of Parisian life" as he traipses through the city. But it could as easily serve as the soundtrack to our print shop.

Gershwin's thumping cadence of a fast-paced city walk echoes the rhythm of the press in a very human measure. One can successfully time the pull of the press to keep beat with the composition. But the energetic rhythm is countered by a series of playful string interludes, a chance for our alert spectator to absorb the sights of the city. Likewise, it offers us in the shop a chance to step back and appreciate the job at hand, then jump back in once the thumping blare resumes. Gershwin's interplay of industrious horns and flourishing strings is a perfect reminder that one can reconcile hard work with a little inventive play -- all without leaving the comfort of the basement.

Watch and listen here.

Pictured is a hitherto unseen photo of George Gershwin at home with his second favorite keyboard: the Linotype. Thank you, Photoshop.

Shop Music: Johnny Cash

This series celebrates what we're playing while we're printing.

You pretty much can't go wrong with any offering from Johnny Cash, but our current favorite is American III: Solitary Man. Recorded after his health started to wane, Solitary Man offers sparse and tender performances by Cash. On each track he confronts his physical frailty with an enduring resilience, producing an rather inspiring album. A highlight for us is June Carter Cash joining him for a beautiful rendition of "Field of Diamonds." It's a nice bookend to their earlier animated collaborations such as "Jackson," and a gleaming reminder of the inevitable passage of time.

Samples can be heard here.

Shop Music: Ken Nordine

This series celebrates what we're playing while we're printing.

Ken Nordine's Colors is essential listening for anyone working on a project that involves, well, colors. The album consists of 35 tracks, each a celebration of a single hue. Though there's sparse instrumental accompaniment, this is word jazz at its finest. Nordine's expressive delivery gives each color a distinct and fitting personality. And since 1/2 of Duckpin Press experiences synesthesia, this is a particularly rewarding album to listen to while pondering what ink to mix up next.

Samples can be heard here.