Earlier this month I completed a package design for a music CD for Tina Bergmann. Titled “Retrospective,” the disc is a re-issue of selected tunes from the first two LP recordings by “Strings & Things,” which began as the Bergmann family band and went on to become the most fun and accomplished folk band in northern Ohio.

The disc was conceived as a tribute to Tina’s mother, Diana Bergmann, who established the band in 1980, and passed away at the young age of 61 in 2006.

The cover photograph is a still life that I created showing Diana’s banjo-ukulele next to a heart-shaped wreath. The rest of the photographs in the layout are vintage snapshots of the band members taken in the early eighties. We chose the “soft-spot” package from Oasis for it’s resemblance to the old LP album covers and because it afforded a six-panel layout without the need for a separate insert booklet.

The music on this disc is, of course, outstanding. For those of us who have been fans of Strings & Things since the early days, this will be a “must have” as most of us have long since retired our turntables and haven’t heard these recordings in many years. Anyone interested in traditional folk music will appreciate the energy and passion of the performance. The disc is available on Tina’s website at www.allroadsleadhome.com.