Pepperbox Studio

“Stykos has released six albums under her own name, along with a collaboration with the recently deceased Montanan pianist and composer Philip Aaberg. Her Thunder Ridge Records roster, whilst not full of household names, has showcased the skills of many talented Vermonters. Stykos is also one half of The Cousins Project, the other being Steve Mayone ... The Cousins Project soundscape is rich, rural, resonant and as vibrant as Vermont’s fall foliage. It should be savoured until The Story Tree of the final song has shed its last leaf. The artisanal excellence of Child of the Hills emanates earthy warmth from a state much loved by both powderhounds and leaf peepers.” - Jonathan Hincks, Americana - UK

“Then there's the wistful ballad "Wintertown," another album highlight. Remarkably, it stretches past the six-minute mark, but you won't even notice. That's a testament to the power of the Lakes' performances and their knack for letting a song live and breathe on its own terms. Credit here is surely shared with producer Stykos, because the whole project sounds like a million bucks.” - Justin Boland, Seven Days

“Some credit for that feel undoubtedly belongs to producer Kristina Stykos, who engineered the album at her Pepperbox Studio in Chelsea. The record is also a product of Stykos' Thunder Ridge imprint, which is home to a wealth of local artists who trade in a similarly rough-hewn, rootsy style. A hallmark of Stykos' catalog, both as a producer and in her own recordings, is tattered quality. Thunder Ridge albums tend to favor grit over polish, and Bones of the Heart is no exception. ” - Dan Bolles, Seven Days

“Zevon has assembled a stellar band: drummers Jeff Berlin (Bow Thayer Band) and Matt Musty (Grace Potter), Cabinet's Patrick Biondo on banjo, and guitarist Val McCallum (Jackson Browne). Stykos adds instrumentation and arrangements, giving The Detangler a classic, tight sound. ” - Amelia Devoid, Seven Days

“Since she started churning out recordings on her Thunder Ridge Records imprint in 2005, Kristina Stykos has embraced a unique vision of Vermont. Her dark and complex view of life in the Green Mountains is embodied by the folk-rock songwriter's Pepperbox Studio, where she's produced her own albums and dozens more for other artists. The off-the-grid studio is scenic and homey, a quintessentially rustic Vermont setting with sweeping mountain panoramas. But life there is as isolating and unforgiving as it is beautiful. That dichotomy has long informed Stykos' music, making hers a singular Vermont voice ...” - Dan Bolles, Seven Days

“But his new recording features a much more compact band, with Thayer on vocals, guitar, banjo and ukulele, brilliant Montpelier fiddler Patrick Ross and the gloriously talented Kristina Stykos — one of Vermont’s great rhythm guitarists and also the engineer of this CD...The combination of Thayer’s talents as a musician and composer and producer Stykos’ sensitive touch in the studio has resulted in a highly pleasurable album. It leaves me hoping the pair might collaborate again sometime soon. ” - Robert Resnik, Seven Days

“On many of the albums she has engineered in the past few years — Bow Thayer’s Shooting Arrows at the Moon, Brian Clark’s Solo Duo Trio and her own In the Earth’s Fading Light — Stykos has produced unadorned acoustic music that shows off the heart and the soul of the vocalists and their instruments. In the case of Mary McGinniss, that’s a great thing, because she has a rich singing voice, provides her own harmony, and accompanies herself on guitar and ukulele throughout Red Tails. ” - Robert Resnik, Seven Days