MUSIC_DIRECTOR for Pickin'
Paonia, Colorado, United States
Andrea "Dre" Castillo joined the KVNF staff in June, 2022. With a strong passion for music and people, Dre serves as the Music Director & DJ Coordinator. She is originally from the West Coast and moved to the Western Slope of the Rockies in 2016. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, rafting, drawing and going to see live music. You can catch her on the KVNF airwaves.
Latest Album Reviews
Review of Myths of Origin
Album Info: Myths of Origin
Jason Kao Hwang Album: Myths of Origin Label: True Sound Genre(s): Avant-Garde Jazz Posted By: Robert Silverstein
Nov 29, 2025
Review
Classical music can be quite sonorous and at other times it can sound steeped in the diverging realms of World Music and avant-garde. A good example of an album that mixes atonal classical-influenced music with modern avant-garde and progressive music can be heard on the 2025 album entitled Myths of Origin by NYC area based Jason Kao Hwang. Subtitled For Improvising String Orchestra And Drum Set, the album was performed live and recorded in New York City in 2022 and as such should be listened to as one continuous piece of music. The album features 9 tracks and clocks in at just under 43 minutes.
To assist Jason in this sweeping musical mission the artist has enlisted the aid of an extensive string orchestra while also featuring additional backing of guitar, bass and drum set. Also inspired by jazz, funk and world music traditions, the album in and of itself makes a compelling and
Jung Stratmann Quartet Album: Confluence Label: ARC Genre(s): Contemporary Jazz Posted By: Robert Silverstein
Nov 24, 2025
Review
The release of Confluence by NYC based Jung Stratmann Quartet is a collaborative effort featuring the combined musicianship and compositional styles of Sujae Jung (piano) and Wolf Robert Stratmann (double bass), assisted on the album by Steve Cardenas (guitar) and Marko Djordjevic (drums). Released in 2025, the album clocks in just under a half hour.
Korean-born pianist Sujae Jung teams with double bass player, German-born Wolf Robert Stratmann and the results make for a breezy album of easy-on-the-ears acoustic-based jazz that never wears out its welcome.
The 5 tracks here were composed by either Sujae Jung or Wolf Robert Stratmann with track 2 “Summer Whale” being a co-composition. The addition of electric guitarist Steve Cardenas gives the album a kind of Metheny-Mays late 1970s fusion sound while drummer Marko Djordjevic provides the album with a solid jazz
Greg Nagy Album: Just A Little More Time Label: Self-Release Genre(s): Contemporary BluesBlues Posted By: Duane Verh
Nov 23, 2025
Review
Mr. Nagy completes a hat-trick here, delivering from his pipes, pen and guitar pick on a thoroughly satisfying set. Respectable readings on classics “Rainy Night in Georgia” and the Dead’s “Sugaree” stand alongside nicely crafted originals such as “Breaking Me (but making me a better man)”, “Between the Darkness and the Light” and the title track. For good measure there’s his fat-toned fretwork. Good stuff!
Modern Silent Cinema Album: Guitarworks: First Folio Label: Bad Channels Genre(s): New Age Posted By: Robert Silverstein
Nov 15, 2025
Review
Had this album come out in the late 1970s or even mid ‘80s, it might have been lauded as Euro-prog instrumental in nature but here it is in late 2025 and Modern Silent Cinema have issued Guitarworks: First Folio. The 11-track album was released summer 2025 on Bad Channels Records. One look at the Guitarworks website proves they have a multitude of album titles. Sparse but to the point, the CD packaging is enigmatic.
Featuring the music of guitarist and synth keyboard maestro Cullen Gallagher, the all instrumental album takes the listener into some deep dark waters where classical guitar meets electronic synth keys is a bold move. I can remember French prog-rock instrumentalists Coincidence being this daring, mixing acoustic 12-string and heavy synths, in the late 1970s.
For the most part, Cullen keeps the backing sparse and clean sounding. Somewhere between New Age and
Laura Taylor Album: Think I'm in Love Label: Vegas Genre(s): Crossover Jazz Posted By: Robert Silverstein
Nov 14, 2025
Review
Singer-songwriter Laura Taylor may be best known for writing a smash hit for Diana Ross. That song, now the title track of her 2025 album, “Think I’m In Love” opens the album with style and you can hear why Diana Ross got a hit with the same song way back in 1981. Time flies, yet Laura Taylor does well by reintroducing the song with a sparkling new arrangement to fresh ears nearly 45 years later. Laura’s 6th solo album, Think I’m In Love makes a good introduction to her unique vocal and compositional style.
Released on the Vegas Records imprint out of Las Vegas Nevada, Think I’m In Love is the opportune album to hear why Ms. Taylor remains a well-respected singer in the music world. Featuring arrangements and keyboards by Vegas Records head Uli Geissendoerfer, Think I’m In Love features a wide range of musicians. Although she has an
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