Jimmy Lykens Releases Debut EP- Out of These Walls

For Immediate Release

Nashville, TN, May 15, 2020

Photo Credit: Chelsie Lykens

Born and raised deep in the hills of southern West Virginia, Jimmy Lykens grew up in a small coal camp in Raleigh county called Eunice, playing in the same hills and creeks that his family had called home for many generations. Living with the songs and stories that told so well of the struggles and joys of life in coal country and Appalachia have left a lasting impression on Jimmy, whose songwriting has been likened to that of Townes Van Zandt.

Reared on Flatt & Scruggs, Hank Williams, and Lefty Frizzell, Lykens started his life in music on his mother’s old Harmony guitar around age six. Since then, music has taken Jimmy out of that holler and around the world, playing across Europe and the United States, including the Jazz a Juan and Montreux Jazz Festivals, Mountain Stage, and historic venues like Cain’s Ballroom.

Jimmy Lykens moved to Nashville nine years ago and has made a career as a touring and studio bass player. Independently funded by Lykens and co-produced by Lykens and his friend, singer-songwriter Jon Cavendish, the new EP, Out of These Walls, is his first offering as a solo artist. Each of the tracks were penned solely by Lykens and are infused with a healthy dose of Appalachian fatalism as well as universal themes like love and loss. Keeping the project close to home and heart, Lykens chose to release the EP under the label name Personality Park, a nod to his late grandfather, who dreamed of a Bluegrass festival by the same name that never came to fruition. Lykens called upon friends and Broadway veterans to provide the instrumentation for the album; with Trevor Layne on drums and Nathan Stoops on fiddle, supplying a haunting, high lonesome opening to “Hey There, Mr. Moon.” Mary Todd provides background vocals on “By Morning,” and “Up in Flames,” lending her sultry alto as an answer to Lykens’ deep baritone. Road veteran Jonathan Galletti is featured on pedal steel.

Out of These Walls is available on all streaming platforms May 15, 2020.