BECKLEY, WV (LOOTPRESS) — The Holler Generals will release their debut EP, Hillbilly Hecks, on all major streaming platforms Thursday, September 24, at 9 a.m. Physical copies will follow.
Tracked live at Monarch Entertainment Studio in Beckley, West Virginia, the five-song collection captures Matt Mullins, Randy Gilkey and Alex Bair doing what they do best: gathering around a few instruments, leaning into three-part harmony and letting the songs go wherever the moment takes them.
At the heart of that sound is Oak Hill native Randy Gilkey, a blind musical virtuoso whose career has stretched across stages, studios, instruments and genres.
Gilkey lost his eyesight shortly after birth and began playing piano at just two years old. Since then, he has become an accomplished singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer and recording engineer. His résumé includes sharing stages with legends ranging from Chuck Berry and George Jones to David Holt, appearing multiple times on NPR’s Mountain Stage and contributing instrumentation to recordings associated with The Drifters and Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs.
With Randy, blindness may be part of the story, but it has never defined the music. His ear, instincts and ability to move effortlessly between instruments have made him one of West Virginia’s most respected musicians.
“Randy is the kind of musician who hears the whole song before the rest of us have figured out our parts,” Mullins said. “He can sit down at just about any instrument, find exactly what the song needs and make everybody around him play better. Getting to build this band and make this record with him is something special.”
Alongside Gilkey, Mullins brings his gravelly voice, acoustic guitar and Appalachian storytelling, while Bair adds mandolin, tenor vocals and a sharp musical instinct that helps hold the trio’s harmony-driven sound together.
The result is a band that respects where Appalachian music came from without treating it like a museum piece. Hillbilly Hecksmoves between mountain music, country soul, gospel harmony and backwoods rock ’n’ roll, all tied together by three voices and the natural chemistry of longtime musicians playing together in the same room.
Rather than building the record one isolated piece at a time, The Holler Generals tracked its core performances live at Monarch Entertainment Studio. The approach preserved the conversation between the musicians—the little glances, spontaneous turns and imperfect moments that give a performance its life.
“We didn’t want to sand all the edges off,” Mullins said. “We wanted it to feel like you were sitting in the room with us. Three fellas, a few instruments and no place to hide.”
Hillbilly Hecks serves as both an introduction to The Holler Generals and a showcase for three distinct West Virginia musicians whose voices fit together like they have always belonged in the same band.
It is honest, homegrown and just polished enough to prove they meant to do it.
Hotter than a two-dollar pistol and more comforting than coming up to the house for a pot of beans.
Hillbilly Hecks will be available on all major streaming platforms beginning Thursday, September 24, at 9 a.m. Physical copies will be released at a later date.
For music, videos, show dates and additional information, visit HollerGenerals.com.
