NEW ULM – Something of a prodigy who has been performing onstage since age 7, Ian Kimmel is truly coming into his own.

The New Ulm native – in his second year, but soon to be a junior, at East Tennessee State University – is releasing his debut album, “Nothing to Say, Nothing to Tell,” Jan. 2.

The album will be released at State Street Theater, New Ulm. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Kimmel will be joined by his band, The Heard. Opening the show will be southern Minnesota native duo DD & Rosco. Dick Kimmel, Ian’s father, will also join his son onstage.

Tickets are available at iankimmel.com, at the New Ulm Chamber of Commerce, the New Ulm Hy- Vee, and at the door.

Kimmel is known for playing as a member in award-winning bluegrass band, Barton’s Hollow, and playing alongside his father.

The original new album is his first truly “own” project – marking Kimmel’s striking out on his own musical career and sharing his original music with the world.

“Nothing to Say, Nothing to Tell” includes Kimmel performing 10 of his original songs, accompanied by local artists Dave Pengra and Meia Kjellberg and musicians from Tennessee and Texas. With a compilation of genres, including rock, folk, and blues, Kimmel brings a new sound to his listeners. The album, taking a full year to create, has a refined sound, with all musicians playing to the best of their ability.

Recorded at 27 Years Studio, New Ulm, and mastered at Mozu Mastering, New Haven, Conn., “Nothing to Say, Nothing to Tell” includes many experienced sets of ears refining it, creating a true work of art.

Kimmel drew on personal experiences to write the lyrics of the songs.

“Nothing to Say, Nothing to Tell” will be released to iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and other musical outlets in January. “Ava”, the single for Kimmel’s album, is already released on these outlets and available now for streaming or purchase.

Kimmel and the band are also planning a nationwide tour to promote their work, said Kimmel.

The album release concert will be the first chance to purchase a CD or digital download of “Nothing to Say, Nothing to Tell,” along with other merchandise.

Kimmel made his first on-stage performances at age 7, recounts a bio by Len Kalakian. At age 11, he was fronting his own band. Starting in 2011, Kimmel’s amalgam of traditional and modern bluegrass band, Barton’s Hollow, began winning strings of band contests. Kimmel has since gone on to perform border to border, coast to coast, and internationally. In 2014, he won the Society for the Preservation of Bluegrass Music of America (SPBGMA)’s Mandolin Player of the Year award.

“Ian, musically, has shifted from high gear into overdrive,” writes Kalakian. “For starters, he’s long since arrived stellar-accomplished on guitar (acoustic and electric), mandolin, and Dobro. Self-accompanied on whichever instrument, Ian’s lead singing (he sings all the parts, too) come naturally. They’re powerful, and, refreshingly, not the least bit self-conscious. Ian, seemingly effortlessly, jumps genres; ranging from folk, to rock, to blues.”

Currently, Kimmel is enrolled in East Tennessee State University’s music program. ETSU is described as “the four-year degree epicenter for aspiring, capable, goal-driven young musicians.”