The Story of Pressley Laton Band: From App State to Award-Winning Musician

Pressley Laton is a singer-songwriter and bandleader based in Boone, NC, who traded a six-year career in higher education at App State to bet on music full time. She grew up singing in church in Stanley County, taught herself guitar in high school, and spent years thinking about pursuing music before finally diving in during 2022. What started as random cover gigs at Booneshine with Ray Edmonds turned into the Pressley Laton Band, a tight-knit group that won the Merle Fest band competition in 2024 and is now preparing to release their debut album, Wondering Kind. In this episode, Pressley walks us through the leap from admissions counselor to independent artist, the moment she stopped introducing herself by her day job, and what it was like to stand on the Hillside stage at Merle Fest thinking there was no way they'd win. We talk about the business side of running a band, how live performances and merch sales sustain the operation, and why she's building something local instead of chasing Nashville. Pressley gets honest about imposter syndrome, the perceived judgment from people who thought she was crazy for leaving a stable career, and how winning Merle Fest gave her the first real wind in her sails. We get into songwriting, storytelling, and the craft of turning a single overheard phrase into a full song. She shares the inspiration behind Traveling Time, the song about her grandfather's Alzheimer's that she can't perform without crying, and Wondering Kind, the title track written about the people who believed in her when the path felt ridiculous. We also talk about what makes the High Country music scene unique, the gap between Boone Saloon and App Theater, and her vision for more country music to take root in a region that loves bluegrass and folk but hasn't fully embraced the genre she's building her life around. From King Street to the Grand Ole Opry, from self-doubt to sold-out shows, this is a conversation about small business, storytelling, and the courage it takes to stop waiting and just start. Support local stories from the High Country—follow and share! 🔗 Pressley Laton Music (https://pressleylaton.com) 🌐 Real Boone Studios (https://www.realboone.com/) 📸 Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/realboonestudios) 💬 evan@realboone.com (mailto:evan@realboone.com)