Winner of the 2026 MerleFest Band Contest, Pressley Laton is an independent alternative-country and roots-rock artist based in Boone, NC, whose music is shaped by Appalachian culture, small-town stories, and a lifelong love of outlaw country and rock and roll. She blends bold, soulful vocals with gritty music and unfiltered storytelling to create a hard-hitting sound that’s raw and real, which Terry Hudson of rBeatz Radio described as “Lynyrd Skynyrd meets Jo Dee Messina.” She and her band leave a lasting impression with high-energy performances that connect just as strongly at festivals as they do in intimate listening rooms.

 

As a rising North Carolina artist, Pressley has performed at festivals and venues across the Southeast, including MerleFest, Boonerang Music & Arts Festival, Antlers & Acorns: The Boone Songwriters Festival, Amos’ Southend, The Evening Muse, Bird’s Nest Listening Room, and The Appalachian Theatre of the High Country.

 

Pressley Laton grew up singing in church with her mama in Stanly County, NC, writing her first song at age 10. Inspired by the powerful female vocalists she watched on country music award shows, she gravitated toward artists who commanded the stage with both conviction and vulnerability. After graduating from Appalachian State University, she stayed in Boone, initially settling into a career in higher education until jumping ship in pursuit of a music career. She has refined her art through years of live performance, songwriting, and collaboration, combining country roots with a fresh perspective.

Following her 2024 EP, Pressley will release her next full-length album, Wandering Kind, in the fall of 2026, produced by Jason Scavone of Sioux Sioux Studio in Charlotte, NC.

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BAND MEMBERS:

Pressley Laton - Songwriter, lead vocals, acoustic guitar

Daniel Ames - Songwriter, lead guitar, background vocals

Austin Summers - Bass 

Ray Edmonds - Drums, background vocals