At 23, Will Slater has emerged as a rising young musician within Georgia’s growing Americana and Southern rock scene. The Commerce, Georgia native has carved a space for himself with music that blends rural authenticity and modern grit. He says, that leaves no room for half-measures.
“I’m going to keep running it until I’m either, like, dead or until it works.” — Will Slater
Before his name appeared on Spotify playlists, Slater was chasing a different dream, baseball. He attended Erskine College to play, but it was there that he realized his true passion lay elsewhere.
“I genuinely love music,” he recalls. “I think the love for baseball was kind of a facade, and it took me a long time to realize it.” He says his self-discovery shifted his life in an entirely new direction.
Slater first picked up a guitar in Jan. 2021, right after he turned 18. In Nov. 2021, he played his first paid show in Anderson, South Carolina, earning just $80. He said, “I was like, holy shit, you can make $80? This is insane.”
Mar. 2022, Slater had thrown himself into music, playing five nights a week in Helen, Georgia. He says the tourists kept him busy and bills paid. “I didn’t have a job for a year and a half because I was just playing in Helen like five days a week,” he says. This helped build his confidence and his craft. Soon, he set his sights on Athens, Georgia the city he now calls home.
Now signed to Cloverdale Records on what he calls a “handshake deal,” Slater enjoys a rare independence. The label takes 10% of his royalties in exchange for promotion, playlist spots, and distribution. That balance allows Slater to stay laser-focused on authenticity. “I want to represent people that are from rural areas, but not like, you know, get a cold beer on the back of my truck,” he says. “Just normal people that live in rural areas.”
His upcoming album reflects that focus. Slater views albums as cohesive, emotional journeys — “like watching a movie,”he explains. “You start not knowing anything about the characters, and by the end, you feel like you’re friends with them.”
Working at Full Moon Studio with producer Matthew Greer, Slater has evolved from his early acoustic work into a more powerful electric sound inspired by Drive-By Truckers, R.E.M., and BJ Barham of American Aquarium.
Slater’s live energy is amplified by The 53, his bandmates and close friends: Miles Bunting, Hayes Bunting, Elijah Doss, and Zeke Brown. Each member shares his “all-in” mentality, even balancing day jobs to keep the dream afloat.
“We pretty much sold out on it,” Slater says. “I’m all for it. I just told you I’m going to keep doing this until it either works or until I’m dead.”
Behind the artistry, Slater is a University of Georgia graduate with a bachelor’s degree in Consumer Economics, focusing on Consumer Analytics. Outside of music, he works full-time in carpentry, a trade that keeps him grounded and connected to the practical side of life.
From his first small-town gig to his electric performances across the Southeast, Will Slater’s story is one of persistence, community, and craft. He looks at every lyric, every stage, every song built on one unshakable promise, he’s in it for the long haul.
