Triangle girl lives and breathes bluegrass
RALEIGH (WTVD) -- Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, maybe even Maroon 5 - those are the tunes that may come to mind when you ask a 12-year-old girl who she listens to. But one Triangle girl lives and breathes bluegrass and is excited to bring a new twist to the next generation of the music.
It's hard to find Eliza Meyer without her fiddle. It's an instrument she has come to love and tries to play at every available moment.
"It is important to be a young person in bluegrass. You know we are going to grow up and be the next bluegrass stars," she explained.
You can see Eliza's face light up when you ask her to play and mention anything about this genre of music.
"I love it so much. I think it is one of the best thing I've ever done in my life," she said.
But playing alone is not her true passion. She likes jumping into jams even if it puts her in the middle of people 3, 4, and even 5 times her age.
"When I first started it was hard for me because these people were old," she explained. "You have to kinda be tough about it. You can't just back off.
And it's paid off for the teenager who is now a regular at bluegrass jams at the Busy Bee in downtown Raleigh.
"I learned a lot of confidence from those," she said.
And even as this younger generation gets into what is being called "newgrass" they will never forget the legends who made this all possible.
"If I'm gonna play some Bill Monroe or Earl Scruggs bluegrass," she said. "I feel pretty powerful when I am playing that music because I know it is so historical and important."
And she wants to encourage all people her age who have an interest in music to give bluegrass a try.
"There are a lot of important things in this music. I think if you are interested in it I think you should definitely listen to it more. It's great," she said.
You can witness more of Eliza's talent on the youth jam stage at the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival. She will perform on Friday morning. She tells us the reason she is not totally intimidated playing with older crowds is she took a class on how to get into jams and knowing the etiquette has helped her work her way in.
Click here for more about the Wide Open Bluegrass Festival
