Meraki (μεράκι)
Greek
To put your soul, creativity, love, or essence into something you do, often with passion and devotion.
Meraki, a Charlottesville High School band, was started by three sophomores in the summer of 2024. Since then, they’ve written about 8 songs, won a Battle of the Bands competition at the Music Resource Center, and played as an opener at Fridays After Five.
Elijah Hindman, the lead singer, Rowan Duran, the guitarist, and Tate Ryan, the drummer, all collectively pitch in to write Meraki’s original songs. In conversation with Rowan, the guitarist explained, “The writing process varies widely. It can be one person writing an entire song and bringing it to the band, or it can be me bringing a riff and Elijah writing lyrics and Tate writing drums, but no songs were written the same.” Meraki’s songs predominantly feature acoustic and electric guitar and drums, fitting into the indie-rock genre. Meraki currently has a handful of finished songs, one of which is called “Mason” and is set to release on streaming platforms in the near future.
The members of Meraki also participate in various CHS music programs. Tate, Rowan, and Elijah are all involved in Charlottesville High School’s marching band. Tate and Rowan taught themselves how to play their respective instruments in early middle school, and have been perfecting their skills ever since. Elijah has been a part of the early morning choir class for the past two years and has been singing since he was little.
In May of 2025, Meraki participated in a Battle of the Bands competition and emerged victorious. The Music Resource Center (MRC), is a local organization that supports and facilitates teenagers making music. The program is geared to support middle and high school students , and provides instruments and recording technology and spaces for them. The band often uses their membership at the MRC to write, rehearse, and record in a studio. The MRC’s annual competition, “Battle of the Bands”, gives their members a chance to perform live and test out their skills. Last May, Meraki went up against a handful of other high school bands and won the contest, despite not even being a year old at the time. Tate Ryan said, “The whole thing was awesome. We met a ton of cool, talented artists who were also competing. It was kind of nerve-racking but exciting waiting for them to announce who won, and it was so great being with my bandmates when we won because it was all of our hard work and dedication paying off.”
Meraki continued on to have a very successful summer. In late July, the band performed at Fridays After Five, a music event in Charlottesville that takes place every week over the summer at the Ting Pavilion. Along with live music, the free event also allows businesses in the area to put up tents selling drinks, crafts and merchandise. It is an opportunity for local bands, such as Meraki, to perform in front of a large live audience.
Meraki had a set of about 45 minutes in which they performed their original songs in front of Charlottesville. Elijah Hindman said that Fridays After Five was his favorite gig he’s ever played “because it was such an amazing opportunity and it was for mostly friends and family.” The crowd on July 25th was filled with enthusiastic CHS students supporting their friends. It was the perfect opportunity for Meraki to introduce themselves to Charlottesville.
In the future, the three members of Meraki might be thinking about another musician to their band. Elijah’s younger sister has recently started to play bass and could provide some strong female vocals to their songs. Along with starting to practice with her, the band has other goals for the future as well. They are currently working with the MRC on releasing some lead singles, including their song “Mason”. They also have two upcoming gigs this month: on September 14th, they are playing at the Veg Fest at IX Art Park, and the next weekend, on the 20th, they’re playing at Dave Matthews’ Winery.
In just a year of its existence, Meraki has managed to finish eight songs, play multiple venues around Charlottesville, and win MRC’s Battle of the Bands. You can support these three CHS sophomores by following them on Instagram at @meraki.the.band and going to their next performances.
