"Our Generation Doesn't Have That": Greta Van Fleet is Reviving Rock

Yesterday at midnight, up and coming band, Greta Van Fleet released their new single “When the Curtain Falls” and in a few hours they are already #1 on iTunes. Only two days earlier, Rolling Stone Magazine published a profile on the foursome, featuring behind the scenes tour photos from their almost completely sold out tour, that just keeps on selling out. Even without a debut album, summer 2018 is shaping up to be the summer of Greta Van Fleet.

We were listening to our local independent radio station, 106.1 KRAB Radio on Monday, when an obnoxiously loud voice cut through my sister’s storytelling asking, “Have you ever tried to get $500 nosebleed seats to go see rock legends just to hear your grandparents talk about paying $20 dollars to see them back in the day? Well now is your chance to see Greta Van Fleet before they go down in rock history! We’ve got two tickets for their sold out San Francisco show right here for our lucky caller! Call in for a chance to win! I didn’t call in. What I did do was go home, lock myself in my room and start listening to the bands two EPs, “From the Fires” and “Black Smoke Rising”, and in a word, I was “shook”.

SInce their days as a cover band in 2012, the young Michigan based band has been growing a large fan base (201K instagram followers to be exact), but for those like me, who have just recently been introduced to the summer’s hottest ticket, here are some things to know about Greta Van Fleet.

1. Even Zeppelin thinks they sound like Zeppelin.

In an Interview with Loudwire, Robert Plant expressed his support for the band, especially for 22 year old frontman, Josh Kiszka, saying “Beautiful little singer, I hate him! He borrowed [his voice] from somebody I know very well, but what are you going to do?” As I’ve mentioned before my dad and I have an unofficial competition to find the next best band (I showed him Imagine Dragons and he showed me Twenty-one Pilots) so I immediately sat him down and made him listen to “Safari Song” and all he had to say was “Sounds like Zeppelin” before muttering “not bad.” Ironically, Josh's "Zeppelin voice" was discovered by accident when Josh was struggling to sing over the band, and from then on has drawn attention from classic rock fans. At this point it would be easy for GVF (Greta Van Fleet) to be written off as a “rip-off” or a “tribute band”, but they could be the band that puts rock and roll back on the map.

2. The talent runs in the family

75% of the band is related. Josh, lead singer, and Jake, lead guitarist, are twin brothers, and their youngest brother Sam plays bass and keyboard. They have been playing together since high school and inherit their love of music from their father. While their father is a chemist, he owns an extensive record collection and loves to play a mean harmonica. Mr. Kiszka would often burst into the boys poster covered practice studio/ family garage with records by contemporary artists that also affected the band’s sound like The Shins and The Black Keys. Their grandfather also has a spot in the Polka Hall of Fame. By sheer luck the brothers stumbled upon their bass happy drummer Daniel Wagner who shared their same music taste and vision.

3. They’re Gen-Z-ers, making music for Gen-Z

Despite their heavy 70s sound, Greta Van Fleet’s youngest member is 19, and the oldest only 22, but they started playing in 2012 making the twins only 16 at the beginning of their career. Bassist, keyboardist, and baby bro Sam recalls playing at bars at age 12. They were favorites of Led-heads and bar patrons but the band discovered it’s rock-hungry audience while playing at their high-school’s homecoming dance and since then have been working their hardest to live up to their fan’s expectations by pulling rock and roll moves like dropping tons of multivitamins from their pockets while grabbing their guitars, lighting country star’s paper cutouts on fire, or taking swigs of Jack Daniel’s before heading out on stage, and in return that audience thanks them by hurling bras and panties at the stage like their grandmothers before them. Jake told Rolling Stone in their latest article,“[Rock] isn’t just music and having long greasy hair. People lost what rock & roll means... It’s taking something and pushing it to the next realm.That’s what Elvis did. Our generation doesn’t have that.”

4. The band is named after a woman from their hometown

Back in the bands early days, in order to play their first big show they needed to come up with a name and the bands original drummer Kyle Hauck, went to lunch with his grandfather and before being dropped off for practice in the Kiszka's garage, Hauck's grandfather mentioned having "to go cut wood for Gretna Van Fleet". Hauck thought the name had a good ring to it and the band decided to take the 'n' out of 'Gretna' and use her name. Coincidentally, Gretna was a drummer in a polka band herself.

5. Their Grandma picks out a lot of their concert outfits

Onstage, each of the boys have their own style. Josh usually stands front and center in an explosive ensemble made up of a kurta, chino pants, loafers, and layers of 'tribal' necklaces, while his twin Jake, who could not be more different, tends to stick to skinny jeans and patterned shirts, sometimes under a vest. Sam and Danny, the youngest of the group sway more towards baseball tees and Hawaiian shirts. But one thing they all wear during shows, is handpicked vintage jewelry from Grandma Kiszka. Sam revealed in an interview with Rolling Stone, that "Grandma Lillian picks out tons of vintage stuff for us... She’s got a great eye. And she knows what we like so she’s always got her eyes peeled.”

6. They've got fans in high places

At a benefit for Elton John's AIDS Foundation Oscar's party, Elton John himself introduced them saying "They're amazing, and they blew me away...So you're going to see them here and they're going to be one of the biggest new bands of the year. They have an amazing future ahead of them, and I'm so thrilled -- I'm so thankful to have them come onstage and play for you.", before continuing to jam with the band even playing "Saturday Night's Alright for FIghting" Sir Elton John called the band personally and asked them to play at his party after informing them their two EPs were "the best rock 'n' roll I've heard in 20 fucking years!".

I for one, agree with Elton, and I look forward to their debut full-length album, which they plan on releasing sometime in 2019.

Thank you for reading!

Sources Cited:

Hiatt, Brian. “Inside Greta Van Fleet's Seventies-Rock Revival.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2018, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/greta-van-fleets-misty-mountain-revival-117108/.

Hudak, Joseph. “The True Believers: Greta Van Fleet Are Making Rock Relevant Again.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2018, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/the-true-believers-greta-van-fleet-are-determined-to-make-rock-relevant-again-201753/.

Tijerina, Daniela. “Pyro, Parties and Heavy Riffs: On the Road With Greta Van Fleet.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 12 July 2018, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/pyro-parties-and-heavy-riffs-on-the-road-with-greta-van-fleet-698960/.

daveliftongmail-com. “Watch Elton John Perform With Greta Van Fleet at Oscars Party.” Ultimate Classic Rock, 5 Mar. 2018, ultimateclassicrock.com/elton-john-greta-van-fleet-oscars-party/.

Frazier, Kelly. “Rock Band 'Greta Van Fleet' Call Frankenmuth, Michigan Their Home and Unleash a Bluesy Wonderland with New EP ‘Black Smoke Rising.’” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 28 Apr. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rock-band-greta-van-fleet-call-frankenmuth-michigan_us_5902bfcee4b05279d4edbad7.

John, Hayley St. “How Greta Van Fleet Got Their Band Name.” 102.9 The Buzz, 26 June 2017, 4:43, www.1029thebuzz.com/2017/06/26/how-greta-van-fleet-got-their-band-name/.

All photos were taken from the bands instagram, @gretavanfleet