As the sweltering, muggy month of August comes to a close, I welcomed a rainy, cooler evening in Atlanta. Strolling into a small dimly lit club to see Greta Van Fleet, I could not help but be transported to the famous Marquee Club in England circa 1968, except for maybe the massive number of cell phones being used. Still the smell of booze, beer, and yes, even a little weed (the place was tiny, how the hell did they get away with it?), fills the air.
The two-fifty to three hundred people in attendance were a blend of young and old, retro rockers and modern hipster, and then there’s me. Me? While I like to think I toe the middle line and can hang with the young ‘uns, I’m leaning heavily to the retro side, and a hell of a lot less hipster.
This sold-out crowd was there to see the next generation of rock ‘n’ roll, up-and-comers Greta Van Fleet. To quote The Who, “Meet the new boss, the same as the old boss.” Compared frequently to the legendary Led Zeppelin, Greta Van Fleet sound like throwbacks to that era, but is that a bad thing? Let me kill the suspense – NO!
While Greta Van Fleet is reminiscent of the British rock giants, they are a force to be reckoned with on their own merits. Sure lead vocalist Josh Kiszka can belt like Plant, but while standing in line, I spoke with a 25-year-old guy whose dad, three days earlier, had sent him a copy of the EP “Black Smoke Rising.” In that short time he was hooked and had set out to find tickets to the sold-out show just so he could see them live. Another older gentleman donning a classic Zeppelin tie-dye t-shirt didn’t stop rocking the entire time the band was onstage.
This is a very good thing, and here’s why. In this diverse crowd, you have several generations represented, all vibing, all enjoying the sounds that were represented back in ‘68 when Led Zeppelin played some of their first gigs including the famous Marquee Club, but now minted into fresh creations by Greta Van Fleet in 2017. This type of thing goes miles for furthering the flag of rock ‘n’ roll which is so sorely needed today. In a world too often dominated by pop, EDM and rap, it is critical to foster interest in creating art with actual instruments. And these guys can play.
The added bonus for concert-goers on this night was without a doubt the opening act Goodbye June from Nashville, out supporting their latest effort, “Magic Valley.” This is a dirty, heavy, blues and groove-laden, kick-ass rock ‘n’ roll machine. Having just learned of the band a few weeks prior to seeing them, I picked up the album and dug on it a few days before seeing them. The stage was so small that they literally stood in some places playing their instruments parallel to their body and still damn near tore the roof off quickly drawing the crowd into it.
Once Goodbye June did their thing, the air was right for Greta Van Fleet to satisfy the eager crowd with a heavy dose of authentic rock ‘n’ roll and to quote bass player Sam Kiszka, “some downright bluesy, emotional shit.”
Since the band had to this point only released a 4-song EP “Black Smoke Rising,” it was going to be interesting to see what the rest of the music would sound like given they needed to supply at least 45-minutes more music for their headlining set. The band hit the stage with a yet unreleased track, “Talk On The Streets,” and with the exception of the four songs from the EP and a cover of Elvis’ “That’s Alright Mama” to close out the evening, I didn’t recognize anything else on the set list.
In essence, if you go to a Greta Van Fleet show right now, you are getting a preview of what a full album from these guys might sound like. I was a bit worried, given the fact that they are young and still evolving as musicians and songwriters, that the newer material may sound like a completely different band than the one that wrote “Highway Tune,” which the band said is almost five years old and one of the first songs they ever wrote.
Worry no more. The rest of the material from that night, including “Mountain Of The Sun,” “You’re The One,” and “Lover Leaver Taker Believer,” is all right in line with the EP. While I hate putting labels on music, because good music is just good music, the bottom line is that any of the songs played tonight could be from a lost Led Zeppelin record. Make no mistake, these are very good songs that you can tell were written from an honest place and didn’t sound like ripoffs of any specific tune, but without a doubt they harken back to the Led Zeppelin sound.
For sure, it was an enjoyable night listening to pure, authentic rock ‘n’ roll. I would encourage you, especially if you have ever been a fan of Led Zeppelin, or dirty bluesy rock music with a very young energy and innocence, then get up off your ass and check out this band live and pick up that EP. You’re in for a trip!
To find out more about the band, make sure you check out the great podcast interview with Sam Kiszka right here: Interview with Greta Van Fleet
Steven Michael