Music is left to interpretation. Blues, R&B, and Folk have been reinterpreted many times over the years, by many different artists, each with their own spin. Often times giving way to a new sound that will influence and inspire a whole new generation. In a sense, this is what allows artist like Little Richard, Wilson Pickett, Howlin Wolf, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin to live on long after they have stopped creating new music.
To draw comparisons between the British Invasion Bands from the 70’s and Greta Van Fleet is an obvious and easy choice to make, by someone on the outside, not willing to listen closely and hear the emotional connection to the ghost of the past. Easy was never that interesting.
So how does a very young band (ranging in ages from 18 to 20) from a small midwestern farming town like Frankenmuth, Michigan get to where they are today, which is one of the hottest up-and-coming rock bands on the scene? Some are even calling them the Future of Rock ‘N’ Roll.
Creating music that is reminiscent of the sound captured by artists from bygone eras is one thing, but doing this organically and authentically while adding ingredients of your own creative environment and upbringing is virtually impossible.
Greta Van Fleet is a band that managed to take the influences and a sound that existed long before these guys were even born and mix it with their own personalities and today’s influences. They’ve created something that sounds retro and comfortable to a seasoned listener and fresh to a new generation whose only connections to the sounds of yesterday are the occasional commercial or the same two or three songs the radio plays over and over again.
In a discussion, I had with Greta Van Fleet bass player and keyboardist, Sam Kiszka, he mentioned the connection he shared with drummer and good friend Danny Wagner. “He was the only guy in school I could relate to musically,” said Kiszka, mentioning the two discovered not only new music but older music that was new to them. This would help create a musical friendship that would lay the foundation for the GVF rhythm section which creates some very solid pocket grooves on the EP “Black Smoke Rising.”
Besides discovering music through high school friends, Greta Van Fleet (twin brothers Josh and Jake Kiszka on vocals and guitars, younger sibling Sam on bass and keyboards, and drummer Danny Wagner) discovered music in the best possible way—through their parents’ vinyl collections.
The Kiszka brothers grew up in a musically rich environment, with instruments and records readily available around the house. Encouraged to pick up, play, and sing at family gatherings that included a father and grandfather who were also musicians, helped further the creative cycle and love for the arts.
Drummer Danny Wagner was no stranger to a music either. Learning to play guitar first, before also mastering the drums made Danny a double threat. And hanging around the Kiszka house and jumping in and jamming on guitar and drums with Sam after the band came together made him a shoo in as the drummer when original drummer Kyle Hauck left and the drum throne opened up.
The EP “Black Smoke Rising” is a variety of textured sounds and emotions, cohesively put together to give your ears a sonically charged trip through decades of sounds landing squarely upon 2017. The first single, “Highway Tune,” will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up from the opening riff through the haunting vocal intro. It is a true rock ‘n’ roll power punch. “Safari Song” is a straight-ahead rocker, but with a roll down the window, crank it up on the radio vibe to it. The third track on the EP, “Flower Power,” starts to show a different side, with layers of folk, blues, and rock in very organic and honest tones. Subtle keyboards and beautiful mandolins underline the overall sound making this song sound huge. Then the EP closes out with what Sam says may be a favorite of the band, the title track “Black Smoke Rising.” The tune was inspired by a small plane crash in a distant field while vocalist Josh Kiszka was out on a hike. Although the song is not completely about that incident, it is a metaphorically inspired song with a much bigger meaning than some of the other songs on the EP, Sam notes.
How does the music and influences of the past live on through the music and creative minds of today?
When a band like Greta Van Fleet is not only influenced by bands such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Who, but they don’t stop the musical exploration and they continue to look and listen much deeper to those aforementioned bands’ influences like Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, and Wilson Pickett as well, while again adding their own textures of creativity, the past will continue to live on through the future.
Wanna hear more about this up and coming band? Check out a much more in-depth conversation I have with Sam Kiszka on the Growin’ Up Rock podcast, where we talk about new music the band has recorded, and their upcoming plans to release. We also talk about the band’s past days playing several sets a night while still in high school, honing their chops as writers and musicians.
Steven Michael