Early in 2012, brothers Josh, Sam, and Jake Kiszka, plus Kyle Hauck, a close friend, came together in their tiny hometown of Frankenmuth, Michigan to create the new wave rock group that is conquering stages across the world, known as "Greta Van Fleet."
A grown-up Naked Brother's Band? Revisiting Beatles? Not quite. The four young men credit their top hits such as "Black Smoke Rising" and "Highway Tune" to their deep roots in soul music and blues. An impeccable vinyl collection of revolutionary seventies tunes in their parent's home is what molded them into the band they have become today. With these influences, the band was able to produce its second EP, "From The Fires," which definitely cleared a throne for them in the ever-changing alternative and rock scene.
"I've always loved telling stories, exploring subjects like humanity, who we are, where we're going, and I've found that one of the ways I could express that was with my voice. Our parents encouraged us to delve deeper, to better understand the instruments we played," said main vocalist Josh Kizka in an interview with Metal Riot.
Many people have compared the band's sound to the legendary band Led Zeppelin and even have gone far enough to question their originality. There is no denying that lead vocalist, Josh Kiszka, has a voice that could almost mirror Robert Plants. The instrumentals are very obviously influenced by Led Zeppelin as well. Yet, Greta Van Fleet does not seem to acknowledge this often. Plant spoke out about the similarities in an interview with Australia's Network Ten.
"... he borrowed it from somebody I know very well!" Plant responded. "But what are you going to do? That's OK."
Plant is obviously flattered and amused as well by the band's muse to resurface a modern-day twist on classic rock. Their presence alone has even stirred up suspicions on social media. Mashups of Zeppelin instrumentals with Greta Van Fleet vocals have caused a frenzy with the fan base.
Whether the band owes it influences to a mixed bag of artists and genres, or simply Zeppelin alone, it is undeniable that they are reopening the doors for hard-rock and an entirely new culture for millennials to absorb.
Their new studio debut album "Anthem of the Peaceful Army," is set to be released Friday, October 18th. In a recent performance on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Greta Van Fleet premiered their most popular single on this new album, "When The Curtain Falls."
Kizka lets out a loud Zeppelin like-shriek as the other members count to three. The eclectic sounds of electric guitar and savory vocals of Kiszka foreshadow great content to be delivered. Plant would be proud. One could say that Greta Van Fleet is reinventing the kind of music that our parents once listened to.
Greta Van Fleet "When The Curtain Falls" (Live On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon) YouTube
Greta Van Fleet is not a band that one would typically hear casually playing on a top hits radio station. Yet their music is reaching so many different generations of audiences, that their success is an overall understatement.
