Greta Van Fleet, from Small Town to Big Time
Greta Van Fleet was formed in the small town of Frankenmuth Michigan in 2012. The original line-up consisted of three brothers, singer Josh Kiszka, guitarist Jake Kiszka, bass player Sam Kiszka, along with drummer Kyle Hauck. In October 2013, Kyle Hauck left the band and was replaced by the Kiszka brothers' good friend Danny Wagner. Interestingly, Josh and Jake Kiszka are actually twins.
The band is named after Gretna Van Fleet, an elderly resident of their hometown of Frankenmuth. With her blessing, they altered her name slightly by dropping the 'n' from Gretna as they felt it rolled off the tongue better. Their music has been categorized as a blend of hard rock and blues rock, with a definitive classic 1970s flavour.
In March 2017 when band members Sam and Danny were still attending high school, Greta Van Fleet were signed to Lava Records and only a month later they released their debut studio EP, Black Smoke Rising. Their first single, 'Highway Tune', topped the Billboard Mainstream Rock radio chart for five straight weeks, and since then they have not looked back. In October 2017, the band won the Best New Artist award at the Loudwire Music Awards, and also released their second single 'Safari Song' in the same month.
On November 10, 2017, the band released a double EP entitled From the Fires. In addition to the four songs that make up the Black Smoke Rising EP, there were also four new recordings, most notably cover versions of Sam Cooke's 'A Change Is Gonna Come' and Fairport Convention's 'Meet on the Ledge'. From the Fires topped the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart, and also made waves worldwide, charting in a number of countries across Europe, and reaching number four in New Zealand.
Established musicians were also beginning to take notice. Greta Van Fleet opened for fellow Michigan native Bob Seger in Saginaw, Michigan on September 7, 2017, and also performed at Elton John's Academy Award Party on March 4, 2018, at the personal request of Elton himself.
In November 2017, soon after the release of From the Fires, the band immediately began working on their first full-length studio album. In July 2018, the band made their first ever television appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, performing a new song entitled 'When the Curtain Falls', the first single off their debut album Anthem of the Peaceful Army which was released on October 19, 2018.
Although the new album received some scathing reviews, with the harshest of critics comparing the band to second-rate Led Zeppelin wannabies, the album was a massive hit with the fans, debuting at number three on the Billboard 200, and hitting number one on the Rock Albums chart. In the US, Anthem of the Peaceful Army was the top selling album in its debut week selling upwards of 80,000 copies.
At the 61st Grammys in December 2018, the band was nominated for 4 awards including Best New Artist and took home the Best Rock Album Grammy for From the Fires. Not bad for a band who's first official recording was released only 18 months prior.
In January 2019 the second single from Anthem of the Peaceful Army 'You're the One' was released, followed up by the third single 'Lover, Leaver' in May 2019. The song 'Always There', an outtake from the album, was also included on the soundtrack to the film A Million Little Pieces.
The band have stated in a number of interviews that they are currently working on a new album, due for release in mid 2020.