Greta Van Fleet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Greta Van Fleet
The band onstage at the 2017 Red River Valley Fair in West Fargo, North Dakota (L–R: Sam Kiszka, Josh Kiszka, Jake Kiszka, Danny Wagner)
Background information
Origin	Frankenmuth, Michigan, U.S.
Genres	Hard rock blues rock progressive rock
Years active	2012–present
Labels	Lava Republic
Members	Josh Kiszka Jake Kiszka Sam Kiszka Danny Wagner
Past members	Kyle Hauck

Greta Van Fleet is an American rock band. They are from Frankenmuth, Michigan, and started playing together in 2012. The band has three brothers: Josh Kiszka (who sings), Jake Kiszka (who plays guitar), and Sam Kiszka (who plays bass guitar and keyboards). Their friend Danny Wagner plays the drums.

The band signed with Lava Records in March 2017. A month later, they released their first short album, called Black Smoke Rising. Their first hit song, "Highway Tune", became number one on the Billboard U.S. Mainstream Rock and Active Rock charts for four weeks in a row in September 2017.

Their second short album, From the Fires, came out on November 10, 2017. It had the four songs from Black Smoke Rising plus four new ones. This album won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2019.

Greta Van Fleet's first full album, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, was released on October 19, 2018. It quickly became number one on the Billboard Rock Album charts. The song "When the Curtain Falls" from this album also hit number one on the U.S. Billboard Mainstream Rock charts. Their second full album, The Battle at Garden's Gate, was released on April 16, 2021.

Band History

How the Band Started (2012–2015)

Greta Van Fleet began in Frankenmuth, Michigan, in 2012. It was formed by twin brothers Josh and Jake Kiszka, their younger brother Sam, and their friend Kyle Hauck. The band got its name from a real person in Frankenmuth, Gretna Van Fleet. She gave them her blessing to use a version of her name.

Kyle Hauck was the first drummer. The band recorded three songs with him: "Cloud Train", "Highway Tune", and "Standing On". In October 2013, Kyle left the band. Danny Wagner, a good friend of the brothers, became the new drummer that same year.

The main guitar part for "Highway Tune" was actually written by Jake Kiszka way back in 2010. The song was officially released as a single in March 2017. In February 2014, the band recorded a live short album in one go, which was released on June 7, 2014.

Danny Wagner playing drums at Rock im Park 2018 in Nuremberg, Germany

In March 2014, their song "Standing On" was used in commercials for the Chevy Equinox car in the Detroit area. Many of their early songs, like "By the Riverside" and "Cloud Train", are not available to listen to anymore.

First Hit Albums (2016–2017)

On January 17, 2016, the band performed "Highway Tune" live on the TV show Shameless. The final recorded version of "Highway Tune" was released as their first official single on March 31, 2017. The music video for "Highway Tune" came out on April 18, 2017.

The band's first short album, Black Smoke Rising, was released on April 21, 2017. Apple Music chose Greta Van Fleet as their "new artist of the week" on the same day. The band also went on tour with The Struts in May 2017.

In October 2017, Greta Van Fleet won the "Best New Artist" award at the Loudwire Music Awards. They released a longer short album called From the Fires on November 10, 2017. This album included the four songs from Black Smoke Rising and four new songs. The new songs were "Edge of Darkness", "Talk on the Street", and covers of "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke and "Meet on the Ledge" by Fairport Convention. The band also released "Safari Song" as a single in October 2017.

Greta Van Fleet opened a concert for famous musician Bob Seger in Saginaw, Michigan, on September 7. In November 2017, the band announced they would start recording their first full album soon. They hoped to release it by mid-2018.

Anthem of the Peaceful Army (2018–2019)

The band performed at Elton John's special Academy Award Party on March 4, 2018. Elton John himself asked them to play. He even joined them on stage to sing his song "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" and their song "You're the One". After their performance, Elton John suggested the band become more exciting and colorful in their shows and clothes.

On July 26, 2018, the band made their first TV appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. They performed "When the Curtain Falls", which was the first song from their upcoming album.

Their first full album, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, was released on October 19, 2018. Josh Kiszka said the album's name came from a poem. It was the best-selling album in the US during its first week, selling 80,000 copies. It also reached number three on the Billboard 200 chart.

In December 2018, the band was nominated for four Grammy Awards. These included "Best New Artist", "Best Rock Performance" for "Highway Tune", and "Best Rock Song" for "Black Smoke Rising". They won the Grammy for "Best Rock Album" for From the Fires.

On January 19, 2019, Greta Van Fleet was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live. They performed "Black Smoke Rising" and "You're the One". Another song, "Lover, Leaver", was released in May 2019. The band also added their song "Always There" to the movie soundtrack for A Million Little Pieces.

In July 2019, Jake and Sam Kiszka told New Musical Express magazine that they were working on a new album. They said their music style had changed and grown.

The Battle at Garden's Gate (2020–present)

On October 9, 2020, the band released a new song called "My Way, Soon". They also released a music video for it, which the band members filmed and edited themselves. This song was planned for their second album. Danny Wagner said the album was inspired by their tours over the past two years. He explained that touring helped them see the world differently.

On December 4, 2020, the band announced their second album would be called The Battle at Garden's Gate. They also released another song, "Age of Machine", with this announcement. The album was released on April 16, 2021. On February 10, 2021, they released the third song, "Heat Above". The fourth song, "Broken Bells", came out on March 19, 2021.

Musical Style

Josh Kiszka singing at the Mercury Lounge on August 24, 2017

Greta Van Fleet's music is often described as hard rock, blues rock, and progressive rock. All four band members love blues music. However, each member also has their own favorite types of music. Jake likes rock and roll, Sam enjoys jazz, Danny prefers folk, and Josh likes world music.

Jake said that all three Kiszka brothers listened to their parents' old records, which included blues and folk music. Sam explained that they didn't plan to be a rock and roll band. He said that rock sound just naturally comes out when they play together. The band writes songs together. One member usually comes up with an idea, and then they all work on it. Danny mentioned that many of their songs start as a "folk set up" before changing into something else.

Greta Van Fleet is often compared to the famous band Led Zeppelin. Jake said he spent a year studying how Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin's guitarist) played. He also studied other classic rock guitarists like Pete Townshend. People often compare Josh's singing voice to Robert Plant's (Led Zeppelin's singer). Josh said Plant has influenced him, but he wasn't trying to sound exactly like him. He explained that he didn't even know who Led Zeppelin was until high school. His singing style developed naturally when he had to sing loudly to be heard over the rest of the band. In a March 2018 interview, Robert Plant himself said that Greta Van Fleet sounded like "Led Zeppelin I" and called Josh "a beautiful little singer."

Some of Jake's favorite guitar players include John Lee Hooker and Eric Clapton. Danny is inspired by drummers like John Bonham. Sam's favorite bass player is James Jamerson. Josh Kiszka has copied some of the stage moves of Joe Cocker. The guitarist Robby Krieger from the band the Doors also said that Greta Van Fleet has been inspired by his band.

Band Members

Current Members

• Josh Kiszka – lead vocals (2012–present)
• Jake Kiszka – guitars, backing vocals (2012–present)
• Sam Kiszka – bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2012–present)
• Danny Wagner – drums, backing vocals (2013–present)

Former Members

• Kyle Hauck – drums (2012–2013)

Albums

• Anthem of the Peaceful Army (2018)
• The Battle at Garden's Gate (2021)

Awards and Nominations

Fryderyk Awards

Grammy Awards

iHeartRadio Music Awards

Loudwire Music Awards

See also

In Spanish: Greta Van Fleet para niños