Greta Van Fleet
Summerfest’s 50th anniversary may be remembered for its marquee headliners, but it also featured some seemingly less obvious gems in the lineup. That included Greta Van Fleet, who opened for Shinedown. The band, which hails from Frankenmuth, Mich., features 21-year-old twin brothers Josh and Jake Kiszka (on vocals and guitar, respectively), as well as their younger brother, Sam Kiszka (18, bass and keyboards), and family friend Danny Wagner (19, drums). Despite only having a single EP, Black Smoke Rising, to its name at the time, the band opened eyes with an impassioned 70-minute set.
When the band returns to Summerfest this year—their first time returning to any festival for the second time—they’ll have a more noticeable headliner status. The band released a double EP, From the Fires, last fall and plan to release their debut full-length later this year. They’ve spent the past year selling out many of their tour dates and have been called the next big thing by Rolling Stone and others. Rock legends Robert Plant and Elton John have also given them high praise (John even personally invited them to perform at his annual AIDS charity).
“I don’t think any of us expected such an immediate response,” says Jake Kiszka. “It’s surprising and humbling to see that people are responding as much as they are. It’s a bit overwhelming as well, being as young as we are, especially for Sam and Danny who just graduated from high school. It’s been a whirlwind to have that kind of attention so immediately; it’s humbling and overwhelming at the same time.
“To have people with such legendary status and credibility sort of take notice and appreciate the music that we’re making, it’s a very humbling experience that keeps us going,” he continues. “It makes us feel like we’re doing at least something right.”
The quick ascent is even more impressive considering its members started off on distinctly different paths. Josh studied theater and film at school, while Sam was into literature. “I never expected—nor did the others expect—to end up in the same band,” says Jake. “But we’re around each other constantly listening to music.”
The band came together very naturally. Jake started jamming in the garage with the band’s original drummer, and Josh would slip in and start singing. They recruited Sam after he got home from school one day. Danny Wagner, a friend of Sam’s since kindergarten, joined a year after the group started.
Playing with his brothers has been a rewarding experience, Jake says. “We’re sharing a lot of similar influences and similar life experiences, so we always seem to be on a very similar page.” It can maybe be just a glance and we can be on the same page,” he says.
They spent much of their time growing up listening to records from their parents’ extensive vinyl collection, which included blues, folk and R&B. The Kiszka brothers also had the benefit of their father being a musician. Jake was challenged to learn different classic songs on guitar to upgrade his instrument. Each member has developed his own distinct influences. But Jake singles out one common thread.
“While all our influences are very different and pretty eclectic, we share blues as common ground,” he says, noting musicians such as Albert Collins, Elmore James, Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and Lightnin’ Hopkins. Some have compared the band’s songs to Led Zeppelin. Jake is honored by those comparisons and isn’t overly concerned about it.
“What we grew up listening to is a lot of the stuff Led Zeppelin grew up listening to,” Jake says.
At the same time, he’s not afraid to see the band grow and explore new sonic territory. That starts with the band’s upcoming debut album. “It’s our first time where we have the ability to have a complete thought,” says Jake. “We finally have something together that is a reflection [of] where we are musically now with all that touring. We’re pushing any limitation and trying to keep experimenting.”
The Kiszka brothers still find inspiration from family trips to Michigan’s Yankee Springs, where a group of family and friends gather to play music.
“Men, women and children and people of different skin colors and different opinions and backgrounds. They were unified by one property,” says Jake. “Music was a bonding agent that held everyone together. There’s a sense of unity, where everyone’s together no matter what their differences are. I see the same thing when we go on stage and look out at the audience. We see some very diverse people all together sharing a very special experience. Unity and love. We’ve been given the special ability to travel around and spread that message.”
Greta Van Fleet headline Summerfest’s Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard on Sunday, July 1, at 10 p.m.
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