Greta Van Fleet frontman Josh Kiszka was sleeping in during a rare day off in December when his phone suddenly started blowing up. I didnt put together what was happening, he says. I thought the pope had died or something. Pope Francis was fine, but Greta Van Fleet had just been nominated for four Grammys, all related to their 2017 EPs Black Smoke Rising and From the Fires.These are some of the first songs we ever released, says Kiszka. So its kind of shocking. I didnt expect us to get any nominations.
The nominations were the culmination of an incredible year for Greta Van Fleet that saw the Michigan hard-rock revival band go from playing clubs to selling out three consecutive nights at 5,000-seat theaters like the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago and the Fox Theater in Detroit. Were seeing nearly triple the amount of people in the audience than we saw at the start of 2018, says Kiszka. It gives us a huge sense of accomplishment.
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But along the way, they became one of the most polarizing young bands in America, with many critics saying they sound way too much like Led Zeppelin (The poor kids from Frankenmuth, Michigan, dont even realize theyre more of an algorithmic fever dream than an actual rock band, read a scathing review on Pitchfork in October). Robert Plant joked that Kiszkas voice reminds him of someone I know very well . . . they are Led Zeppelin I which Kiszka says he took as a compliment. Thats lovely, he says. You cant put that more Robert Plant than that.
That attitude has helped the band brush off detractors: Kiszka swears he didnt even read the Pitchfork review. Its unfortunate theyd be putting that energy out into the world, but its their prerogative, I guess, he says. Ultimately, Id like to think that theres substance to what were doing. That said, he does think its time that people stop making the Zeppelin comparison. Obviously we hear the similarity, he says. Thats one of the influences of ours. But at this point its like, Okay, weve acknowledged that. Lets move on.'
Kiszka and his bandmates have moved on by beginning to think about their next record, even if theyre going to be busy touring for the foreseeable future. Were setting some ground work for the next album, he says. We hope to get an album out this year. This time, we feel less pressure than we did before the last one. We cant wait to explore a little more of the Greta Van Fleet universe.
They are also anxious for Grammy night to come around, though Kiszka is tight-lipped about the possibility of them performing at the show. Theres been a little talk, he says, but its been very brief and I dont really know what is going to happen. Young bands are often teamed up with older acts at the Grammys and if that happens, Kiszka says his dream is to play with either Florence and the Machine or Chris Stapleton. Ive also always wanted to play with Paul McCartney, he says. Getting the chance to play Let It Be with him one day would be amazing.
In the meantime, however, his life is a never-ending series of hotels, bus trips and backstage dressing rooms. There are times you literally wake up and have no idea where you are, he says. Were getting along great. Were getting strong. Being family helps, especially in the way we can communicate onstage and in the studio. And for right now, we arent feeling any sense of exhaustion. Were anxious to get back in the studio and explore and be creative.