Greta Van Fleet: Ridiculously Good Rock-and-Roll

Studio photo credit: Christopher Bjornberg

Elton John has called Greta Van Fleet the best rock and roll band he’s heard in 20 years and said that the band is so talented that they take his breath away. Overblown hype for a band that released its first EP one year ago? Not to these ears.

Greta Van Fleet is a tremendous, ridiculously good rock-and-roll band, especially considering a couple of the band members were in high school a year ago. But don’t take it from me. Hear for yourself when Greta Van Fleet performs on Friday, May 11, at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville.

The quartet, ranging in age from 19 to 22, rocks with a swagger and confidence that belies their age and is a huge breath of fresh air in today’s calculated pop world.

Their double EP, “From the Fires,” features singer Josh Kiszka’s commanding vocals; his twin-brother guitarist Jacob Kiszka’s huge riffs that perfectly meld modern rock with classic blues; younger brother Sam Kiszka’s fluid bass lines and emotive keyboard work; and drummer and close family friend Danny Wagner’s beats that draws from the pure power, energy and groove of greats like John Bonham and Buddy Rich.

Also impressive is the live sound of Greta Van Fleet’s studio work on "From the Fires." The primal rock of the muscular “Safari Song” and the hard-charging “Talk on the Street” blast from the speakers as if from the stage. Additional highlights on “From the Fires” include a nod to the band’s influences with a sweat coming through the pores rendition of Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” the triumphant “Black Smoke Rising” and the psychedelic ballad, “Flower Power.”

The numbers that the band has put up over the past year are astounding. Their first two singles, “Highway Tune” and “Safari Song,” each hit No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Rock Radio charts; they are the only artist in history to have a No. 1 song (“Safari Song”) for 16 consecutive weeks on Canadian radio, across all formats; debut EP “Black Smoke Rising” entered both the U.S. and Canadian iTunes charts at No. 1; and every headline date on the band’s 2017 U.S. tour and those announced on their 2018 global tour schedule have sold out in advance.

This summer Greta Van Fleet plans to release its hugely anticipated debut full-length album.

We recently spoke with drummer Danny Wagner

Q. Your life has changed so much in the past year. I imagine it’s been turned upside down. What has the experience been like?

It’s been overwhelming in the best way possible. We’re really happy. It’s a lot of hard work and we love it. It’s funny, we were just finishing our European tour and I got a Facebook reminder that our first EP was released a year ago. It really got me thinking that it's been a whirlwind. There have definitely been things that are hard to adjust to. On tour you wake up and you’re always in a new place. But I love the opportunity to bring my family to some of these places. There’s not a lot I can say that I don’t like about the past year.

Q. You just played Coachella and you’ve got a full festival schedule this summer. Your show here in New Jersey though is at a club/theater. What’s the difference for you in playing different size venues and your approach?

They’re completely different worlds. Festivals are fun because you bring a ton of different artists together. There’s a lot going on for both the audience and the bands. I also love the tiny little sweaty bars. You can really interact with the audience and that never gets old.

Q. When did you start to feel, “wow, this is really happening, we’re a full-fledged touring and recording rock band?”

It all started when we opened for Bog Seger at home. We started to feel some surreal moments. He's a hometown hero. Earlier we had a chance to play with Elton John and he came to another one of our shows over in London. That’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Q. You’ve gotten so many great compliments from people like Elton John and the press. When Elton John calls you the best band he’s heard in 20 years, that’s amazing. How do you take that to heart but also stay humble?

You take those words very seriously and endearingly but also as a push forward, motivation to live up to them. These things are not to be taken lightly.

Q. Did Elton give you any career advice?

He told us to keep our persistence as high as possible. That's good advice because this can be strenuous at times. Another funny piece of advice he gave us was to flaunt ourselves, to show a little more skin. He said now’s the time to do it, while we’re young.

Q. Your studio recordings jump out of the speakers. You’ve got a great live sound. How do you accomplish that?

We were a live band for the first 3 or 4 years before we even stepped into a studio. We try to capture that in the studio. We record live together in the studio. I’m a fan of that. We capture what we do at our shows.

Q. Greta Van Fleet has its own modern sound that’s influenced by old bluesmen like Muddy Waters and classic rock and soul like The Who and Sam Cooke. How did you discover your influences?

That has a lot to do with our upbringing. I know I can speak for the other guys when I say we all grew up with a lot of vinyl and old records in our houses. I can remember as a kid listening to John Denver and the Eagles and Crosby, Stills and Nash, and then in middle school we dove into the major classic rock bands and soul and blues. I remember when I first met Josh I was in middle school and he was huge into Sam and Dave and Wilson Pickett.

Q. I understand you’ve been recording your debut full-length album that should be out sometime this summer. What can you tell us about it?

It’s been very exciting. It’s the first time we’ve recorded outside of the Detroit area. We’ve been recording at a completely new studio in Nashville. The studio is everything you could ever ask for; you can create any sound you can think of. As far as the content, there’s definitely an evolution in the writing. We can’t wait for people to hear it.

IF YOU GO

WHO: Greta Van Fleet and Dorothy.

WHAT: Rock.

WHEN: Friday May 11. Doors open at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Starland Ballroom, 570 Jernee Mill Road, Sayreville; 732-238-5500 or starlandballroom.com.

HOW MUCH: $35 advance, $40 day of show.

MORE INFO: gretavanfleet.com