A Day in the Rock Life With Greta Van Fleet [Exclusive Photo Gallery]
Loudwire photographer Amy Harris recently had a chance to spend the day with rising rockers Greta Van Fleet during a stop in Cleveland in support of their 'Black Smoke Rising' EP. The following is her account of the day, while her photos can be seen in the gallery above.
There are not many bands that I would travel four hours across the state to spend the day with but after hearing Greta Van Fleet's music, I knew I had to see them in person as soon as possible.
My journey to Cleveland started early Friday morning to meet up with rock newcomers Greta Van Fleet as they rolled into their sold out show at the famous Grog Shop. Cleveland has always fostered rock musicians as they begin their journey to success in the music business and the Grog Shop continues to be the most sought after venue for many bands as they play their first Cleveland shows.
Rock legends from Oasis to Deftones and Flaming Lips all have played the graffiti-filled room at the iconic venue as they have made their way across the Midwest at the beginning of their careers.
Recently nominated for Best New Artist at the upcoming Loudwire Music Awards, Greta Van Fleet have an old school vibe, with fans and critics comparing them to Led Zeppelin. It was only fitting that we started the day shopping for vinyl in the afternoon at Record Revolution around the corner from the Grog Shop. We then heard about a cool toy store called Big Fun a few doors down and decided to check in out. Every business we entered was welcoming and happy to host the band to support the new music scene.
Back at the venue the band did an on-camera interview for Cleveland.com where twin brothers Jake and Josh discussed their creative musical family roots and how they have been writing music since they were 12 years old. The band consists of three brothers -- Josh and Jake Kiszka on vocals and guitar, respectively, younger brother Sam Kiszka on bass and keys, and longtime family friend Danny Wagner behind the drum kit.
Eager fans started to line up outside the venue at 6PM for the 8:30PM show start. Show openers Hamilton Handshake and The Glorious Sons warmed up the crowd with sets that had everyone ready for Greta to take the stage at 11PM.
The boys have basically been playing together their entire life so the band is tight on all their original material. They started the set with “Talk on the Street” and finished the hour with their hit “Highway Tune.” The song “You’re the One” mid-set was also a highlight of the show. It really was astonishing to see Josh maintain the vocal stamina for the duration of the set finishing strong with some of the toughest tunes. Jake also took center stage on numerous songs with massive guitar solos fit for the larger venues that are definitely in the band’s near future.
The group finished their day by meeting the crowd of fans waiting at the merch booth to sign autographs and take pictures until the last fan left the building. They were then on to the next stop in Pennsylvania driving through the night to the next sold out show. It’s just the beginning for this band that spends their days visualizing their shows and fan base growing in the coming months as they continue to tour across the U.S. and start to record their full-length album.
Greta Van Fleet's Black Smoke Rising EP is currently available via Amazon and iTunes, and you can catch the band on tour this fall. See their dates here.
Check out photographer Amy Harris' gallery from her day with Greta Van Fleet in Cleveland above, and see some of her other works via her The First 3 Songs website and Instagram account.
Greta Van Fleet, "Highway Tune"