Let’s Talk About Greta Van Fleet
The music style of Greta Van Fleet is always an interesting topic to bring up around other classic rock lovers and I really enjoy hearing different people’s opinions on them. I am certainty not the first nor am I the last to bring up this type of “divide” over their music but I figured I should to go ahead and put my opinion out there.
For those who aren’t too familiar with Greta Van Fleet, they are a rock band that formed in 2012 out of Michigan and is made up of three brothers and a friend. The band has a very classic rock/blues sound to them. They released their first EP in 2017 titled From the Fires and then turned around and released their first full-length album in 2018 titled Anthem of the Peaceful Army. Right off the bat when you give them a listen, you’ll notice a bit of a familiar sound. Not only does the lead singer, Josh Kiszka, sound very similar to Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin, the band’s entire sound is very similar to that of Led Zeppelin.
Being that the similarity with Led Zeppelin is fairly obvious, naturally there have been some people who have strong opinions about it. Greta Van Fleet started receiving backlash from the get go with people calling them a Zeppelin cover band or a rip off Led Zeppelin. The majority of the backlash has been towards the lead vocalist, Josh, who claims that his reason for singing the way he does was simply his way of making sure his voice could be heard over the band. The band claims to have been influenced by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant but also by other influences such as Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, and Keith Richards. In an interview with Robert Plant from 2018, he even states that he does notice the similarity but he considers Greta Van Fleet one of his favorite up and coming bands and that he thinks Josh has a great voice. So since Greta Van Fleet has become more and more popular, the divide between people supporting their sound or not, has continued to be a hot topic.
With all that being said, I wanted to go ahead and give my take:
For starters, I am a huge Led Zeppelin fan and have enjoyed their music for years. I am also a big fan of Robert Plant himself and enjoy a lot of his solo work. I mean his song “I’m in the Mood” is such a major vibe. But since discovering Greta Van Fleet, I have really dug into their music and listened to their EP and album from cover to cover to really form my opinion on the subject. I agree that they do sound very much like Led Zeppelin and Josh Kiszka does have an eerily similar voice to Robert Plant. However, I am fully supportive of the band and what Greta Van Fleet is doing with their music.
Although they do sound like Zeppelin, they aren’t just performing Zeppelin songs and acting as some sort of cover band. They are playing their own music and that I can appreciate and respect. Simply put, I also just enjoy their sound. If you love Led Zeppelin, then there isn’t any reason why you wouldn’t enjoy Greta Van Fleet besides just being strongly against anyone sounding like one of your favorite bands. That whole mindset is honestly a problem in my opinion. The same people that are always saying things like “they don’t make music like they use to” or “today’s music has nothing on these guys” are the same type of people who are criticizing any band or artist that comes out and sounds too similar to one of the older greats from “back in the day.” As a person who absolutely adores rock and roll, I am excited to hear modern music sound like my favorites from the 60s and 70s. As rock and roll lovers, we should encourage those who want to continue that sound we love and who have been influenced by the same types of bands that we enjoy. We can’t sit here and complain about how today’s music isn’t as good as the older stuff and then turn around and shame those who dare to not sound like the modern music we just hated on. It is simply hypocritical and slightly gatekeeping.
I’ve seen videos of women singing covers of Janis Joplin with so many comments under it saying things like “OMG Janis Joplin reincarnated” and to think that someone modern could be making music that sounds like one of my favorites who is no longer alive or no longer putting out new music should be something to be excited about. So how come people can’t have that same energy towards Greta Van Fleet? Besides their sound, they are also great performers. I saw them at the Austin City Limits Music Festival a few years back and the show itself was incredible. The band members also have great style with their own twist on retro and modern so I can respect that as well.
Once you get past the Zeppelin similarity and decide to not focus on that, you can really enjoy their music. I have had many jam sessions on my way to and from work to their music and was instantly put in a great mood. Some of my favorite songs of theirs include Flower Power, Mountain of the Sun, Safari Song, and Highway Tune. I encourage you to really give them a listen and support the great music they are putting out without constantly hounding them about the Zeppelin sound. They have addressed it in many interviews and even Robert Plant himself is okay with it so what more could you want?? I, for one, am grateful that the backlash didn’t keep them from making more music. The rock and roll community cannot keep discouraging new bands and artists by negatively comparing them to the greats from the 60s and 70s, but instead recognize their talent and be happy that we have new music to enjoy that sounds similar to a lot of our favorite stuff.
Let me know your thoughts or opinions in the comments below!
