Greta Van Fleet Should be Celebrated, Not Despised [OPINION]

Frankenmuth, Michigan’s very own rock band, Greta Van Fleet, has found itself under some harsh criticism since the release of their first single, “Highway Tune.” With intense guitar solos and a vocalist with a powerful voice and a talent for screaming, most have been able to make the connection quickly: Wow, this band sounds a lot like Led Zeppelin.

There are two ways people have approached this thought. The first being, “That’s incredible! A group of youngsters sounds like a band that is no longer producing music. Rock music is coming back.” The second, more cynical line of thinking, goes something like, “What a rip off! There’s no talent in copying someone else’s work. Where’s the creativity and individuality?”

This second way of thinking about Greta Van Fleet is incredibly closed-minded and hypocritical. Every musician has influences; Greta Van Fleet’s influences happen to be artists from the 1960-1970s. Plenty of accusations have been made that The Beatles ripped off countless artists and their works. But we still love The Beatles and consider them to be one of the most influential bands of all time, don’t we?

Why is it looked at as such a negative thing that a young band sounds like a classic older one? This should be exciting, relieving that a generation still loves and appreciates older sounds. Greta Van Fleet is proof that rock ‘n’ rollers like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC aren’t the only bands that can produce those classic sounds. With influences like John Denver, Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Howlin’ Wolf, Greta Van Fleet brings back a wave of sounds many haven’t heard in years. Younger generations who never got to see these classic acts finally have a chance to be part of a rock ‘n’ roll culture they believed to be long gone.

Shouldn’t a band sounding like one of the greatest rock bands of all time be something we should celebrate? A group of young men producing sounds that most haven’t heard since a time when rock ‘n’ roll was getting off the ground is uplifting and hopeful if you ask some. There are some newer, impressive rock bands that are writing and producing, but with the spin of the 21^st century on each and every song and lyric. Greta Van Fleet is just like a good old rock ‘n’ roll band from the ‘70s, from their sound to their hippie “flower power” aesthetic.

Greta Van fleet is made up of three brothers and a long-time friend. Josh Kiszka does vocals (and tambourine during live shows), Jake Kiszka plays guitar, Sam Kiszka on bass (and piano), and Danny Wagner is on drums. They are all still incredibly young, ages in the band ranging from 20-23. Clearly the band is still very new and grew up with the music their parents listened to. The band has mentioned on several occasions that they never listened to pop music growing up, and still don’t currently. Having only been exposed to music from another time, it only makes sense that this is the kind of music they would be most likely to produce.

Greta Van Fleet still has plenty of time to grow, experiment and change their sound. Already what they have accomplished has been incredible, a fact no one can dispute. The band was nominated for two Grammys, an iHeartRadio Music award, and two Kerrang! awards. They’ve toured all over the world, performed with Elton John and have received praise from countless musicians.

The crowd at a Greta Van Fleet show is a warming one to see. You have people in their 70s wearing rock band shirts of bands they loved from another time. You have people in their 30s, big rock fans who were too young when rock ‘n’ roll was the popular new sound. But the most exciting site is the younger fans. There are children, teenagers and young adults. This group could have grown up listening to old rock bands that their parents showed them, or found the genre on their own and wished they could have experienced life during a time when rock ‘n’ roll was mainly what was being pumped out of the music industry. Finally, this group gets to experience a show similar to something that could have been seen many years ago.

Greta Van Fleet is producing something similar to what was heard during a different time but new to so many listeners in the younger generation. It is an exciting thing to be apart of and witness. To those who criticize the musical taste of Greta Van Fleet fans and dislike the band simply because of their likeness to Led Zeppelin, remember to let people enjoy things. By all means, keep listening to older bands and appreciating their work, but let people indulge in the fantasy that they are rocking out to a band from another era, but can still catch them on their next tour.