If you’ve been in the trenches of the guitar community on Facebook, Instagram, TGP, Reddit, etc. then you’ll know Greta Van Fleet has become a bit of a hot topic lately. These are 4 guys between 19 – 22 years old from a small town in Michigan and blasted on to the scene playing some old school, riff-driven rock and roll. The more I got into their playing and reading up on them, the more I noticed a massive contention in the music community towards them. Immediate comparisons were drawn between them and Led Zeppelin, often in a disgusted manner. I saw many comments regarding how they were a knock-off of Zep, copycats, unoriginal, etc. Interestingly enough though, there were just as many people praising the band for bringing “real rock and roll” back to the masses. But who’s right?
I need to be upfront and say something that’s going to be controversial but worth exploring: I really dig what Greta Van Fleet is doing, and at the same time I’m not a huge fan of Led Zeppelin. If you close the browser right there then I understand, but at least hear me out. I’ve had some things going on in my life recently that have opened my eyes a bit, and it’s made me take a step back from the depths of the gear and music communities to look at the bigger picture and the fundamentals. I’m 32, and I grew up with a father that loved classic rock, but he leaned towards the Eagles, Doobie Brothers, Clapton, and AC/DC. Mom was into a lot of Motown stuff and my brother was into country music (he’s a HUGE Alan Jackson fan, same with Brooks and Dunn). During my pivotal years, I was hit with all sorts of music and came to appreciate all music because of it. I completely dig some of Led Zeppelin’s hits, and felt it was a necessity to learn some of them as a rite of passage as a guitarist. In general, however, aside from those few classics I wouldn’t say I’m a “fan.”
For me personally, it comes down to timing. I’ll admit that I was quite stuck in my ways when I was a teenager and viewed loads of artists purely in two categories of like or don’t like, and typically made my mind up VERY quickly before giving many songs a chance. I supposed with age comes experience and wisdom, and I’ve come to appreciate even an abundance of new music that I honestly didn’t give a chance to back in the day. With GVF, I discovered their music at what I consider a pivotal time where guitar-focused music is becoming less and less popular. I needed something or someone to reignite my passion for the instrument, and the rawness really hit home for me as a player. As of late I’ve either been plugging straight into the amp or going with the minimalist approach with an OD (95% of the time it’s the Pantheon now), a boost of some sort, and a delay. It’s really helped me refocus on what I love about the instrument without covering it up under layers of noise and effects. I guess you could say I identify with Jake Kiszka right now, as he’s just plugging into a single treble booster and a couple of Holy Grail reverb pedals straight into a cranked Marshall. It’s just a few brothers jamming, and absolutely loving it. Wouldn’t we all love to be able to get up there and do what we love if people dug it?
My favorite thing I’ve ready recently on a YouTube video (and I’m paraphrasing) is “Who cares if they sound like Led Zeppelin, Zep doesn’t make music anymore. At least these guys are putting out new rock and roll music. Bring on a (Pink) Floyd type band!” GVF is catching a ton of heat for people saying they’re derivative and completely unoriginal. Why can’t people just accept things for what they are? They’re not meant to be a ground-breaking band, they’re playing classic rock at sold-out shows. If you watch some of their concerts on YouTube, there are just as many older people as there are younger. People are there for some good, old-fashioned rock and roll, and what’s so wrong with that? There are plenty of sonic pioneers that are creating some incredible and truly unique sounds that will inspire others to pick up their instruments. At the same time, I imagine (and hope) that maybe the guys from Greta Van Fleet will inspire new players to pick up the instruments and fall in love with the music like we started to with Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, The Who, and all of those other incredible bands. After all, the saying is that “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.”