Greta Van Fleet...Anyone?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Tree of Life, Jun 21, 2017.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. crookedbill

    crookedbill Forum Resident

    Zeppelin is my favorite rock band of all time, so I should love this, but there's homage and there's cheap pastiche and mimicry.

    However talented, this is way beyond the former and well into the latter. The voice is spot-on Plant (with some Geddy Lee) of course, but even the singer's ontstage manarisms (the way he poses, holds the mic, moves his limbs, shimmies to the beat etc.) is pure Robert Plant - like he studied YouTube videos of vintage Zeppelin shows. Same goes for the rest of the band.

    It's too much. They'd make a killer Zeppelin cover band, and make a fine living that way (as far as 20-year-old's playing in a band goes), but they'd need to write some better/unique songs and work on their own style for me to get on board.

    Not to sound cynical, but honestly, I don't get the love these kids are getting from old-school Zeppelin heads beyond just the obvious curious novelty of it (they've got chops, for sure). There have been hundreds of other worthwhile bands inspired by Zeppelin over the decades that don't outright ape them.
     
  2. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    Just discovered them today. If the songs were no good they would just be Zep wannabes. BUT! The songs are really strong.

    Count me as a fan.
     
    Paulwalrus, thxphotog, PDK and 6 others like this.
  3. aroney

    aroney Who really gives a...?

    I'm a HUGE Zep fan too, and I think GVF are outstanding. You can tell (the singer's almost constant grin) that they really love playing.

    No way should they change who they are, or ignore who they're influenced by, to sound and play like a band that they are not. It's blues-based heavy rock. It's what they grew up (thankfully) listening to and what they like to play. Rock On.

    While the style is certainly unmistakable, I don't think the lead singer sounds just like Plant either, certainly not "spot-on". Stylistically? Of course. At first listen, I can understand people hearing it that way, but the more you listen or, even better, see some of their live (acoustic-based) performances, it's clear that the kid has his own voice too. They also have a lot more tunes than what's been released or available.

    I wish them great success, and look forward to, hopefully, watching them grow/evolve in the future.

    We could do far worse than having bands that sound like Led Zep...:D
     
  4. bhasenstab

    bhasenstab Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    My worry is the last two "next big things" in the rock market didn't really hit. I am talking about Iceland's bluesy Kaleo, and Austin, TX-native gunslinger Gary Clark, Jr. Agree with the folks who say these guys are up to their eyeballs in Zep influence, but I'm not sure they will set the world on fire. We have definitely heard music like this before.
     
    tmtomh likes this.
  5. aroney

    aroney Who really gives a...?

    Not familiar with Kaleo, but Gary Clark Jr. seems to be doing quite well, LP's, live dates etc. Heck, my wife even knows who he is (and likes him) and she's way out of the loop on newer rock music.

    You don't have to be a "big thing" to do well either (I think the days of that BIG thing are long gone anyway).

    You need live gigs, live gigs and more live gigs (paying gigs obviously). GVF is doing fine on that front and more people are hearing (and liking) them every day.
     
    tmtomh, artfromtex and Bernard hansen like this.
  6. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    Yep. They gained at least two fans yesterday. My bud, Steedo, called me to tell me about them. I HAD to check them out and call him back. I could hear his enthusiasm through the phone. So I did and immediately bought their EP on Amazon and then watched tons of stuff on YouTube. They are building up the right way. I would certainly go see them live.

    Oh, and I called a friend about them too and found this thread as well. So not only do people like them, they seem to get excited when they "discover" them.
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2017
    Paulwalrus, MikeInFla and aroney like this.
  7. BuckNaked

    BuckNaked Senior Member

    Location:
    Connecticut
    I heard Flower Power one night as bumper music on Coast to Coast AM. My reaction was
    :yikes:
    Wow! Rock ain't dead yet.
     
    artfromtex likes this.
  8. rockclassics

    rockclassics Senior Member

    Location:
    Mainline Florida
    MikeInFla, tmtomh and realkilroy like this.
  9. Kate_C.

    Kate_C. abyssus abyssum invocat

    GVF: Influenced, but individual. So happy to run across yall here today! I discovered GVF on the following thread Tuesday...
    http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/greta-van-something.689320/

    And just this morning employed GVF as an example on the "Coolness Paradigm" thread, expressing my dismay that an apparent lack of popularity precluded the release of albums. Thanks for the heads up, Bernard - I'm all in!



    Edit: RC, just read the blog ... when I was sampling the other night, "Safari" really impressed me: “Safari Song,” which grabs you by the throat from the beginning and won’t let go, with the riff and the scream and the drums, you cannot sit still as it plays, your head starts banging to the groove, if you’re an oldster you start to smile, this is a sound you’ve been hankering for. Hard rock is thrash, it’s moved to far from the essence, but “Safari Song”…that riff, it’s enough, but there’s so much more. Really. Check this out." -Lefsetz

    This is where I stand in the aisle and shout, "Amen".
     
    Last edited: Aug 10, 2017
  10. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    An excellent take. And I indeed had a huge smile on my face listening to the EP.
     
  11. Kate_C.

    Kate_C. abyssus abyssum invocat

    Okay, in proving that I am not a bot while ordering the EP I apparently failed to discern a distant car not visible to the human eye without magnification by a factor of 256 (it would seem most humans can reliably identify all squares with motor vehicles in a grided picture; not me). Then I screwed up the street signs. I just failed 2nd grade.

    Anyway, it strikes me that the camp cover art works in playful collaboration with the whole retro/classic feel of GVF's music - like something you'd have seen painted on the side a van with a porthole window during the Carter administration.
     
  12. rockclassics

    rockclassics Senior Member

    Location:
    Mainline Florida
    Sounds a bit like Thank You.... especially the ending.
     
    tmtomh likes this.
  13. rockclassics

    rockclassics Senior Member

    Location:
    Mainline Florida
    Agree.

    I think this one is my favorite out of the 4 tracks.
     
    Bernard hansen likes this.
  14. Kate_C.

    Kate_C. abyssus abyssum invocat

    Given the scene, they've really got their heads screwed on for such young ages...
    Frankenmuth's Greta Van Fleet talks record deal, tour and graduation

    I'd never heard of Lava Records, an apparently small label, though Lorde is a client.
    http://www.lavarecords.com/artists

    The good news is that GVF's star is rising. Can't wait for an LP or, preferably, a live release. I notice they're playing in Amsterdam late Sept., I may be able to swing that if I'm still here...I love the little SHF-GVF tribe we've got going!
     
  15. Hgavinyl

    Hgavinyl Forum Resident

    Location:
    Spartanburg, SC
    They are great! Can't wait to see them later this month in Charlotte!!
     
    Bernard hansen likes this.
  16. rockclassics

    rockclassics Senior Member

    Location:
    Mainline Florida
    IIRC some of Porcupine Tree CDS were distributed by Lava Records.
     
  17. tmtomh

    tmtomh Forum Resident

    I take @crookedbill 's point, and I agree to an extent - but what I think makes this band worth keeping an eye on is what @artfromtex and others (including Lefsetz) note: The songs are actually pretty good and IMHO easily stand on their own. The style is of course soaked in Zep, but the compositions are IMHO better than Kingdom Come - and Whitesnake (whom I've always thought were complete tools).
     
    PDK and artfromtex like this.
  18. dmiller458

    dmiller458 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Midland, Michigan
     
  19. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    Oh my God. Light years better. Back in the 80's all the Zep rip offs were solely focused on the bombast and the posing. What I like about GVF is the LZIII vibe. That whole "light and shade" thing. For such young guys they seem to understand Zeppelin on an almost spiritual level. I like them more with each listen.
     
  20. Kate_C.

    Kate_C. abyssus abyssum invocat

    Well said, texart. Frequent listening has solidified my conviction that GVF might be profoundly inspired by Zep, but interviews and performances confute a lack of personal individuality or artistic ambition that would suggest a "cover" band. Everyone is influenced by someone; so if a contemporary band evolves from the primal soup of Zep's bluesy-rocknroll legacy, then I'm thrilled. As I said elsewhere: I wake up 365 mornings a year hoping to make an exciting new musical find, and 350+ of those days are disappointing in that regard. Not the day of the OP!

    To explore its potential, a band needs some degree of early public success for basic living expenses, sustained touring, attention from publishers, and even a boost to creative confidence. To that end, I was heartened to see that "Black Smoke Rising" was listed as a "Popular Album" by Amazon on the page of another release I was looking at (that being The Doors Singles box, for which it took all of 30 seconds to realize I don't need it). Still awaiting arrival of the CD. I'd love to hear from anyone who catches a live performance./K
     
  21. johnny q

    johnny q Forum Resident

    Location:
    Bergen County, NJ
    I think we all hear the Zep-isms loud and clear. However, am I the only one that gets a bit of a Frank DiMino (Angel) vibe from the vocal in "Black Smoke Rising?" Think Angel's "Telephone Exchange."
     
  22. GirlfromATL

    GirlfromATL Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    Definitely mature and talented...listen to Sam Kiszka in this podcast interview Greta Van Fleet - EP004 - Growin' Up Rock

    Sounds like he has talent and drive, and defintely not just cover band. Their influences are quite diverse. Fun to hear a young artist talking about lost art of listening to an entire album....doesn't sound like someone from the iPod generation.
     
  23. artfromtex

    artfromtex Honky Tonkin' Metal-Head

    Location:
    Fort Worth, TX
    This is why Rock 'N Roll will never die. It may slumber for a while, but it will never die.

    I turned on my 57 year old brother-in-law to GVF this last weekend. He was blown away. First it was all about the remarkable similarities to Zep and Plant but after the 3rd listen all we were talking about was how good the songs are. Each song is better than the last and it all crescendos with the final track, "Black Smoke Rising".
     
    rockclassics likes this.
  24. Just listening to the cd. I think these guys have something more than just staying on the Zep influence. I can kind of here it germinating in the title cut of the EP and even in Flower Power. They seem motivated to evolve so I say best of luck to them.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine