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We always joke that Danny has family everywhere , he ’ s got like three-to-four trillion cousins , uncles , aunts , random family in random places . He also has a younger sister , Josie .
Song River : Of those family members what are some of the different creative processes going on ? Sam Kiszka : Veronica in Hawaii is learning to dive . Our entire family is adventurous , we ’ re always going out doing things , we strive for bigger success , no settling . We ’ re not the kind of people who would be satisfied working normal job hours , we like to make our own rules .
Our Uncle Dave on our mom ’ s side is always playing guitar , plays easy-going music like The Eagles , Gordon Lightfoot . My dad plays harmonica , he ’ s the best harmonica player I ’ ve ever heard in my entire life , he plays ‘ dirty .’
Song River : Coming from a town just shy of 5,000 folks ( according to the 201 0 census ) the best thing Frankenmuth is known for is chicken dinners and Christmas , as Bronners is the tourist trap ! First , what was it like growing up in the middle of America in a state known formerly for Detroit autos and many other things ? Sam Kiszka : Frankenmuth was a great place to grow up in every way . There are so many places in Michigan that are rich with history , especially Frankenmuth . I think that Detroit is in an upward spiral , maybe the next Nashville in a couple of years . If you go north of Frankenmuth , there are so much untouched forests and land , our souls run wild up there , the depth of the forests , the log cabins . And the acts that have come out of Detroit and Motown - MC5 , Stevie Wonder , Grand Funk , Bob Seger , so many .
Song River : Second , is it time for Frankenmuth to add to their list of ' known for ' the creative soul kick ace rocking and rolling band- Greta Van Fleet ? And just how is that notoriety sitting so far ? Sam Kiszka : I ’ m not sure about adding us to what Frankenmuth is known for ! It ’ s weird , we know lots of great musicians living in Frankenmuth , and we love to have them come over and jam . Maybe it ’ s something in the water ! I ’ m on the inside so I don ’ t know what GVF means to other people . We put out a song and you never really know what that song will mean to someone .
Song River : Are any of you surprised at how quickly this all became fan-driven and took off like a rocket ? Sam Kiszka : Absolutely . We can ’ t even fathom how much has happened in the past could of months . We signed with Lava Records , ‘ Highway Tune ’ started to explode on the radio , people are coming to concerts , people who want to see us . We never expected this . I believe in our music , our initial goal is to make music we want to listen to .
Song River : What took place in order of succession ? Band , wrote music , found manager , label heard , PR came , tour set ? How did this all unfold ? Sam Kiszka : That is the correct order , and we ’ ve been writing music all the time . We found Mike [ the band ’ s first manager , now tour manager ] before Danny got in the band . Kyle left the band , Danny joined , then we got to the point where we took new management , we signed with Lava . We ’ re very blessed to have all of these people on our side , people pushing for us . Touring is going so great , it ’ s fantastic seeing new places , meeting new people , and the best part is playing our set every night .
Song River : Sure any rock n roll history nut can hear a multitude of those who came before in a band- what sets Greta Van Fleet apart in your own words ? ( I have my opinion but I want you all to describe how you hear and feel it be your own ). Sam Kiszka : I think what really sets us apart is the time our music is coming , right now , it ’ s coming at a time when your stereo is not receiving signals of authentic music . And it ’ s time for that to change . Greta Van Fleet has a chance to bring authentic blues / rock back into the popular scene . We are three brothers and a best friend , we really love each other , we write all of our songs together and we put power behind our music in this modern scene .
Song River : Talk about the four songs chosen first to be released : " Highway Tune " " Flower Power " " Black Smoke " " Safari Song " as each seems to tell their own story and stand on their own . Where did the stories come from and how did these four get chosen to be your debut ? Sam Kiszka : We chose these four songs for our debut as they show our rock side . “ Highway Tune ” is the first song we ever wrote and “ Black Smoke Rising ” was written fairly recently .
“ Highway Tune ” is a shock of energy , power , adrenaline , the definition of a rock song . “ Flower Power ” shows a different side of us , it ’ s more folky , airy , light , and has a theme of energy and power , inspiration . “ Safari Song ” is very bluesy , percussion-driven , and Josh ’ s vocals shine on ‘ Safari Song ,’ gives me goosebumps . “ Black Smoke Rising ” presents a different direction for the band , it has a higher meaning than the other songs , it ’ s more serious , like an omen .
We ’ ve written a bunch of new songs since , and we ’ re excited to show people other sides of us , we ’ re not just rock ’ n ’ roll .
Song River : A debut of four tracks , music video , tons of radio opportunities , a tour- is there even downtime right now , if so when you catch it- what are some of your favorite books to read , movies to watch and other outside music things to do ? Sam Kiszka : No , we don ’ t have much downtime . Our van is comfortable for a couple of hours , but that ’ s about it . We keep ourselves entertained , we have acoustic guitars in van , we jam , we write , we listen to music , talk about music , it ’ s never boring . It ’ s nice to be able to read in the van . I love to read and I read lots of biographies on musicians . Right now I ’ m reading a book of Ernest Hemingway ’ s short stories . He was a Michigan guy , he spent time in his cabin , so I can relate to places he wrote about .
Song River : Ultimately what is it you want to contribute while here on your journey and what is it you would like to take in exchange ? Sam Kiszka : We would like to take everyone with us on our journey . We want to give back to the universe , pump the energy back out , see everyone go wild when we play live , and have the audience take the energy back out into the world . We want people to get inspired when they hear music , to give back to the world , give to charity , make a soundtrack that people can relate to , put happiness back into the world which I think it needs right now .
Personally , for me , I feel so lucky to be put in this place , this time , with these people , to make beautiful music .