Original Greta Van Fleet drummer Kyle Hauck left the band a handful of years ago, and current drummer Danny Wagner compared the situation to The Beatles splitting from drummer Pete Best and replacing him with Ringo Starr in a new Concert Blogger interview. He said it was ‘a lot like’ the Ringo situation.
“They said your better you play drums. They tell you that you’re better but in your own mind you aren’t really sure.”
He also revealed that all members of the band loved the Beatles since their youth, and the interviewer mentioned how Paul McCartney takes a moment to appreciate the crowd at each show, and Wagner said he was happy to be told that and would appreciate shows like that himself in the future. You can read the fantastic interview over at Concert Blogger.
Greta Van Fleet’s current lineup definitely have incredible chemistry, with guitarist Jake Kiszka discussing their shows in a new ABC 12 interview.
“For me, it entirely takes me to a different world,” Kiszka says. “It’s completely transcending. Its like that’s the best feeling in the world, so you keep coming back to it.”
He’s not the only one, fans keep coming back for that special feeling too.
“Its a very emotional personal thing, when you’re looking at someone in the audience. Sometimes they cry, sometimes they get a big beam and they blush or they smile or wave,” he says. “It’s such an intimate thing that I’m sharing with someone else and they’re sharing with me.”
With three #1 rock singles, four 2019 Grammy nominations, a debut album, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, that debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums chart, and a massive global tour set to kick off January 22 in Japan, Greta Van Fleet will make its debut as musical guest January 19 on “Saturday Night Live,” airing on NBC at 11:30PM ET/10:30PM CT.
Greta Van Fleet is four young musicians – twin brothers Josh (vocals) and Jake Kiszka (guitar), both 22, younger brother Sam (bass/keys, 19), and longtime family friend Danny Wagner (drums, 20). All are from the tiny Michigan hamlet of Frankenmuth known for its family-style chicken dinners and the world’s largest Christmas store. All four were raised on their parents’ extensive vinyl collections which helped give birth to the music they make today: a high-energy hybrid of rock’n’roll, blues and soul.
Since the March, 2017 release of “Highway Tune,” the band’s first single that claimed the #1 spot at Rock Radio for five consecutive weeks, the four have been on a wild ride of sold-out concerts in North America and Europe, racked up millions of YouTube video plays and audio streams, received glowing accolades from iconic artists like Elton John, Dave Grohl, Joe Satriani and Billy Corgan, and recorded two #1 EPs. The band’s debut album Anthem of the Peaceful Army (10/19/18, Lava Records/Republic Records), debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales and Top Rock Albums charts, and at #3 on the Billboard 200 chart. On December 7, the band awoke to find they had received four Grammy nominations – Best New Artist, Best Rock Song (“Black Smoke Rising”), Best Rock Album (From The Fires EP), and Best Rock Performance (“Highway Tune”). Most importantly, the band has been building an extraordinary connection with their fans.