3/8
Will Heath/NBC/NBCU Photobank
• The only rock band in the bunch this year, the group consists of singer Josh Kiszka, guitarist (and Josh's twin) Jake Kiszka, bassist (and younger brother) Sam Kiszka, and drummer Danny Wagner. They got together in their hometown of Frankenmuth, Mich., in 2012—but originally with, as these rock tales tend to go, with a different drummer. Wagner came on board in 2017.
• Their name was inspired by a fellow Frankenmuthian, Gretna Van Fleet.
• They're also nominated for Grammys for Best Rock Album, for their EP From the Fires; Best Rock Song, for "Black Smoke Rising"; and Best Rock Performance, for "Highway Tune." "We didn't even know when the Grammys were or when they would be announced, because as a new band, we often consider awards crooked or stacked against the odds," Sam Kiszka told Vulture.
• Their debut studio LP, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, was panned so hard by Pitchfork, the October 2018 review became a phenomenon in itself. It begins: "Greta Van Fleet sound like they did weed exactly once, called the cops, and tried to record a Led Zeppelin album before they arrested themselves."
• As it turns out, they remind Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin as well. The British singer said GVF sounded like "Led Zeppelin I" when asked what current bands he was enjoying in 2018.
• Asked about the harsh Pitchfork review, Sam Kiszka told Vulture, "I don't know the intent behind the piece. I haven't read it. I'm not sure if it's a publication trying to get attention or if it's somebody who genuinely doesn't like us and what we're doing. I really don't think we get worked up about that, because here's one person who's complaining about it. If you can't do it, then you just write about it. I feel like this man has had a troubled past. Prayers up for him. But it actually feels really good, because some of our favorite bands have had some pretty aggressive criticism. I think it's cool."
• Jeremy D. Larson, who wrote the review, tweeted out that highlighted passage. And when another person added, "You saw your parents gunned down in an alleyway, and that's when you decided to become a music critic," Larson replied, "Also I can 'do' I played sax in a funk-rock band called Resurrected Grooves and we were to Incubus what they are to Led Zeppelin so just goes to show everyone sucks."