Greta Van Fleet guitarist Jake Kiszka says his bandmates are “very critical of guitar things” and have rejected some of his best riffs for the band
Greta Van Fleet are certainly doing their part to keep guitar music alive – but surprisingly, Jake Kiszka says his bandmates are “very critical of guitar things”.
In a new interview with Guitar World, Kiszka dives deep on Mirador, his other band he formed in 2024 with Chris Turpin of Ida Mae.
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The band are set to release their debut album – which has been heard by Guitar World – and Kiszka explains how some of the riffs that ended up Mirador riffs were rejected by GVF.
One track, for example, on the new Mirador record is called Blood and Custard, named after an old nickname for Vox AC amps.
“I think that song is a perfect example of what type of things don’t necessarily translate in the world of Greta,” Kiszka explains.
“That was a riff I had for a long, long time. It’s just been sitting on the shelf. I would say I was influenced by the Eric Clapton and Duane Allman song Mean Old World, that kind of acoustic interpretation of a traditional blues song.
“So I had this thing hanging on the wall, and I wanted something with slide guitar on the record. Obviously, Chris is a great and very unique slide player, and I’m also known to play some slide, which I love doing. I put that riff to Chris and he loved it. He suggested Blood and Custard, which was an old nickname for the original Vox [AC] amplifiers – they had this cream-and-red binding. That’s a good [example of] guitar nerdism.”
As Kiszka reveals, his Greta Van Fleet bandmates passed on the riff.
“I think Josh [Kiszka, GVF singer and Jake’s brother] is very critical of guitar things,” he adds, “and it wasn’t something that he was particularly interested in. I don’t think it ever made it to the final stages.”
While Greta Van Fleet have now flourished into an arena band very much deserving of its place, they had to battle – and continue to do so, to a lesser degree – with those who accuse them of being derivative.
But they’ve always stuck to their guns. “I think people have realised we are sticking around and this is who we are,” Jake Kiszka said in 2023.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
