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Sam Kiszka
BornSamuel Francias Kiszka
(1999-04-03) April 3, 1999 (age 25)
Frankenmuth, Michigan
Occupations
  • Bass Guitarist
  • Organist
  • songwriter
  • musician
Years active2012-Present
Parents
  • Kelly Kiszka (father)
  • Karen Kiszka (mother)
RelativesJosh Kiszka (brother) Jake Kiszka (brother) Veronica Kiszka (sister)
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Bass Guitar
  • Organ
Labels
Member of
Musical artist

Samuel Francias Kiszka is an American musican who is a founding member and lead bassist of the american rock band Greta Van Fleet. He has co-wriiten many songs for the band and has also played other instruments like the organ on many of the band's songs.

Early Life

Samuel Francias Kiszka was born on April 3rd, 1999 in Frankenmuth, Michigan. He was born into a family consisting of his two older brothers Jake, and Josh Kiszka. Aswell as his sister Veronica Kiszka. His father, Kelly Kiszka was a chemist in Frankenmuth and was a major influence on his son's early musical knowledge. His mother, Karen Kiszka was a science teacher in the city.

In high school, Kiszka would participate in golf for Frankenmuth High School's golf team. In 2012, while in middle school, he would be recruited by his older brother Jake, and his friend Kyle Hauck to play in their band.

In 2013, the band would dismiss member Kyle Hauck, and would replace him with Danny Wagner. After this change in the lineup, the band would begin to play live shows on street corners and local parks. The first concert by the band would be in Fischer Hall on the Janurary 25, 2013. Kiszka would be only 13 at the time of this concert. Around this time, the band would begin to record demos of their songs. These demos incuded a version of "Highway Tune" and a collection of songs on the self released Greta Van Fleet Demo Tapes.

Success with Greta Van Fleet

On January 17, 2016, the song "Highway Tune" was featured as a live performance by the band on the Showtime show Shameless. The band would then released the song later that year on iTunes. After which the band's debut EP titled Black Smoke Rising was released April 21, 2017. The band would also begin to tour with The Struts during May 2017.

The band released an eight-song double EP titled From the Fires on November 10, 2017. In addition to the four tracks from Black Smoke Rising, From the Fires features the new recordings "Edge of Darkness" and "Talk on the Street", as well as covers of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" and Fairport Convention's "Meet on the Ledge". The four new tracks were recorded in September 2017 at Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak, Michigan and produced by Al Sutton and Marlon Young, the same duo that produced Black Smoke Rising. The band also released "Safari Song" as a single in October 2017. Greta Van Fleet would also open for Bob Seger at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan on September 7.

Their debut album, Anthem of the Peaceful Army, was released on October 19, 2018. It would become the top selling album in its debut week in the US, selling 80,000 copies. Factoring in album equivalent units, it debuted at number three on the Billboard 200. In December 2018, Kiszka, along with the band would be nominated for four Grammy Awards with the band. These would include Best New Artist, Best Rock Performance for "Highway Tune", Best Rock Song for "Black Smoke Rising", and Best Rock Album for From the Fires, the last of which they won.

On October 9, 2020, the band released a new single, "My Way, Soon", accompanied by a music video that was shot, edited and directed by the band. On December 4, 2020, the band announced their second studio album would be titled The Battle at Garden's Gate. A single titled "Age of Machine" was also released alongside the announcement. The album was released on April 16, 2021. On February 10, 2021, the band released the third single "Heat Above". On March 19, 2021, the band released the fourth single "Broken Bells". The band then toured extensively throughout 2021 and 2022 on the global "Dreams in Gold" tour.

At the final three shows of their Dreams in Gold Tour, the band played five new songs titled "Meeting the Master", "The Falling Sky", "The Indigo Streak", "Sacred the Thread", and "Farewell for Now". The band then announced on Twitter that their new album was titled Starcatcher, and would be released on July 21, 2023. On April 9, 2023, the band released their first single from the album titled "Meeting the Master" on digital media, followed by a music video for the song on May 4, 2023. The band's second single "Sacred the Thread" was released on digital media on May 19, 2023. The band released two more singles, "Farewell for Now" and "The Falling Sky" on June 8, and June 27, 2023. The band released the album on July 21, 2023, where it would sell 46,000 units in its first week and debuted at 8 on the US Billboard 200.

Musical Influences

Kizska has shown his apprecitation for Motown and artists like Marvin Gaye, James Brown, and Ray Charles. In a interview with CBS in 2017, the artists mentions organ inspirations, The Beatles, Lewis Del Mar, and Procal Harem were among the names mentioned.

In the interview he says "I kind of got to the point where I didn't want to just be a bass player. What got me into it was that Beatles track, "She's So Heavy." In the background of the chorus of that song, there's this ripping organ. And I thought "Holy s--t! That sounds so cool! I want to be able to do that!" He countinues saying "this band Lewis Del Mar opened the show and I've really come to love that band.---It's probably the first time I can remember really being excited for new music to come out. It's one of the modern influences I have."

Kizska's bass and organ playing has been compared to John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin on numerous occasions. Vocal compares them in a 2018 article saying "Bassist Sam Kiszka also has the ability to play the organ like John Paul Jones" Kizska has embraced his Led Zeppelin influence. In a interview with GuitarWorld in 2020, the artist cites songs like Zeppelin's "Ramble On" as major inspiration, saying "I’ve really been focused on melodies—songs like “Ramble On” . People sing that bass line. That’s how you know it’s a fantastic bass line."

Personal Life

In 2017, Kizska would meet model Joy Powell at a Greta Van Fleet concert. They would begin dating in the coming year.

References

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  31. Meeting The Master, retrieved 2023-04-10
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Greta Van Fleet
  • Josh Kiszka
  • Jake Kiszka
  • Sam Kiszka
  • Danny Wagner
  • Kyle Hauck
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