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Jake Kiszka
Born	Jacob Thomas Kiszka (1996-04-23) April 23, 1996 (age 28) Frankenmuth, Michigan
Occupations	Guitarist songwriter musician
Years active	2012–present
Relatives	Josh Kiszka (brother) Sam Kiszka (brother)
Musical career
Genres	Rock Hard Rock
Instruments	Guitar Harmonica
Labels	Lava Republic
Member of	Greta Van Fleet
Musical artist

Jacob Thomas Kiszka is an American musican who is a founding member and lead guitarist of the American rock band Greta Van Fleet. He has written many songs for the band including a guitar solo in the song "The Weight of Dreams", which was named as containing the greatest guitar solo of the 21st century by Total Guitar.

Early life

Jacob Thomas Kiszka was born on April 23rd, 1996 in Frankenmuth, Michigan. He was raised alongside his two brothers and future bandmates, Josh and Sam Kizska, as well as his sister, Veronica Kizska. His father, Kelly Kiszka, was a chemist from Michigan, and his mother, Karen Kiszka, was a science teacher. He was influenced by his father who had a love for 70s rock music and played the harmonica.

In Kiszka's sophomore year in high school, his friend Kyle Hauck began to play music together with him in their basement. Soon after this, they invited younger brothers Sam Kizska and Josh Kizska to form the band Greta Van Fleet.

Following the introduction of Danny Wagner into the band after Hauck's dismissal, the band began playing in local street corners and parks. The band played their first concert at Fischer Hall on January 25, 2013. Kiszka was 16 at the time of this concert. Early recordings of the band include their self-released version of "Highway Tune", which later became a hit debut single for the band, and the Greta Van Fleet Demo Tapes, which was also self-released in 2015.

Musical influences

Kiszka was raised to have an appreciation of classic rock, soul and blues by his parents. Greta Van Fleet is often compared to Led Zeppelin. Kiszka related that he "... went through a year of really intensely studying what Page did to the point I knew how he thought." He has also studied other classic rock guitarists in a similar manner, specifically mentioning Pete Townshend.

In terms of writing solos, Kiszka said in a 2018 interview: "The point where I decided I needed to learn how to solo, where I wanted to show my voice in my licks, to speak that language, my dialect. That was a challenge I gave myself. I studied a lot at that point, especially Eric Clapton. As soon as I figured out what it was that I wanted to do, the whole world exploded. The floodgates opened, and I found my own approach to it:"

Some of Kiszka's guitar influences include John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Bert Jansch, Eric Clapton and Keith Richards. Some of the drummers that inspired Danny are Carmine Appice, John Bonham, Mitch Mitchell and Michael Shrieve. Sam's favorite bass player is Motown session bassist James Jamerson. Josh Kiszka has imitated the movements and onstage antics of Joe Cocker. The group was also influenced by Rush, Aerosmith and Queen. According to guitarist Robby Krieger, the group has also been inspired by his band the Doors.

Discography

References

1. Cirisano, Tatiana (2017-11-10). "Chartbreaker: Greta Van Fleet on Led Zeppelin's Influence and 'Living In the Resurgence of Rock'". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
2. Sharma, Jenna ScaramangaContributions from Amit; published, Ellie Rogers (2023-07-17). "The greatest guitar solos of the 21st century... so far". guitarworld. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
3. "Total Guitar: 50 greatest guitar solos of 21st century". Steve Hoffman Music Forums. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
4. Muhonji, Muhunya (2022-04-26). "Jake Kiszka's biography: age, height, girlfriend, net worth". Legit.ng - Nigeria news. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
5. Greta Van Fleet's Jake Kiszka on their childhood upbringing and the renaissance of guitar rock, retrieved 2023-12-14
6. Diggs, Lisa (2019-02-11). "The rise of Frankenmuth's Greta Van Fleet". Buy Michigan Now. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
7. "Greta Van Fleet Setlist at Fischer Hall, Frankenmuth". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
8. "Greta Van Fleet Demo Tapes". Discogs.
9. "Greta Van Fleet respond to Led Zeppelin comparisons, "Let's move on"". Alternative Press. January 19, 2019. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
10. Hiatt, Brian (January 9, 2018). "Greta Van Fleet's Misty Mountain Revival". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 17, 2020. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
11. "Greta Van Fleet on their Influences". Fender. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
12. ^ Chadwick, Robert (December 8, 2017). "Interview: Jake Kiszka and Danny Wagner of Greta Van Fleet". Go Venue Magazine. Archived from the original on January 9, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
13. "Greta Van Fleet Talks Bob Dylan, 'Highway Tune' + More – Interview". Audio Ink Radio. November 16, 2018. Archived from the original on November 29, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
14. "Greta Van Fleet Called Out Over Led Zeppelin Likeness In Interview", Two Doods Reviews, archived from the original on April 11, 2019, retrieved December 15, 2018
15. "Greta Van Fleet Shares New RUSH Inspired Song 'Heat Above'". I Love Classic Rock. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
16. Rudolph, John (September 28, 2023). "Show Review & Photos: Greta Van Fleet @ Climate Pledge Arena". Back Seat Seattle.
17. John Densmore and Robby Krieger of The Doors Answer Fan Questions for VMP. YouTube. June 3, 2021. Archived from the original on December 16, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2021.

• Greta Van Fleet Members
• 21st-century American women guitarists
• Guitarists from Michigan
• People from Frankenmuth, Michigan
• Living people
• 1996 births
• Musicians from Michigan