Jake Kiszka claims guitar was his ticket to self-expression as a kid: “I had so much taken away at a young age, and the guitar was an object of fighting for freedom, like Excalibur”

Growing up in a “romanticised Americana” town, the grit of hard rock didn’t quite match up with Jake Kiszka’s ‘white picket fence’ childhood. However, the Greta Van Fleet guitarist couldn’t resist the rockstar lifestyle – and his guitar helped him escape suburban mundanity.

Speaking to Guitar World, Kiszka describes his first experience with a guitar as almost spiritual. “When I picked up a guitar when I was a kid, it was this object or artifact,” he explains. “It was a monolith of freedom and self-expression. Being raised in the place we were raised in [the small town of Frankenmuth, Michigan]… we’re learning who we are, what we’re meant to do and where we belong… There’s this sense of great repression in some ways – social confines.”

While Greta Van Fleet are currently one of the world’s most prominent (and divisive) newer hard rock groups, there was a time when Kiszka didn’t know whether his dreams would become a reality. So he clung onto his guitar, and refused to abide by the “social confines” around him. “To me, the guitar was something no one could take away,” he says. “I had so much taken away at a young age, and this was sort of a defiance against structure and systems.”

“[My guitar] was an object of fighting for freedom, like Excalibur or something… I really felt that way,” he emphasises.

Of course, Kiszka’s upbringing wasn’t dreadful. Speaking to radio station 102.1 The Edge in 2018, he describes his “romanticised Americana” childhood, where he was “playing in the fields, exploring the forests and [swimming in] the many streams and rivers” that surrounded his hometown. However, “there wasn’t much going on” – which was a perfect catalyst for focusing on music.

It’s a similar case for Queens Of The Stone Age’s Josh Homme. Last month, Homme told the Queer the Music podcast that growing up in a “very empty, very idyllic small town”  in Palm Desert was pretty boring… but “boredom” lead him to music. “The gift of nothing is a very real thing,” he explained. “In the boredom… you’re allowed to practice playing guitar, piano, or drums.”

As for Greta Van Fleet, Kiszka is keen to continue wielding his Excalibur to inspire other budding guitarists to pursue the art of rock ‘n’ roll. “We’re trying to bring a sense of imagination, hope and love to a generation through rock ‘n’ roll,” he tells Guitar World.

Back in May, Greta Van Fleet sparked breakup rumours after releasing a cryptic social media video. However, they’ve recently confirmed that they’re still together, and their fourth album, Palace For The People, is dropping on 9 October. The group have already shared a pair of new singles: Saw You Stand and Play Your Games.

Palace For The People is out 9 October. You can pre-order it now.