Michigan rockers GRETA VAN FLEET performed their Grammy-nominated hit "Black Smoke Rising" and new single "You're The One" on the January 19 episode of "Saturday Night Live". Check out video footage below. GRETA VAN FLEET bassist Sam Kiszka told Vulture about the band's appearance on the long-running NBC variety sketch series: "This is just another one of those things that has come full circle for us. We used to sit around the TV… This is getting so weird to say, 'We used to.' We used to watch the Grammys as a family and watch 'SNL' as a family. We would watch the late-night television shows when we couldn't sleep. It's a re-circling of something very relevant in family and life. This is one of those milestones." Sam was also asked about the October 2018 Pitchfork review of GRETA VAN FLEET's debut album, "Anthem Of The Peaceful Army", which ripped the record as "stiff, hackneyed, overly precious retro-fetishism" and called the Michigan quartet "more of an algorithmic fever dream than an actual rock band." "I don't know the intent behind the piece," he said. "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. [Laughs]" Sam went on to say that the LED ZEPPELIN comparisons have gotten tiresome over the years. But, he reasoned, "It's an innate human instinct, to compare and contrast and make things more relatable. That's something that will always be a human instinct. I really feel like it's died down though, over the past three or six months. Which is nice, because I'm getting kind of tired of answering those questions." After the Pitchfork review was published, fans mobilized to defend the band's honor online and "Anthem Of The Peaceful Army" ended up debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, earning 87,000 album-equivalent units. GRETA VAN FLEET also topped the Billboard Artist 100 chart, which comprises album sales, streaming, radio airplay and social media buzz surrounding an artist. Last month, GRETA VAN FLEET scored four Grammy Award nominations, one for each major rock category — "Best Rock Album", "Best Rock Song", "Best Rock Performance" — and a "Best New Artist" nod. Photo credit: Travis Shinn
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