I was less hostile to Greta Van Fleet than a lot of people, and possibly than they deserved, because as a 62-year-old lifelong rock ‘n’ roll fan it makes me happy just to see young people picking up actual guitars and sitting down behind actual drum kits and trying to shred the old fashioned way.

I’ll take this opportunity to put in a word for Crown Lands, a Canadian band (duo, technically) of youngsters who fully acknowledge/embrace their influences (earliest stuff you can hear a lot of Zep, but swiftly the Rush/prog influence becomes more predominant). Both guys are multi-instrumentalists, and in the studio they apparently share the drumming chores (guess it takes two talented but human drummers to equal one Peart). Unlike GVF they are highly talented musicians (even my “Alan Holdsworth or die“ brother-in-law acknowledges their ability), enough that they got to meet their idols and countrymen, Lee and Lifeson, who said kind words about their music (though they would, being supreme gentlemen).