Jake Kiszka appears in Springsteen biopic

Jake Kiszka of Greta Van Fleet has surfaced in the cast details for “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” the Bruce Springsteen biopic tied to the making of “Nebraska.” A May 22 WRIF report linked Kiszka to a club-performance scene, and IMDb’s full cast page lists him as “Cats on a Smooth Surface - Guitarist.” The role places him inside one of the film’s live-band sequences rather than among the principal dramatic cast. The film stars Jeremy Allen White as Springsteen and was written and directed by Scott Cooper. ### Where does Jake Kiszka show up in the film? IMDb’s full cast listing identifies Jake Kiszka as guitarist for “Cats on a Smooth Surface,” a band name used in the film’s credits. The same listing names Sam F. Kiszka as bassist, Jay Buchanan as lead singer, Aksel Coe as drummer and Henry Hey as keyboardist. Billboard reported in October 2025 that scenes showing Springsteen joining a local band at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, New Jersey, used a lineup assembled by music producer Dave Cobb. (imdb.com) Billboard said that lineup included Jake Kiszka on guitar and Sam Kiszka on bass, with Buchanan, Emmett and Coe also participating. ### How did Kiszka get into the Springsteen project? Dave Cobb was the connection, according to Jake Kiszka’s account to Billboard. Kiszka said Cobb, who produced Greta Van Fleet’s 2023 album “Starcatcher” and was helping with Kiszka’s Mirador project, told him Scott Cooper was looking for “a young band” to serve as the Stone Pony house band for that period. (billboard.com) Billboard said Cooper wanted “a young, sort of hop rock ‘n’ roll band like Greta Van Fleet,” and Cobb then approached the Kiszka brothers. That report ties Jake Kiszka’s appearance to a specific production need: musicians who could play a period club band around Springsteen’s early-1980s world. (billboard.com) ### Is this just a cameo, or part of a broader musician casting choice? Billboard’s reporting indicates the Kiszka appearance was part of a larger musician-heavy performance unit rather than a one-off walk-on. The outlet said the Stone Pony scenes were built around an “all-star lineup” assembled for the production’s music sequences. (billboard.com) IMDb’s cast page supports that framing by listing multiple performers under band-role credits rather than only traditional character names. That suggests the film used working musicians in at least some club and performance scenes tied to Springsteen’s orbit. ### What does the WRIF report connect this to now? WRIF’s item came in a story about Greta Van Fleet’s newly announced Bowery Ballroom show in New York. (billboard.com) The station linked Jake Kiszka’s film appearance to a club-scene detail while noting the band’s return to a much smaller room after a prior Madison Square Garden stop. That is the context in which the casting note re-entered circulation this week. (imdb.com) Blabbermouth, citing the band’s announcement, said Greta Van Fleet will play Bowery Ballroom on Wednesday, May 27, and that tickets go on sale in person at the venue on Tuesday, May 26, for $20. The report said the group has not played a live show since September 2024. ### Who else is confirmed in “Deliver Me From Nowhere”? (blabbermouth.net) Jeremy Allen White is listed by IMDb as playing Bruce Springsteen, with Jeremy Strong as Jon Landau, Paul Walter Hauser as Mike Batlan, Stephen Graham as Douglas Springsteen, Odessa Young as Faye Romano and Marc Maron as Chuck Plotkin. Scott Cooper is credited as director and screenwriter, based on Warren Zanes’ book. (blabbermouth.net) The next public marker tied to Kiszka is Greta Van Fleet’s May 27 Bowery Ballroom date in New York. Ticket sales are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. local time on May 26 at the venue’s box office, according to the band announcement carried by Blabbermouth. (blabbermouth.net) (imdb.com)