The Funeral Portrait Breaks Down The Lore Of Their Music And The Band

Before they got sweaty with us at The Rust Belt, The Funeral Portrait stopped by the radio station to talk about everything from how they started to where they are going and what they do when they are not on the road, which is not often.

This is one of those bands that rock fans will want to know about now because they will continue to grow with what you listen to and what you see on stage.

How The Funeral Portrait Came To Be

Lead singer Lee Jennings started a band called "Cosmoscope" in 2013 before the band broke up.  When that ended, Lee didn't want what he built to end.  First, he met Rob and Homer when they were playing in a band called "Vanity Strikes".  And that band had just broken up because their singer, Danny Case, left for From Ashes To New.

They then brought in Cody, and in 2019, Caleb joined in the fun to fully create what The Funeral Portrait is now.

Lee said, "Even though we had an EP and a record before this, we never play any of that stuff."  So while you can go back and find some of the older stuff, really, the band is starting with "Greetings From Suffocate City."

The Funeral Portrait Is Making A Story With Their Music

It's rare that a band will create 8 videos from one album.  But that is what The Funeral Portrait did.

Caleb said, "We started making this story as the videos started coming out.  We make these characters that we follow, and they are all over our merch, and now we have a graphic novel of them."

"People want more than just music," said Lee.  Referring to bands like Sleep Token, Ghost, Bad Omens, and more, who are taking their music to another level that elevates it beyond that.

Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, and More

The song Holy Water featured Ivan Moody from Five Finger Death Punch, and while originally Ivan wanted to be on the song, the timing didn't work out.  But Lee said, "They (FFDP) were in Europe, and there was no chance he could get into the studio.  But then, he (Ivan) reached out to his team and said 'Hey, Holy Water with Funeral Portrait, let me feature on it."  He wanted to help the band, and he sure did, helping them score their first number-one song.

What Else Do They Do With Their Time?

Lee said this year they will spend 290 days on the road.  So I had to ask what they do when not on the road.  Homer chimed in with his one hot take during the interview with "Magic: The Gathering."  We then got deep on that during the conversation...but even if you have no idea what it is, you'll be amazed at how much money is made, yes made, on Magic: The Gathering cards.

And of course, the other thing they do when not touring is working on making more music.  The guys said they have 5-6 songs, but they don't know exactly where they are going with them.  As The Funeral Portrait is looking to create stories with their songs and album, it's not just going to be a random collection of songs together; it's a full story.

There was also plenty more music talk, and just a lot of random fun.  You can discover more about The Funeral Portrait as they continue to grow, and we were very happy to have them in the studio with us.