Die amerikanische Rock Band The Funeral Portrait begeistern fans seit 2014 mit ihren tiefgründigen Texten, rockiger musik und einer Show zum mitfühlen. Mit songs wie „Dark Thoughts“ welche sich mit Mentalen Problemen und dem gefühl im eigenen Kopf gefangen zu sein beschäftigen, gelangten sie ein drittes mal auf Platz 1 der Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay charts. Wir haben uns mit Sänger Lee Jennings hingesetzt um ein bisschen über Musik, grüne Haare und die neue Era der Band zu quatschen.
Frontstage: Hi Lee, thank you so much for sitting down with me, especially on a busy day like today at Rock am Ring.
Lee: Of course! Thanks for having me.
Frontstage: Of course. It’s the green hair, I had to sit down with you and talk.
Lee: Yeah, like come on, we HAD to.
Frontstage: Right? SO! I have a couple questions about the deluxe edition of “Greetings from Suffocate City” And some more fun things.
Lee: Okay, I’m ready!
Frontstage: The deluxe edition of “Greetings from Suffocate City” added some new Sounds and Collabs with a lot of cool people. Looking at all of it, which song went through the most transformation from like Demo to release?
Lee: OH, that’s a great question. When we started demoing out songs, we wrote the first song on that record in 2018.
Frontstage: Oh, that has been a hot minute.
Lee: I know, right? So, the whole situation is, we started the band in 2014, and then we started writing new after kind of not playing the old stuff anymore. So, when we wrote the new things in 2018 for example, we were kind of like lets move away from the more post-hardcore stuff into what we kind of sound like now. And we asked ourselves “How do we do that?” So, I said “Let’s start new.” And we started all over, first wrote our song “Holy Water” and that song is literally the exact same from 2018. And it made it onto the record that came out in 2024 and then the deluxe edition last year. I think its kind of crazy how that can happen too, but “Suffocate City” from the demo to what came of it on the record, which features Spencer from Ice Nine Kills on it, has changed the most. It was like super upbeat and pop punky and we were like “it’s too happy.”
Frontstage: Oh yes, especially knowing the released version, I know where you’re coming from. I really like Spencer on it. It’s a good song. And especially with the new transformation, starting new as a band, with a new sound, lets get back to the meaning behind the name. “The Funeral Portrait” comes from an Opeth song.
Lee: It does!
Frontstage: Looking back at what the name meant in 2014, does it still have the same meaning to you or did it change a lot over the years with sound changes and growth of the band?
Lee: Hmm, so really, we just wanted something different. In 2014 every band was like kind of using “Ocean” or “Awake”, there is like loads of them.
Frontstage: You think? I mean, “Ocean grove”, “Oceans ate Alaska”, “Ocean wake” ….
Lee: EXACTLY! There is all of those and everyone had those names that you could just interchange. And for us I just wanted something that was dark and spooky, and you know us, of course we love “Opeth”, and we were like “but we don’t sound like them, lets just take that name”. But its so funny because for us we just wanted something that was a little different and spooky. So, it still fits well.
Frontstage: It is spooky and it definitely fits the vibe.
Lee: Its all about the vibe. Like the green hair!
Frontstage: Oh absolutely! Haha Recently you mentioned about 10 demos you currently have ready…
Lee: * very evil laugh *
Lee: I actually have like… 27… BUT, I like 10 of them. And you’re hearing it first! Only my Band and I know that there’s 27. You’re special!
Frontstage: Hahaha, well, thank you! How would you describe the sound of them? Like, 27 is a lot to put into like one sound, but generally speaking.
Lee: I think I don’t like half, well 90% of them. So, if were down to 10…. I think for me we want to elevate what we did on the last record. I’m all about elevating. I’m never about skipping steps. So, for us, it’s taking what we learned from writing the last record and evolving the sound. And its so funny because I think we’ve written what are my favourite songs ever. Which I guess, you would want that as an artist, right? So, it’s gonna be really cool and its definitely more theatrical, a little bit more production, more theatrics and some very high highs and very low lows. But they are still demos, so they are not recorded YET, but who knows-
Frontstage: Well, when will that happen if were talking about it now?
Lee: As soon as we are done with June. We are over in Europe until the 3rd of July, doing all these amazing festivals and then going back to the states and recording basically in July, august and a little bit of September. I’m just gonna lock myself away. “Nobody talk to me” but its great cause so much has happened to us over the years that its time to really put it down from our experience and what has happened to our band and to put it into a song. It felt very freeing and… there is a song on the record that is probably the saddest song I’ve ever written, which is crazy, because I’ve written some real sad songs! But its even sadder. Get ready, get your tissues ready everybody!
Frontstage: Oh no, you’re killing me.
Lee: You’re welcome, I’m good at it.
Frontstage: Got it. Are there any collabs that you are planning for the demos?
Lee: A lot! A lot of collabs on this record because… uhm… I cant spill too much! Don’t make me spill too much.
Frontstage: Your secrets are safe with me… I’ll keep my mouth shut. (It’s a written interview)
Lee: Oh Jesus. Okay. Sure, uhm… right…. BUT we are working on a few things. Basically, we are still in the world of what we created with “Suffocate city” its just evolving basically. So, more Characters in our…. World lets say. So, there are going to be a lot of “Characters” that are gonna be involved on the next record.
Frontstage: Can you spill names?
Lee: Nope. Good luck.
Frontstage: Thank you. I need it.
Lee: Some really cool ones. Some like…. Iconic stuff, some really unique stuff and you know, some really fun stuff.
Frontstage: What’s your dream collab anyway?
Lee: *evil laugh again*
Lee: You know lately Gerad Way from My Chemical Romance has been doing a lot of screaming. Literally all features he’s doing is just screaming, so maybe I could convince him to scream on one of our songs!
Frontstage: Definitely, oh that would be amazing.
Lee: Right? Wouldn’t it be fun?
Frontstage: Absolutely! What’s the biggest thing about this new era that the Coffin Crew would never expect?
Lee: ohhhhh, you have lots of great questions! You stumped me a little bit. Uhm, I don’t know. I think the things is everybody wants more, right? More songs, more things and I think for me I’m just growing what is already there, right? SO, there is lots of sad songs but there is also lots of happy songs too. For once, you know, we haven’t really done happy, but so much of what is happening, right now, we have a few happy songs about being happy with what you’ve done.
Frontstage: That sounds so good honestly. I have one more and then I am freeing you from this. How are you guys prepping for Rock am Ring and which member is the most anxious for the set?
Lee: Well, we are very nervous because of our Timeslot. It’s a long set we are playing an hour and its during Linkin Park and Baby Metal. But everybody I’ve ever talked to about this festival said that there are just people everywhere and they want to check out new stuff or aren’t fans of either band. Or are doing a bunch of festival all over Europe, you know. But Gareth, who is our new, live member- he’s basically in the band, he plays piano, sings and plays guitar. He’s extremely nervous. I can tell cause its so funny. His first show with us was our big hometown show, which was like, sold out to like 1200 people and obviously a big deal for us. And he was behind us on a riser and I could just turn around and see how nervous he was. So adorable, but this is like his first festival ever. Because he comes from a local band background, hasn’t done a lot of touring or anything. Which is something I wanted. Someone who isn’t like jaded from all the touring and experiences they had. Someone who is new, fresh in the industry.
Frontstage: That sounds very adorable and I am really excited to see you guys later tonight during the set. Thank you so much for taking the time and sitting down with me. I had a blast; I could literally talk to you for like 2 days.
Lee: Thank you so much for having me. Well do that next time. I enjoyed talking to you.
Fotocredit: Aaron Marsh
