November 29, 2024 • 21 mins
It's not every day a band releases their first proper radio single and a few months later it's the number one rock song in the country. Yet that is exactly what happened with The Funeral Portrait. Earlier this year the album Greetings From Suffocate City came out and the title track featured a little help from the Ice Nine Kills frontman Spencer Charnas, some people started playing it and the rest is history. Their rise didn't happen overnight though, it's been ten years in the making with all the ups and downs you might expect.
Now we get to answer the question Who exactly is The Funeral Portrait?
Now we get to answer the question Who exactly is The Funeral Portrait?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Attention please and no it Cutters.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Rock cast Lee from the Funeral Portrait is joining us.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
And you know, it's not every day that a band
comes out and while the band has existed for a while,
like is mostly the case when it comes to bands,
even when you or I first hear of them, they've
been around for a while. But you release a single
to rock radio, it starts doing well and then boom,
it hits number one.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Here you are. Man, what a day? What a week?
What a month?
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I know, I can't believe it either. It's it's kind
of crazy to think about, you know what I mean.
It's it's one of those overnight successes you know that
took ten years.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
In the making.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yep. I think that's how it works in this business.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
Yeah, so don't worry. We're just an industry plant.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
You're an industry plant, son of a bitch.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Well that's what TikTok loves to say.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Anytime they see anybody succeed, they'll see their first TikTok
right of that artist, and they'll be like, oh, they're
just an industry plant. Little did they know been around
for ten years. But you know, that's that's most artists
in general, so.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Well, well, first of all, the problem is you're listening
to TikTok. Secondly, oh, this is very true. Although although
that is the new music breaker world these days, but
whatever it means.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
And it isn't. I think we are slowly getting away
from that world. I think.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
I think a lot of it has to do with
the years after COVID all of those big TikTok artists
started going on tour, and they slowly started to stop touring,
you know, and they slowly because either one people weren't
coming to see them, or two they realize how hard
it is to tool right.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
Not to name any names or me like that, but.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
I've seen a few of them live and I loved them,
and I loved their records, and then all of a sudden,
I want to go see them again. And it's like, oh,
I will not be touring for the foreseeable future.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
And I'm like, type, thank you, yep.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Okay, So you got in a bus and realized it's
not easy exactly if.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
You got in a bus, might be a van, yeah,
or a van or whatever.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
But like I mean, with us, we've been touring in
a band for ten years. This is our second tour
ever in an RV, like.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Not even a bus.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
That's fancy.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I know we're living I mean I could, I could
tour probably the rest of my life like this compared
to in a band. So after a few ten years
and a van on an RV is is insane.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Well there you go. What is the story of the
Funeral Portrait. I know you guys started and you had
it was a different name. I know that there were
some cover songs.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Yeah, so so it's so funny. So we started kind
of a low local band. We changed her name really
wick after I think we were only that band really
for like a year two years, and then we generate
Funeral Portrait. We signed to a little label and we
recorded an EP and a record and just did as
(02:57):
much touring as we could. Then we turned that into
we've actually got off that label. They weren't really treating
us right, and we were like, let's just be independent.
So we were independent for a few years and then
we released Holy Water. And when we released Fully Water,
(03:17):
that's when I was twenty nineteen. That's when we started
getting attention from labels, and we signed two Better Toys
in the end of twenty nineteen, and then we all
know what happened in twenty.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Twenty No old, I don't remember.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
The industry exactly was put on hold, and especially for
new bands, so we lost a lot of momentum and
you know, really wasn't the time for the Funeral Portrait.
So we kind of went back into hiding for a
few years, started working on finishing up the record, and
we started touring again in what twenty twenty two and
(03:54):
twenty two, Yeah, in twenty two weeks are touring again
and started kind of just getting our feet and growing
and growing with the world of TikTok and social media,
and we had a few viral moments and then all
of a sudden, here we are as a Funeral Portrait.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
The record's out.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
It's just been a massive The last six months especially
have been just insane for this band.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Oh, I can't imagine. I remember the song holy Water.
I kind of forgot that was you.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
That's so funny.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
As soon as you said it, the memory clicked.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Yes, I love that.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
The last six months, I mean what you've been on
tour with Marilyn Manson yep, And I know you got
a little flak for that, but good on you guys
are sticking to your guns, thank you, You're welcome. And
then of course this song Suffocate City. The album's called
Welcome to Suffocate City as well. And I gotta be
honest with you, when I first it took a couple
of weeks for me to say funeral Portrait, new music,
(04:51):
Suffocate City and not be like it's a David Bowie song.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Yes, oh, I know. It was kind of a little
play on that, right. That was kind of an I
to us.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
You know, I grew up loving Bowie, I grew up
loving Queen, I grew up loving all that.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
The more the actual music that.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Exact, you know, when we grew up or or when
we were working on the record, I mean, we worked
with this guy, Johnny Andrews, and his Bowie is like
his favorite artists of all time, right, and so we
were listening to a lot of Bowie and it just
was one of these funny moments of being like, so
what if we kind of do and of our version
(05:32):
of you know what he did, you know, and so
we were like, okay, Suffocate City. You know, it's just
one thing, but the it's so funny. The ritual version
of subcase City was like a pop punk song sounded
like it was straight from Warped Tour, even though we
kind of have that warp to re vibe. It was
straight straight from warp Tour, like a data remember could
have done it.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
You know, well, I'm glad you guys did it this
way and then and then of course you hooked up
with Spencer, who has become like the DJ Colleade of
rock music and and.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Works with everybody. But boy didn't work on this song.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
It did? It? Did?
Speaker 3 (06:05):
We got really lucky, you know. I think I think
it was one of those right place, right time moments.
You know, I think we have Spencer. We we're kind
of close enough to what he does too write like
being a quote what we call spooky band. You know,
we're in this very similar world, even though we're not
(06:27):
as heavy as they are. You know, I think it
worked extremely well in our favor because a lot of
his fans started checking out the song or you know,
they heard it on radio and they're like, oh, a
feature Spencer, I'm gonna actually like this then, you know,
if he puts his stamp on it. So we are
really lucky that he was super into the song and
he wanted.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
To do it Yeah, it definitely worked down in everybody's
favorite It sure feels like And I know we were
talking about this before I hit record about sort of
you know what people on TikTok said about you, but
how like because and I mentioned the Marylyn Manson thing,
and I know there's you know, some people upset because
how could you open up for this guy, you know whatever,
(07:07):
it's Marilyn Manson.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
That's how.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
How do you navigate sort of that the negativity but
yet still shine through to be what you are becoming now?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Yeah, I think for us is this band is a
very positive light, this band, especially for a lot of people.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
So for us, we.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
We still believe in every single thing that we've ever
believed in. We still support the charities that we've always
believed in. We've we we we've maybe we've been what
we've been doing, and that doesn't change, right, just because
we've got an opportunity that has changed our lot, you know,
and that's a big moment, is just because we were
(07:49):
able to take this five Finger Manson tour, That's how
we were able to go to Ratio, That's how we
were able to release our record, That's how we were.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Able to do a lot of things, because that's industry.
Big works.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
You have to have a big to least music and
the radio and all these things. And it was life changing.
And now all of our shows are close to selling out.
I mean shows that we announced a month in advance.
We're playing a hometown show on Sunday to six hundred
and twenty five people.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Where when our agent.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Brought us a show, I was like, no, we have
to play the small club that's two hundred cap. Like,
there's no way we're going to sell anywhere close to
six hundred tickets. Well, guess what. A month has gone
by and it's sold out, and you know, we're playing
these rooms. And all of that is because of these
life changing tours and opportunities, and it's about just staying positive,
you know, and believing in what we what we believe in,
(08:44):
and being who we are, you know. And I think
a lot of people they always think that, you know,
you're best friends with everybody that you tour with. I
think I think a lot of people don't realize how
the touring world works, that you know, you won't even
hate that person you know, or you won't even you
have nothing to do with them. So I think a
lot of people kind of forget that, you know, I think,
and I'm not. I'm not here to show them that.
(09:06):
I'm here to just be us. And that's what we
did every single night. Is we are still the funeral portrait.
We still believe in what we believe in and we're
doing it and it's fine, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Yeah, Yeah, I'm glad you said that, because I think
a lot of a lot of fans in the no fans,
you know, maybe don't understand what it's actually like backstage
and that the headlining band, you know, has their routine
and they stick to it, and the opener has their
routine and they stick to it, and the direct support
band has their routine and they stick to it. And
(09:37):
there isn't a ton of There's a little, but not
a ton of crossover. It's not the seventies and eighties
party hardy, get drunk backstage, you know, everybody's partying and
doing cocaine off each other's nipples.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
It's just not that. Well sometimes sometimes maybe allegedly, but not.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
I'll be honest.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
About on that Tool, I'm being real, Like that Tool
was a clean sober tour. It was not even alcohol
of available backstage. The closest you could be to alcohol
was what they sell at the bars inside the arena,
you know, which we don't really go into. So it's like,
you know, I think I think a lot of people
just forget that kind of suck, you know, and they
(10:15):
think that it is, you know, but I don't really
just care. You know, we do us. We believe in
what we believe in, and we support what we support.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
And yeah, hey, hey you mentioned you mentioned charities. What
are some of those charities that you guys are about?
How to curiosity? Because I do a lot of charity
work here locally, and I'm always curious to see what
people do.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Yeah, so about what A year ago we released a
version of Creep by Radiohead. As you know, everybody knows
that song. The label really wanted us release a cover.
They were like beaking again, everybody knows you have to
pay money for covers and stuff. You're like, we can
get Creep for really cheap and it's great conversion point
because it was like thirty years of it or something
(10:55):
something crazy, right, So they're like do it. So I
was like sure, but I was like, we to do
it for charity though, and so we picked the Hot
Topic Foundation actually, so we worked with Hot Topic to
release it and to release a T shirt and with it,
the proceeds go to their Hot Topic Foundation, which helps
with like LGBTQ, it helps with keeping music in schools,
(11:18):
it helps with.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
Like food banks.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
It's a very like broad charity that helps lots of
different things, and that was something that we really wanted
to do. So it didn't focus just on one kind
of topic. It was a little bit of everything. And
Hot Topic got behind it and they matched just dollar
for dollar like the first six months, which was like
really cool. So and they sotold our shirt on their
website and all the all the proceeds that that went there,
(11:43):
So it was really cool that we were able to
kind of partner with them. And then just recently we
had a comment to go viral of someone saying that
I was zesty af and that's why he didn't like us.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Zesty sesty af. You even know what that means. I
know what af means. What does zesty?
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Well, it is deaty that seems like you know, it's lamboyant, yeah,
like like you know, and he was like basically he
went and saw he was the funeral Portrack sucked. Their
singer swirled around on stage with Zesty a right, and
I was like, I was like, oh, that's funny. And
(12:22):
I posted the comment on Facebook, on Instagram and Twitter
and everything, and it went pretty viral. So we decided
to make a T shirt and in the T shirt
it was just his his comment and we raised over
like I believe it was thirteen thousand dollars for Hurricane
picture when the hurricane right through the southeast.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
That's amazing.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
So again, and that's that's what we like to do.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
We like to pick something every year and just kind
of do a fun little jab at something.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
So yeah, I mean that's that's taking a negative and
making it a positive for sure.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
That's what we're all about.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Nice. Nice, So.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Okay, so give me a reaction when you see that
Suffocate City goes number one, Like I want your honest
like that really, because because it's not just that it
went number one, it's that it beat out Lincoln Park,
who had had a death grip and I host a
countdown show. So this is why this is curious to me,
(13:30):
you know, because Lincoln Park has this death grip on
the number one spot. Nothing more is right there, Jelly
rolls right there. It's like, you know, Lincoln Park has
another song coming up, they're breaking Benjamin's coming up. Like
there's all these big names and big songs, and then boom,
Funeral Portrait just slides right in. And I gotta say,
the week before it happened on the Cutting Edge Countdown,
I said, well, it's too bad Funeral Portrait couldn't get there,
(13:52):
and Lincoln Park held on too because I don't think
it's gonna happen, And then I eat my words.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
No, we were being honest. We were a little scared.
We thought Jelly Roll was going to pass us. I think,
and you know, well deserves a great song. I mean,
he's a great artist and much bigger artist than us,
let's put it that way. But I think what it.
You know, for us, it was a wild moment because
this is our first song ever going to radio as well,
so we've never had a song go to radio before.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
So it's really cool to see us being able.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
To take our first song at radio and just get
a number one and a lot of that. You know,
I've talked to a lot of you know DJs around
the country. You know, we've done a lot of radio
shows this past month, just even small club shows that
we had them come out to or whatever it was,
and so many of them were like, we're getting the calls,
like we're getting the emails, like people are requesting the song,
(14:44):
you know, And it's not just the label's type, you know,
it's it's coming from real, live people of wanting to
hear your music. And I think a lot of it
comes from they want something fresh, on, something new. They
do love Lincoln Park and Jelly Rolling thing more and
whoever else it is.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
They just wanted a new band, you know.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
And I think people also love the underdog right the
idea that the Funeral Portrait was able to take out
you know, Lincoln Park after what four six weeks something
like that, of them being number one, it was kind
of one of those moments that people were waiting for
and hoping for, and it was again maybe right place,
right time, but it's wild that.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
It even happened.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Well, it's always you got to have a good song
and you got to have a little luck, and you
definitely got both.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Yeah, they of course, So how do you how do
you follow that up? Like what you know, what's what's next?
Speaker 3 (15:40):
For Funeral Portrait, lots of boring next year and lots
of new music. I think with us, we're not slowing
them down. We're just gonna keep going. I think it's
it's now is I want to say our time, but
it kind of is, you know. So they'll definitely be
probably one more as a single, another radio song, a
(16:04):
radio song. Yeah, off the record. They haven't really picked.
They have been haven't really. We haven't fully had that
conversation because again, Suffocate City just keeps growing, you know.
So I think when we come back from break, you know,
in early January, I think that conversation is going to
start and we'll have another go at it.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Let's see if we can get another number one.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Well, let's see now.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Obviously, there's plenty of songs on this record, Greetings from
Suffocate City that are just the Funeral Portrait, but there's
of course Suffocate City with Spencer. There is the song
Dark Thoughts with Danny Warsknop there and I'm literally looking
at the track listing. I mean, there's the song here
So Ugly with our old friend Bert from the US
I love that dude, and a song with Eva from
(16:47):
Evander Fire in the song Voodoo Doll.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Do you.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Is there a temptation to go with another one of
those because you had such success with the one with Spencer,
And you go, no, we want maybe we want to
go back to holy Water or something else.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
I think, you know, I would love to see holy
Water have its heyday. It got cut short because of COVID, right,
so it never really got some teas that radio and
it's it's it's a fan favorite, you know.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
Dark Thoughts is also a fan favorite.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
I could see that go that move, you know, and
we'll see, maybe we'll find a new feature for holy
Water and we'll throw it all together and pull that together.
You know, maybe there'll be a new version of Full
of Water. So we'll see what the new year brings,
I think. I mean, there's even a song called State Lead,
which is very pandemic and it's become like a now
(17:40):
like a cult classic song for our band, and it
speaks to so many people, and we've heard great things
about that. But I think it I think it depends,
you know. I think it depends on what the new
year brings.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Yeah, I kind of see where it goes, but maybe
not until after the after the first of the year.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Huh.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Yeah, well, because we're so when we get home from
this tour, which is on our big shows on Sunday
in Atlanta and then basically we're home Monday, so okay,
we're going to go right back in the studio.
Speaker 4 (18:09):
We're gonna start working on some new music.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
So that way when it's time to do the new record,
we're not rushed because I don't I don't want to
rush it. I don't want to be like, Okay, we
have a month and you have to write all the
songs and record it in a month. I would much
to write all the songs and then spend two months
perfecting the songs and really really recording them instead of
(18:31):
rushing the recording process.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
I'm out of curios out of curiosity, you know, being
signed to Better Noise Music, which has become a fantastic
label for so many artists and especially growing artists over
the past course.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Of the past decade.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Yes, do you when it comes to working with somebody
going to a studio, working with a producer, working with
a mixer, do you lean on them because I know
they've done a lot with Turcos in Vegas. Do you
lean on that or do you go, no, this is
we got our guy.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
A little bit, you know, I think it.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
You know Lexi, who's the head of an r department there,
she trust us, right, and we trust her. So if
she suggests us to go work with someone, we'll maybe
write a few songs with them and be like, Okay,
let's see what it sounds like. Or maybe we'll produce
a song with them and see how it feels. I
think that's the plan is over the next few months,
(19:27):
maybe the next six months, is to start doing that
and testing out and see who fits.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
Because especially this next record.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
You know, even though this record just came out, this
record still took us five years to release. It's basically
been done for five years.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Well, I think I assume there was a little cause
and effect there, Right, you sign a new record deal,
then there's a pandemic, you know, Yes, there.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
Was a lot. There was a lot.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
So for us though, we're excited to go play around,
you know, and to go talk to different people and
see who who we ube with. You know, I think
that's our biggest our biggest kurdle next is finding the
right producer and co writers and all that kind of stuff.
(20:15):
That's that's part of it, because that's huge, you know,
finding someone that understands who we are and that we.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Can send songs to and then be like, oh I.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
Love this, or oh I believe in this, or oh
what if we did this instead of that, you know,
and that's just as important as it is, you know,
any other part of being in this band.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Absolutely touring next year, then yes, So we are going
out in February and March, early March, like the first
week of March.
Speaker 4 (20:46):
With that being catched her breath.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
They had that big song dial tone that was a
huge TikTok hit. We're going out with them and those
tickets are flying, It's insane.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Another TikTok, another TikTok.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
Yes, that was it's gonna be a shorter run, but
then looking at something pretty big in the spring. We're
doing a lot of festivals next year. We're going to
Europe for the first time, so lots lots of crazy
stuff happen.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Nice Well, welcome to the mountain, enjoy the ride.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Oh, thank you.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
We're just gonna try and hold on for dear life.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
It's all you can do.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Leave from the funeral portrait man, thank you for this.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
Hey, thank you so much for having me. It's been sick.
Rock Cast don't forget to tune in exactly
Attention please and no it Cutters.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Rock cast Lee from the Funeral Portrait is joining us.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
And you know, it's not every day that a band
comes out and while the band has existed for a while,
like is mostly the case when it comes to bands,
even when you or I first hear of them, they've
been around for a while. But you release a single
to rock radio, it starts doing well and then boom,
it hits number one.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Here you are. Man, what a day? What a week?
What a month?
Speaker 3 (00:30):
I know, I can't believe it either. It's it's kind
of crazy to think about, you know what I mean.
It's it's one of those overnight successes you know that
took ten years.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
In the making.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Yep. I think that's how it works in this business.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
Yeah, so don't worry. We're just an industry plant.
Speaker 2 (00:46):
You're an industry plant, son of a bitch.
Speaker 4 (00:49):
Well that's what TikTok loves to say.
Speaker 3 (00:51):
Anytime they see anybody succeed, they'll see their first TikTok
right of that artist, and they'll be like, oh, they're
just an industry plant. Little did they know been around
for ten years. But you know, that's that's most artists
in general, so.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Well, well, first of all, the problem is you're listening
to TikTok. Secondly, oh, this is very true. Although although
that is the new music breaker world these days, but
whatever it means.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
And it isn't. I think we are slowly getting away
from that world. I think.
Speaker 3 (01:22):
I think a lot of it has to do with
the years after COVID all of those big TikTok artists
started going on tour, and they slowly started to stop touring,
you know, and they slowly because either one people weren't
coming to see them, or two they realize how hard
it is to tool right.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
Not to name any names or me like that, but.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
I've seen a few of them live and I loved them,
and I loved their records, and then all of a sudden,
I want to go see them again. And it's like, oh,
I will not be touring for the foreseeable future.
Speaker 4 (01:55):
And I'm like, type, thank you, yep.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Okay, So you got in a bus and realized it's
not easy exactly if.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
You got in a bus, might be a van, yeah,
or a van or whatever.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
But like I mean, with us, we've been touring in
a band for ten years. This is our second tour
ever in an RV, like.
Speaker 4 (02:13):
Not even a bus.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
That's fancy.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
I know we're living I mean I could, I could
tour probably the rest of my life like this compared
to in a band. So after a few ten years
and a van on an RV is is insane.
Speaker 1 (02:26):
Well there you go. What is the story of the
Funeral Portrait. I know you guys started and you had
it was a different name. I know that there were
some cover songs.
Speaker 3 (02:36):
Yeah, so so it's so funny. So we started kind
of a low local band. We changed her name really
wick after I think we were only that band really
for like a year two years, and then we generate
Funeral Portrait. We signed to a little label and we
recorded an EP and a record and just did as
(02:57):
much touring as we could. Then we turned that into
we've actually got off that label. They weren't really treating
us right, and we were like, let's just be independent.
So we were independent for a few years and then
we released Holy Water. And when we released Fully Water,
(03:17):
that's when I was twenty nineteen. That's when we started
getting attention from labels, and we signed two Better Toys
in the end of twenty nineteen, and then we all
know what happened in twenty.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Twenty No old, I don't remember.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
The industry exactly was put on hold, and especially for
new bands, so we lost a lot of momentum and
you know, really wasn't the time for the Funeral Portrait.
So we kind of went back into hiding for a
few years, started working on finishing up the record, and
we started touring again in what twenty twenty two and
(03:54):
twenty two, Yeah, in twenty two weeks are touring again
and started kind of just getting our feet and growing
and growing with the world of TikTok and social media,
and we had a few viral moments and then all
of a sudden, here we are as a Funeral Portrait.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
The record's out.
Speaker 3 (04:13):
It's just been a massive The last six months especially
have been just insane for this band.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Oh, I can't imagine. I remember the song holy Water.
I kind of forgot that was you.
Speaker 4 (04:23):
That's so funny.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
As soon as you said it, the memory clicked.
Speaker 4 (04:27):
Yes, I love that.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
The last six months, I mean what you've been on
tour with Marilyn Manson yep, And I know you got
a little flak for that, but good on you guys
are sticking to your guns, thank you, You're welcome. And
then of course this song Suffocate City. The album's called
Welcome to Suffocate City as well. And I gotta be
honest with you, when I first it took a couple
of weeks for me to say funeral Portrait, new music,
(04:51):
Suffocate City and not be like it's a David Bowie song.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Yes, oh, I know. It was kind of a little
play on that, right. That was kind of an I
to us.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
You know, I grew up loving Bowie, I grew up
loving Queen, I grew up loving all that.
Speaker 4 (05:06):
The more the actual music that.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Exact, you know, when we grew up or or when
we were working on the record, I mean, we worked
with this guy, Johnny Andrews, and his Bowie is like
his favorite artists of all time, right, and so we
were listening to a lot of Bowie and it just
was one of these funny moments of being like, so
what if we kind of do and of our version
(05:32):
of you know what he did, you know, and so
we were like, okay, Suffocate City. You know, it's just
one thing, but the it's so funny. The ritual version
of subcase City was like a pop punk song sounded
like it was straight from Warped Tour, even though we
kind of have that warp to re vibe. It was
straight straight from warp Tour, like a data remember could
have done it.
Speaker 1 (05:48):
You know, well, I'm glad you guys did it this
way and then and then of course you hooked up
with Spencer, who has become like the DJ Colleade of
rock music and and.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
Works with everybody. But boy didn't work on this song.
Speaker 4 (06:04):
It did? It? Did?
Speaker 3 (06:05):
We got really lucky, you know. I think I think
it was one of those right place, right time moments.
You know, I think we have Spencer. We we're kind
of close enough to what he does too write like
being a quote what we call spooky band. You know,
we're in this very similar world, even though we're not
(06:27):
as heavy as they are. You know, I think it
worked extremely well in our favor because a lot of
his fans started checking out the song or you know,
they heard it on radio and they're like, oh, a
feature Spencer, I'm gonna actually like this then, you know,
if he puts his stamp on it. So we are
really lucky that he was super into the song and
he wanted.
Speaker 1 (06:45):
To do it Yeah, it definitely worked down in everybody's
favorite It sure feels like And I know we were
talking about this before I hit record about sort of
you know what people on TikTok said about you, but
how like because and I mentioned the Marylyn Manson thing,
and I know there's you know, some people upset because
how could you open up for this guy, you know whatever,
(07:07):
it's Marilyn Manson.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
That's how.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
How do you navigate sort of that the negativity but
yet still shine through to be what you are becoming now?
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Yeah, I think for us is this band is a
very positive light, this band, especially for a lot of people.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
So for us, we.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
We still believe in every single thing that we've ever
believed in. We still support the charities that we've always
believed in. We've we we we've maybe we've been what
we've been doing, and that doesn't change, right, just because
we've got an opportunity that has changed our lot, you know,
and that's a big moment, is just because we were
(07:49):
able to take this five Finger Manson tour, That's how
we were able to go to Ratio, That's how we
were able to release our record, That's how we were.
Speaker 4 (07:58):
Able to do a lot of things, because that's industry.
Big works.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
You have to have a big to least music and
the radio and all these things. And it was life changing.
And now all of our shows are close to selling out.
I mean shows that we announced a month in advance.
We're playing a hometown show on Sunday to six hundred
and twenty five people.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Where when our agent.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Brought us a show, I was like, no, we have
to play the small club that's two hundred cap. Like,
there's no way we're going to sell anywhere close to
six hundred tickets. Well, guess what. A month has gone
by and it's sold out, and you know, we're playing
these rooms. And all of that is because of these
life changing tours and opportunities, and it's about just staying positive,
you know, and believing in what we what we believe in,
(08:44):
and being who we are, you know. And I think
a lot of people they always think that, you know,
you're best friends with everybody that you tour with. I
think I think a lot of people don't realize how
the touring world works, that you know, you won't even
hate that person you know, or you won't even you
have nothing to do with them. So I think a
lot of people kind of forget that, you know, I think,
and I'm not. I'm not here to show them that.
(09:06):
I'm here to just be us. And that's what we
did every single night. Is we are still the funeral portrait.
We still believe in what we believe in and we're
doing it and it's fine, you know.
Speaker 1 (09:15):
Yeah, Yeah, I'm glad you said that, because I think
a lot of a lot of fans in the no fans,
you know, maybe don't understand what it's actually like backstage
and that the headlining band, you know, has their routine
and they stick to it, and the opener has their
routine and they stick to it, and the direct support
band has their routine and they stick to it. And
(09:37):
there isn't a ton of There's a little, but not
a ton of crossover. It's not the seventies and eighties
party hardy, get drunk backstage, you know, everybody's partying and
doing cocaine off each other's nipples.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
It's just not that. Well sometimes sometimes maybe allegedly, but not.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
I'll be honest.
Speaker 3 (09:55):
About on that Tool, I'm being real, Like that Tool
was a clean sober tour. It was not even alcohol
of available backstage. The closest you could be to alcohol
was what they sell at the bars inside the arena,
you know, which we don't really go into. So it's like,
you know, I think I think a lot of people
just forget that kind of suck, you know, and they
(10:15):
think that it is, you know, but I don't really
just care. You know, we do us. We believe in
what we believe in, and we support what we support.
Speaker 1 (10:23):
And yeah, hey, hey you mentioned you mentioned charities. What
are some of those charities that you guys are about?
How to curiosity? Because I do a lot of charity
work here locally, and I'm always curious to see what
people do.
Speaker 3 (10:34):
Yeah, so about what A year ago we released a
version of Creep by Radiohead. As you know, everybody knows
that song. The label really wanted us release a cover.
They were like beaking again, everybody knows you have to
pay money for covers and stuff. You're like, we can
get Creep for really cheap and it's great conversion point
because it was like thirty years of it or something
(10:55):
something crazy, right, So they're like do it. So I
was like sure, but I was like, we to do
it for charity though, and so we picked the Hot
Topic Foundation actually, so we worked with Hot Topic to
release it and to release a T shirt and with it,
the proceeds go to their Hot Topic Foundation, which helps
with like LGBTQ, it helps with keeping music in schools,
(11:18):
it helps with.
Speaker 4 (11:20):
Like food banks.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
It's a very like broad charity that helps lots of
different things, and that was something that we really wanted
to do. So it didn't focus just on one kind
of topic. It was a little bit of everything. And
Hot Topic got behind it and they matched just dollar
for dollar like the first six months, which was like
really cool. So and they sotold our shirt on their
website and all the all the proceeds that that went there,
(11:43):
So it was really cool that we were able to
kind of partner with them. And then just recently we
had a comment to go viral of someone saying that
I was zesty af and that's why he didn't like us.
Speaker 2 (11:56):
Zesty sesty af. You even know what that means. I
know what af means. What does zesty?
Speaker 3 (12:01):
Well, it is deaty that seems like you know, it's lamboyant, yeah,
like like you know, and he was like basically he
went and saw he was the funeral Portrack sucked. Their
singer swirled around on stage with Zesty a right, and
I was like, I was like, oh, that's funny. And
(12:22):
I posted the comment on Facebook, on Instagram and Twitter
and everything, and it went pretty viral. So we decided
to make a T shirt and in the T shirt
it was just his his comment and we raised over
like I believe it was thirteen thousand dollars for Hurricane
picture when the hurricane right through the southeast.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
That's amazing.
Speaker 4 (12:48):
So again, and that's that's what we like to do.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
We like to pick something every year and just kind
of do a fun little jab at something.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
So yeah, I mean that's that's taking a negative and
making it a positive for sure.
Speaker 4 (13:04):
That's what we're all about.
Speaker 2 (13:05):
Nice. Nice, So.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Okay, so give me a reaction when you see that
Suffocate City goes number one, Like I want your honest
like that really, because because it's not just that it
went number one, it's that it beat out Lincoln Park,
who had had a death grip and I host a
countdown show. So this is why this is curious to me,
(13:30):
you know, because Lincoln Park has this death grip on
the number one spot. Nothing more is right there, Jelly
rolls right there. It's like, you know, Lincoln Park has
another song coming up, they're breaking Benjamin's coming up. Like
there's all these big names and big songs, and then boom,
Funeral Portrait just slides right in. And I gotta say,
the week before it happened on the Cutting Edge Countdown,
I said, well, it's too bad Funeral Portrait couldn't get there,
(13:52):
and Lincoln Park held on too because I don't think
it's gonna happen, And then I eat my words.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Yep.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
No, we were being honest. We were a little scared.
We thought Jelly Roll was going to pass us. I think,
and you know, well deserves a great song. I mean,
he's a great artist and much bigger artist than us,
let's put it that way. But I think what it.
You know, for us, it was a wild moment because
this is our first song ever going to radio as well,
so we've never had a song go to radio before.
Speaker 4 (14:18):
So it's really cool to see us being able.
Speaker 3 (14:22):
To take our first song at radio and just get
a number one and a lot of that. You know,
I've talked to a lot of you know DJs around
the country. You know, we've done a lot of radio
shows this past month, just even small club shows that
we had them come out to or whatever it was,
and so many of them were like, we're getting the calls,
like we're getting the emails, like people are requesting the song,
(14:44):
you know, And it's not just the label's type, you know,
it's it's coming from real, live people of wanting to
hear your music. And I think a lot of it
comes from they want something fresh, on, something new. They
do love Lincoln Park and Jelly Rolling thing more and
whoever else it is.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
They just wanted a new band, you know.
Speaker 3 (15:04):
And I think people also love the underdog right the
idea that the Funeral Portrait was able to take out
you know, Lincoln Park after what four six weeks something
like that, of them being number one, it was kind
of one of those moments that people were waiting for
and hoping for, and it was again maybe right place,
right time, but it's wild that.
Speaker 4 (15:27):
It even happened.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Well, it's always you got to have a good song
and you got to have a little luck, and you
definitely got both.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
Yeah, they of course, So how do you how do
you follow that up? Like what you know, what's what's next?
Speaker 3 (15:40):
For Funeral Portrait, lots of boring next year and lots
of new music. I think with us, we're not slowing
them down. We're just gonna keep going. I think it's
it's now is I want to say our time, but
it kind of is, you know. So they'll definitely be
probably one more as a single, another radio song, a
(16:04):
radio song. Yeah, off the record. They haven't really picked.
They have been haven't really. We haven't fully had that
conversation because again, Suffocate City just keeps growing, you know.
So I think when we come back from break, you know,
in early January, I think that conversation is going to
start and we'll have another go at it.
Speaker 4 (16:22):
Let's see if we can get another number one.
Speaker 2 (16:24):
Well, let's see now.
Speaker 1 (16:25):
Obviously, there's plenty of songs on this record, Greetings from
Suffocate City that are just the Funeral Portrait, but there's
of course Suffocate City with Spencer. There is the song
Dark Thoughts with Danny Warsknop there and I'm literally looking
at the track listing. I mean, there's the song here
So Ugly with our old friend Bert from the US
I love that dude, and a song with Eva from
(16:47):
Evander Fire in the song Voodoo Doll.
Speaker 2 (16:50):
Do you.
Speaker 1 (16:52):
Is there a temptation to go with another one of
those because you had such success with the one with Spencer,
And you go, no, we want maybe we want to
go back to holy Water or something else.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
I think, you know, I would love to see holy
Water have its heyday. It got cut short because of COVID, right,
so it never really got some teas that radio and
it's it's it's a fan favorite, you know.
Speaker 4 (17:15):
Dark Thoughts is also a fan favorite.
Speaker 3 (17:17):
I could see that go that move, you know, and
we'll see, maybe we'll find a new feature for holy
Water and we'll throw it all together and pull that together.
You know, maybe there'll be a new version of Full
of Water. So we'll see what the new year brings,
I think. I mean, there's even a song called State Lead,
which is very pandemic and it's become like a now
(17:40):
like a cult classic song for our band, and it
speaks to so many people, and we've heard great things
about that. But I think it I think it depends,
you know. I think it depends on what the new
year brings.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Yeah, I kind of see where it goes, but maybe
not until after the after the first of the year.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Huh.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
Yeah, well, because we're so when we get home from
this tour, which is on our big shows on Sunday
in Atlanta and then basically we're home Monday, so okay,
we're going to go right back in the studio.
Speaker 4 (18:09):
We're gonna start working on some new music.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
So that way when it's time to do the new record,
we're not rushed because I don't I don't want to
rush it. I don't want to be like, Okay, we
have a month and you have to write all the
songs and record it in a month. I would much
to write all the songs and then spend two months
perfecting the songs and really really recording them instead of
(18:31):
rushing the recording process.
Speaker 1 (18:34):
I'm out of curios out of curiosity, you know, being
signed to Better Noise Music, which has become a fantastic
label for so many artists and especially growing artists over
the past course.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Of the past decade.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
Yes, do you when it comes to working with somebody
going to a studio, working with a producer, working with
a mixer, do you lean on them because I know
they've done a lot with Turcos in Vegas. Do you
lean on that or do you go, no, this is
we got our guy.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
A little bit, you know, I think it.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
You know Lexi, who's the head of an r department there,
she trust us, right, and we trust her. So if
she suggests us to go work with someone, we'll maybe
write a few songs with them and be like, Okay,
let's see what it sounds like. Or maybe we'll produce
a song with them and see how it feels. I
think that's the plan is over the next few months,
(19:27):
maybe the next six months, is to start doing that
and testing out and see who fits.
Speaker 4 (19:33):
Because especially this next record.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
You know, even though this record just came out, this
record still took us five years to release. It's basically
been done for five years.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
Well, I think I assume there was a little cause
and effect there, Right, you sign a new record deal,
then there's a pandemic, you know, Yes, there.
Speaker 4 (19:53):
Was a lot. There was a lot.
Speaker 3 (19:54):
So for us though, we're excited to go play around,
you know, and to go talk to different people and
see who who we ube with. You know, I think
that's our biggest our biggest kurdle next is finding the
right producer and co writers and all that kind of stuff.
(20:15):
That's that's part of it, because that's huge, you know,
finding someone that understands who we are and that we.
Speaker 4 (20:20):
Can send songs to and then be like, oh I.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
Love this, or oh I believe in this, or oh
what if we did this instead of that, you know,
and that's just as important as it is, you know,
any other part of being in this band.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Absolutely touring next year, then yes, So we are going
out in February and March, early March, like the first
week of March.
Speaker 4 (20:46):
With that being catched her breath.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (20:49):
They had that big song dial tone that was a
huge TikTok hit. We're going out with them and those
tickets are flying, It's insane.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Another TikTok, another TikTok.
Speaker 3 (20:59):
Yes, that was it's gonna be a shorter run, but
then looking at something pretty big in the spring. We're
doing a lot of festivals next year. We're going to
Europe for the first time, so lots lots of crazy
stuff happen.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Nice Well, welcome to the mountain, enjoy the ride.
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Oh, thank you.
Speaker 3 (21:20):
We're just gonna try and hold on for dear life.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
It's all you can do.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
Leave from the funeral portrait man, thank you for this.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
Hey, thank you so much for having me. It's been sick.
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