The Funeral Portrait - Artist Spotlight
by Ashlyn Siples | April 3rd, 2025
Image courtesy of SRO PR
Have you ever felt like you just don’t quite fit in? Maybe the music you like isn’t so mainstream, maybe your style makes you stick out from the rest of the crowd, maybe it really wasn’t just a phase back in high school. If any of this resonates with you, I’d like to direct your attention to emo rock revivalists The Funeral Portrait as a band whose shows will make you feel like you do have a place you belong.
Their Story So Far:
Formed in 2014, The Funeral Portrait has gone through a series of lineup changes over the past decade before settling into a five-piece group consisting of Lee Jennings (vocals), Cody Weissinger (guitar), Caleb Freihaut (guitar/auxiliary), Robert Weston (bass), and Homer Umbanhower (drums). The band aims to create music for the ‘weird’ and outcasts of the world - such as their fans who have been dubbed ‘The Coffin Crew’ over previous years. Jennings takes extra strides to set aside the time to run the merch table and meet every fan who wants to come out and say hi, and the band tries to designate their shows as safe spaces for all who come to them. The Funeral Portrait has had a series of success following the release of their album Greetings from Suffocate City last year, including a #1 hit on Billboard’s Mainstream Airplay with their song “Welcome to Suffocate City” featuring Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills and various songs being put into rotation on SiriusXM’s Octane channel.
What They’re Up To:
2025 is The Funeral Portrait’s busiest year so far, having already finished up a few headline dates and a tour with Catch Your Breath in March. They’ll be before taking off on even more headlining shows in April, opening for The Used, Underoath, and Ice Nine Kills, and playing at Sonic Temple Music Festival, Welcome to Rockville, and Download Festival all before the end of June. They won’t be stopping there, though, as they’ve also got appearances slotted in at Rockfest, Upheaval Festival, Rocklahoma, Louder Than Life, and a full Europe and UK tour opening for The Rasmus by the end of the year. While I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s even more tour dates than these in the works, there’s also been posts about recording new music and being in the studio featured on the band members’ social media that I’d suggest keeping an eye out for - even if it doesn’t happen this year.
What To Listen To:
If you want to get the whole story and learn the lore of the latest album via the music videos, I’d suggest taking the time to sit down and watch/listen through Greetings From Suffocate City on Better Noise Music’s YouTube. Of course this isn’t something everyone wants or has the time to do, so if that’s the case I’d suggest at least adding the biggest hits “Holy Water” and “Welcome to Suffocate City” to your playlist, as well as a couple of my favorites “Blood Mother,” “Flowers in the Attic,” and “Hearse For Two.” There’s a lot more to the Funeral Portrait to discover than just these five, and with tons of stylistic variation over the time their band has been around, you’ll be sure to find something that hits home for you if you start to dig in deeper.
Where To Find Them:
