Page 13 - Black Velvet Rock Magazine Issue 111

BV111 pg 10-13 The Funeral Portrait Interview.qxp_BV111 pg 13 04/11/2024 22:36 Page 4

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“Yeah, I definitely do,” he replies. “I think it sports is a huge deal. Where I grew up, sports where I… During Covid, I was working a retail
should be more gradual and be more organic. I was a huge deal. And I didn’t want to do sports. job. It was at Hot Topic. They hire pretty young,
think a lot of people have the fear of missing out. Sports wasn’t my thing. Musical theatre, singing, and a lot of younger people like to work there. A
I think they also have the fear of never finding acting, even dancing, whatever it was to be on few of them kept having issues, because they
someone else. So, I think, having been there, stage, was my life. And, I think, being able to try got stressed out, or someone yelled at them, or
done that, so many times, I think it just helps and be myself, but being told, ‘No, you can’t be. whatever, so what we would do was shake it out.
with making it all come together, where you No, you can’t be. No, you can’t be,’ by, not just So, that way, you had to laugh and have a good
could have taken the time to really get to know kids, but teachers, or whatever it may be, that’s time. And so, basically, you throw your hands in
someone instead of rushing really important the worst part. I think, eventually, I kind of got to the air, start shaking ‘em, shaking ‘em, shaking
things.” the point where, I was very lucky, I got involved ‘em, and I’ll count… because we do it together…
in the rock music scene and, I think, that’s where If you do it with multiple people, it’s so much
s humans, life is all about growth. And, I felt like I could be myself. When I went to local more fun. Throw your hands in the air, shake
Athe older we get, the more we learn, and shows, or when I started working shows, I felt ‘em, shake ‘em, shake ‘em. I’ll count to three,
the wiser we become – or, at least, you would like I belonged there. I felt like, ‘That’s me, that’s blow out all the air in your body, try and touch
hope. When we’re young, life is fun (or should where I am.’ That’s the best part about music. It your toes, and that’s what it is. It is a reset but-
be). This may depend on your upbringing and kind of gives a voice to the voiceless. At that ton. It makes you focus on something else be-
life situation. Some people go through awful ex- time, I was the voiceless. And now, I can carry sides what’s going on. You’re having to shake
periences growing up. Some grow up quickly. that voice for those same people.” your hands in the air, touch your toes and blow
Others have an easier time. out all of the air in your body
But, the older we get, the more at the same time. Sometimes
we can look back on our past, “You’ve got to love yourself before anybody a nice reset is all you need.”
and life in general. We can else. That’s key. That’s key number one is be you, Does he have to do that
make changes, choose better a lot? “Not so much any-
options, make better choices. love yourself and it will work out.” - Lee Jennings more,” he replies. “It’s hard,
We can make the present, and because we are so busy on
the future, much better than the past. tour. It’s nice, because that is kind of, now, my
Lee himself posted on his birthday (30th ee shares many honest and deep feel- therapy. Again, I found my purpose, it’s to play
September), one year, about deciding his life Lings on ‘Greetings From Suffocate City’. shows and meet people and to go to the merch
needed to change. He wrote, ‘I NEED TO One particularly revealing track is ‘Dark table and meet everyone and spend time with
CHANGE AND I NEED TO LOVE MYSELF’. He Thoughts’. Lee says, “‘Dark Thoughts’ is about everyone. Having these connections is way
started going to therapy more, going to the gym having OCD and really negative thinking. It’s more important to me than anything before. So,
and then, eating better. something that I’ve struggled with a lot. Basi- I think it’s cool to see that I’m able to do that by
“I think that learning that you need help or cally, you just become obsessed with a certain shaking it out. But I’ve done it with some fans,
learning that it’s Ok to not be OK, and life can thought. Most of the time, they’re very bad. Or moments that they are having a hard time or
give you lemons and it’s what you make out of they’re weird, or whatever they are. For me, I whatever, it’s great, because I think it helps
it, that was a big step for me,” says Lee. “I just think that song is about saying it’s OK to have when you can’t be at a show or you can’t listen
didn’t feel healthy and I knew that something those thoughts. You are more than just these to music, your escapism.”
was wrong, but not just in a body sense, but in thoughts that are in your brain, repetitively, over
a mental sense, so I wanted to get the help I and over again.” his issue is Black Velvet’s 30-year an-
needed, and it has opened so many incredible With the background that Lee has had, that Tniversary issue, while The Funeral Por-
doors for me to be like, ‘That’s not right to feel a makes the band’s rise all the more important. trait are celebrating ten years of devotion.
certain way. Let’s work on it, let’s get better, let’s Now, he is getting to help others that have sim- “Congratulations,” says Lee, when we tell
love ourselves, you know, even if you don’t look ilar experiences. With younger fans at the him of our anniversary. We ask if he thinks The
perfect, because that doesn’t even mean any- band’s shows, and following them online, he can Funeral Portrait will reach 30 years. “That would
thing. Perfect doesn’t exist.’ So it’s one of those help and inspire others that may be going be insane. I hope. We love this. Every single one
things. It’s learning that those things are true and through what he went through. He wrote, ‘This of us has been doing this for so long, I don’t see
the things that your brain is telling you are not is why I feel like I’m here. My whole life I’ve it stopping. If we don’t become the biggest band
true.” searched for my reason’. in the world… that’s not why we do this, we do
As far as food goes, he started eating low He tells us that it took him a really long time this because we kind of have to… I couldn’t see
carb foods. “That was a big thing,” he says. “And to find his purpose, and reason. “The band’s myself doing anything else and I think the guys
I still do low carb. Basically, this was around been around for ten years, but I don’t feel like I all feel the same way. We dread getting a normal
Covid, around lockdown. I just stopped eating was truly myself the whole ten years. I don’t job or any of those things. We live, eat, sleep
things that were bad for me, too. I started going think the band was truly ourselves until very re- and breathe this band. And, that’s what we’re
to the gym and started focusing on myself for cently. And, I think, it takes time to find that, to going to do, hopefully, like you said, for 20 more
once. It was a great moment of just being me find your centre or find your purpose. Again, I years, so we can celebrate 30.”
and finding me.” feel like we’ve done so much, especially over In ‘Holy Water’, Lee sings ‘He said, “What’s
You often don’t look after yourself when you the last couple of years, and it’s so cool to see my price to rule the world?” We end by asking
don’t love yourself. You make unhealthy people come to shows, and they want to get what he thinks the price is to rule the world.
choices. Maybe it’s to numb the pain. Maybe it your name tattooed on them or whatever it is, “Oh wow. I think it’s power,” he replies. “I
is just because it feels good in that moment. It’s our logo, it’s because of a special moment for think that’s all that really matters. For us, that
a quick fix of dopamine. Us humans can be- them, or because we’ve helped them. I think song, it was about the music industry. We had
come addicted to unhealthy things and have a that, to me, is way more why I’m here or why just left our old label, a lot of lies, a lot of stealing,
hard time saying no to them, whether it’s a drink, we’re doing this. Because we love to see what a lot of things that were never… promises never
a slice of cake, junk food, or something worse. sort of effect it has on people, and I know that if kept. For me, we know that’s how the world
Lee says, to people that might not look after I didn’t have music when I was 14-years-old, I works. I think we’ve been there, we’ve done that.
themselves, that may have bad habits, or that wouldn’t be here. If I didn’t find the local music But again, when we went back and reworked
don’t like aspects of themselves, “The first step rock scene, if I didn’t find My Chemical Ro- this band, we wanted to only work with people
in any recovery or anything else, is just finding mance, if I didn’t find whatever band it was… that really wanted to work with us. And wanted
yourself. Finding what matters most to you. And Evanescence, Fall Out Boy, whatever it was that to work on our time and not on theirs. And that
what it should be is yourself. You’ve got to love really got me through it when I was 14, I would was that price. And now, we have the power. We
yourself before anybody else. That’s key. That’s not be here anymore. And I think every one of can do what The Funeral Portrait was meant to
key number one is be you, love yourself and it our band members feels the same way and do. And that, maybe, is to rule the world.”
will work out.” that’s why we do this.”
Lee met a fan called Hannah at a show in We truly hope they do rule the world. What
rowing up, Lee was bullied at school. “I August. Her dad told Lee that she’d been going a great place the world would then be.
Ghad a lot of bullies,” he tells Black Vel- through a tough time. Lee showed Hannah how Visit www.facebook.com/thefuneralportrait
vet. “I’ve been tall and big my whole life. In to ‘shake it out’. This is a thing he does when for more info.
school, people will pick on you for anything, es- he’s at his limit or when he sees others are at Words By Shari Black Velvet
pecially the tall kid, or the big kid. Or because I theirs, because it makes him laugh a little.
liked to sing instead of play… especially here, He explains, “It was one of these moments Band Photos By Aaron Marsh
THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT