Hailing from Akron, Ohio, Funeral Commercial’s blend of shoegaze, post-rock, and old-school technology makes them well deserving of the title “gloomy and spooky.” The atmosphere of the room is altered when Funeral Commercial begins a set, filling the lounge, barn, or porch with swirling guitars, flashing lights from box televisions, and a mix of tumultuous and melodic vocals. The band is composed of singer/songwriter Thom Olenik, bassist/vocalist Evan Lifke, guitarist/vocalist Tyler Brown, and drummer Christian Prieman. After their show at The Brother's Lounge on September 7 with Ritual Bronze, Cigarettes for Breakfast, and Eighty-Sixed, Kid, the band gladly joined us for some interview questions.

How did you guys form?

[Olenik] So in 2022, I went to a show in Akron before I moved there and got to talking to Brown. He heard the album I put out online and asked if I was interested in turning it into a full band. Until that point, everything I did from 2018-2022 was simply a recording project in my room. He (Brown) set it up, and we’ve been playing shows together since that fall. 

[Prieman] We all kinda knew each other before the band, just from Kling Thing and the Akron DIY scene. You see the same people a lot. 

[Lifke] Yeah. It’s all sorta cognizant of each other as beings. 

What artists inspire Funeral Commercial?

[Brown] We’re actually named after a song from a band called Horse Jumper of Love, so definitely them. We take a lot of inspiration from shoegaze bands as well, like Nothing and Whirr. 

[Olenik] Duster, and for me personally, Sonic Youth and Unwound.

[Lifke] All of those for sure. Ovlov is pretty cool too. 

What is your favorite show you’ve ever played?

[Brown] Boston, when we were on tour, that was a hell of a gig. 

[Olenik] Boston was a great gig, but I was going to say when we opened for Horse Jumper of Love.

[Lifke] It was in Akron, so it was a nice little full-circle moment. 

[Prieman] We played in a barn in Dayton. That was a good one, too.

[Brown] Oh yeah, there were a couple of hundred people packed into this barn, and everyone was just into it. 

[Prieman] Dudes were just two-stepping to shoegaze. It was awesome. 

[Olenik] Any show where people move ends up being our favorite.

Have you ever played a really awkward show?

[Brown] Honestly, we’ve dodged a couple. We broke two strings and a strap during PorchROKR that needed to be fixed back-to-back. We played another show later that night, and when I went to plug my guitar in, the plug for the output was just caved in. I had to run and grab a screwdriver and everything. I ended up finding it down in there and pulled it out; it was almost like an umbilical cord. I just taped it to the side of my guitar and played like that.

Where did the incorporation of the old-school technology stem from?

[Prieman] It’s all him (Brown).

[Brown] Yeah, I got really into collecting VHS tapes a few years ago. I would go to Goodwill and find stuff from my childhood. It kinda snowballed, and now I have a whole room dedicated to VHS at my house. 

Last but not least, what is the most scared you’ve ever been?

[Lifke] There was one time I was in the Great Smoky Mountains, and I looked up to see a bear (brown specifically) in my path. I just, you know, backed away and started to run down the trail. 

[Brown] I have a memory from when I was three or four years old. It was Halloween, and my dad was holding me in his arms, just walking down the street. There were these two guys in these crazy, elaborate costumes. One of them was dressed as Freddy Krueger (with the claws and everything), walking up to me and being all creepy. Then, a guy came with a legit chainsaw and was just revving it at me and my dad. I was just a baby dude, I thought I was going to die or something. I can remember being horrified. 

[Prieman] You can’t rev at babies. What the fuck. 

[Brown] Or maybe watching TV when I was a little kid. I used to run behind the recliner and hide whenever Tales from the Crypt would come on. Now that was scary.

Poor Tyler.

[Olenik] The only scary thing I can think of is from the movie V/H/S (2012). That demon girl’s face after the main guy fell down the steps caught me so off guard. That shit is terrifying.

Unfortunately, Prieman’s answer was not recorded, but he does, in fact, like MeatCanyon. 

Funeral Commercial will open for Greet Death, along with I Hate It Too, on September 22 at Musica in Akron. Music starts at 8:00 pm. You won’t want to miss it. 

Stay connected with Funeral Commercial 

Instagram: @funeralcommercial

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2WpOBOn8jCDgK8aOdzpn7e?si=cPiGYuFzQ8ScoAV8ZyT4Cw