Posts Tagged ‘the Lovell Sisters’

LARKIN POE – ” Self Made Man “

Posted: December 13, 2020 in MUSIC
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Grammy award-nominated sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell, who record under the moniker Larkin Poe, conjure up music as gripping and visceral as the beating of the tell-tale heart which features in their literary ancestor Edgar Allan Poe’s famous tale. The Atlanta-born, Nashville-based duo grew up on a diet of classical violin and piano, before forming their first bluegrass group (with younger sister, Jessica), the Lovell Sisters, in their late teens. In 2010 they disbanded, rebranded and have, to date, released four albums of raw and powerful roots-rock. A follow up to their last album, Venom & Faith, their newest is Self Made Man which was relesed June 12th.

The first thing which strikes you about Larkin Poe’s music is its power. They have that ‘easy’ heaviness that so many bands strive hard to achieve. The opener and title track kicks off with a drum-and-guitar pulse, paying homage to Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times.” It’s a clever reference, further born out by the sister’s lyrics: “I was down and out, now I’m up again.” This is classic, rising and falling blues, turned up to the max. The chorus is infectious, the interplay between rhythm, guitar and vocals, mesmerizing. By the end of the song’s short duration, you know that you are dealing with musicians whose knowledge of, and love for, blues and roots Americana is both genuine and deep. The playfully ironic title of the album and song say much about the sister’s independent spirit.

“Holy Ghost Fire” features more of their excellent guitar-work and soulful, soaring vocals. There’s no showboating here. Larkin Poe possess the confidence and restraint to provide flash where needed, but not to rely on it. Total music is what they are seeking to achieve; that elusive, perfect balance between what is stated and what is implied. “Burn, baby, burn with that holy ghost fire.” Here, the sisters leap from sparse arrangements to ‘wall of sound’ in a manner which in no way feels forced or disjointed. They rock hard, glide smooth and, above all, churn up the blues with an honesty and assuredness that is a delight to behold.

As songwriters, Larkin Poe are inspired. Listen to “God Moves on the Water.” Musically, it thumps along like a heated sermon, rattling and thudding. “Europe, nineteen-hundred and twelve, April, the fourteenth day…” The song recounts tales of natural destruction, from the disaster of the Titanic onwards. “Easy Street,” is a joyful meditation on the painful process of learning by experience: “Times are hard, but they’re real, keep my shoulder to the wheel.” Similar to the most innovative and capable of bands before them, Larkin Poe are able to vary tempo, mood and feel without losing the substance which makes for the identity of the sound.

You have to admire the sister’s determination and self-belief. Even in Georgia, bluegrass can’t have been the ‘coolest’ choice for teenagers, and ever since that decision, they have been determinedly forging their own path. There is a strong sense on Self Made Man, and indeed on all of their records, that Rebecca and Megan share a singular vision and utilise every talent that they possess in bringing that vision to life. It should be no surprise that their music is released via their own label, Tricki-Woo Records.

Not only are they multi-instrumentalists, Larkin Poe also self-produced this album. They’ve done a great job. Particularly pleasing is the way in which they have been brave enough to leave in enough rough edges to give the recordings a gritty, engaging feel. Too many roots recordings these days veer towards a clinical, over-polished sound. Self Made Man, by contrast, manages to be both high-quality and dirty. You can practically hear the dust wafting down Mississippi streets on a hot, swampy day. These same streets, where Howlin’ Wolf and countless other blues musicians played for loose change, are at the heart of Larkin Poe’s offerings. Their appeal generates from their authenticity, and is all the better for it.

‘Holy Ghost Fire” is on Larkin Poe’s 2020 album ‘Self Made Man’, out now!

LARKIN POE – ” Venom and Faith “

Posted: December 6, 2018 in CLASSIC ALBUMS, MUSIC
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It has been a long musical journey for the Lovell family, with plenty of twists and turns along the way, and it all started at a bluegrass festival. Sisters Jessica, Megan, and Rebecca Lovell had been studying classical music from a young age and were surrounded by an eclectic mix of music at home—exposed to everything from Alison Krauss to Black Sabbath. But it was the sound of live bluegrass that served as the catalyst for their mutual epiphany.

Rebecca Lovell explains: “We were just blown away by the passion and spontaneity of bluegrass, with everyone improvising and everyone out dancing. That was a very different experience than we’d had thus far performing in classical trios and quartets and symphonies and orchestras. We were bowled over by it and instantly flipped 180 degrees. We put away all of our classical instruments and quit our classical lessons. That was the genesis of our really involved love of music.”

In 2004, the teenage sisters formed their band, the Lovell Sisters, and hit the ground running. They made records and toured the country, appearing on A Prairie Home Companion and at the Grand Ole Opry, as well as winning the John Lennon Songwriting Competition in 2008. But by 2009, oldest sister Jessica decided to leave music. “It’s a very strange way to make one’s life,” says Rebecca.

You have to be whole hog to make it work, and she just said, ’It’s not for me,’ and moved on to other bright and beautiful things. The younger Lovells regrouped and took the opportunity to make a fresh start, electrifying their sound under the name of their great-great-great-great grandfather, Larkin Poe. The new band built on the Lovell Sisters’ momentum, introducing Larkin Poe to the world in 2010 by releasing four EPs that year. It didn’t take long before their sound caught the ears of folks like T Bone Burnett, Elvis Costello, Steven Tyler, and Keith Urban—all of whom have tapped the Lovell sisters’ talent for recordings and performances.

The duo released their newest album, Venom & Faith, hot on the heels of Peach, which dropped in late 2017. There is a sonic narrative between the two records: Megan and Rebecca decided to eschew outside help and to produce, write, arrange, and perform all of the instrumentation themselves. The result is a pair of albums that embrace a stripped-down sound based on nontraditional arrangements that focus on the sisters themselves. While Peach is a raw take on the bluesy side of their sound, Venom & Faith moves farther afield in its influences, drawing on the sounds of Southern hip-hop and alternative rock artists like Radiohead and PJ Harvey.

“Both of us are very influenced by the source music of the South—like bluegrass, blues, roots music, folk music—but we do differ a little in our individual inspiration. I’m inspired by a lot of classic rock people, like Pink Floyd or the Eagles or Black Sabbath.” Megan Lovell

We’ve been Larkin Poe now for eight years. I think it took us eight years to start making records that we finally feel represent the music we hear in our heads or the music we envision playing. So it was really just a baby-step-by-baby-step journey to realizing the dream of what it really means to be Larkin Poe.