Here comes trouble!
Although they began their musical path with piano and violin ( “ Thank you Suzuki Method!” ) moving to traditional folk instruments and music, Larkin Poe’s siblings Rebecca and Megan Lovell have obtained rocker chick status! After years of non-stop writing, recording and touring, these creative Southern girls have found their calling in the roots rock genre. While listening to their new recording, “RESKINNED,” you would swear they were much older and seasoned, not 20-somethings.
Below is some of their inspiring insights.
Ché: How difficult was it as a girl/woman when you first started? What is it like now for you? Have things changed for the better or worse?
Larkin Poe: The hardest part of being young females in the music industry… is just being in the music industry! Trying to make a living creating art can be one of the most rewarding and emotionally devastating things an artist can try to do. Being young and female is secondary to the struggle of simply being an artist. On some days, it’s hard to believe in yourself and to continue to push forward, regardless of whether people pay attention or not … but it’s what you have to do.
Ché: Who have you played with, toured with, recorded with, or opened for that you feel helped with your success?
Larkin Poe: We’ve been thrilled to have toured and made music with some of the finest people imaginable. The first name on the list has to be Elvis Costello. He’s been a champion of ours for years now and we’ve toured with him across the USA, UK, Europe, and soon Japan. Making music with Elvis Costello is exhilarating. He’s one of the classiest artists imaginable and we feel grateful to stand onstage and create with him every night. Conor Oberst is another incredible artist who has had us join his band … one of our favorite people and joy to watch on stage. We’ve had the pleasure to be in the studio a couple of times with T-Bone Burnett and listening to him coax performances out of artists is an amazing sound to hear. Most recently we were in Nashville recording with T-Bone on Steven Tyler’s new record “We’re All Somebody From Somewhere.” Check it out.
Ché: What was your first musical project, whether amateur or professional?
Larkin Poe: Our first musical project was a folky string band called the Lovell Sisters that we started with our older sister, Jessica. We toured the world for five years and made it all the way to the Grand Ole Opry. When we disbanded in 2010, Larkin Poe was born!
Ché: Besides music, what else do you have a passion for?
Larkin Poe: Honestly, this all-consuming music doesn’t leave room for much other passion (it’s eating us alive), but we both love to read.
Megan: I recently bought a book called “The Psychopath – the Science of Those Without Conscience.” I’ll let you know how it is. Oh, and Words With Friends! Find me! My username is meganlovell.
The girls talked about their love of all different kinds of music:
“We were so lucky to have grown up with music lovers as parents. Ours were the ones who got us started playing music and spinning Bach and Beethoven in the minivan. Our Dad instilled in us a love of the rock and roll classics: Pink Floyd, Fleetwood Mac, the Allman Brothers, Humble Pie. We’re inspired now from all kinds of music; from the oldest delta blues, to rock classics to modern delicacies … the list could go on and on. A few of our current obsessions are Chris Whitley (and his daughter Trixie Whitley), Foy Vance, The Dead Weather (Jack White forever), Jeff Buckley, and, the ever classic, Led Zeppelin.”
As for female artists, they say, “Search out the ladies who rock, and support them: Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, Brittany Howard, etc. There aren’t enough powerful female musicians out there so we need to raise them up!”
With more dates coming up sharing the stage with Elvis Costello, a new record “RESKINNED,” an amazing new video “Trouble In Mind,” and their whole musical lives ahead of them, Larkin Poe will be the duo that will continue to grow and inspire with their bow to the past and their pathway to the future.
Check them out!
LarkinPoe.com
facebook.com/larkinpoe
instagram.com/larkinpoe
twitter @larkinpoe
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Larkin Poe on Background and Touring with New Music called Kin (May 22, 2015)
Interview with Larkin Poe on their Influences, Music and Future (Oct. 24, 2014)