Larkin Poe…Forevermore!
At the beginning of this month, The Vinyl was invited to check out Larkin Poe at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC, for their “Blood Harmony” tour. I prepped myself by checking out some of their songs on Spotify the week beforehand. But, listening on a laptop really can’t prepare you for what you’ll experience in person.
Rebecca Lovell and Megan Lovell are Larkin Poe. Hailing from northern Georgia, the sisters started their new venture after their original band (The Lovell Sisters) broke up. Named after the sisters’ great-great-great-grandfather’s distant cousin Edgar Allen Poe, you’ll find quite a few fans dressed in clothes with ravens and other Poe-related symbology at their shows.
Speaking of their fans, the attendees at the club spanned many ages—from children to septuagenarians. At my spot in the crowd, I stood next to a young girl with her mother, an older gentleman and his wife, and several 20-somethings. All were looking forward to the show, some seeing Larkin Poe for the first time.
The show began with Tall Heights, described as an “electrofolk duo” from Boston, MA. Backed by a percussionist, Tim Harrington (singer/guitarist) and Paul Wright (singer/cellist) charmed the crowd with their soulful harmonies and quirky lyrics. As I was photographing the guys, I slowly realized they were doing a cover of Blink-182’s “Dammit.” It was surprising, but hearing that tune at such a different tempo was quite enjoyable and satisfying.
At one point, they had their tour manager join them onstage to sing back up. And, for their song “Take My Mind,” the guys had everyone pull out their cell phones and call someone next to them and put them on speaker, giving a kind of ethereal chirping echo to their performance. The duo had great anecdotes and fun quips and stories to introduce many of their songs. I enjoyed them so much, I purchased their latest vinyl Juniors.
Larkin Poe promptly took the stage at 9:00pm, immediately starting into “Strike Gold”—a tune with a funky bluesy beat. With Rebecca on lead vocals and electric guitar, Megan on harmonies and steel guitar, Brent “Tarka” Layman on bass, and Ben Satterlee on the drums, the Nashville-based band emanated a mix of Southern rock, bluegrass, and the blues.
The whole crowd was moving to the crunchy sounds of Rebecca’s guitar and whooping at Megan’s burning slide guitar solos. These ladies have wedged themselves into Southern rock with their immense talent and feminist views, apparent in the song “She’s a Self Made Man.”
When the song “Southern Comfort” came up, they relayed to the audience that they didn’t set out to attract the liquor company’s attention, but happily jumped at the chance when they were contacted regarding an offer of sponsorship.
“Blue Ridge Mountains” and “Bleach Blonde Bottle Blues”—both from their 2020 Grammy-nominated Venom & Faith (Best Contemporary Blues Album)—made the evening’s setlist.
For “Mad as a Hatter,” the women shared a personal story of how the song came about, inspired by their grandfather who suffered from schizophrenia. The song talks about watching a loved one slip away to the symptoms of dementia and wondering when your own time will come.
Their song “Bad Spell,” inspired by Screaming Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You,” also made the cut for the evening. You could definitely see the influence in the guitar riffs and slow-rocking rhythm—the lyrics also come from the spell recipient’s point of view.
Throughout the evening, these women had a brash, yet quiet charisma as they played to the crowd, lost in their instruments—occasionally popping to the front of the stage to interact directly with the crowd. The aforementioned young lady next to me? She received a stage-used guitar pick directly from Rebecca herself!
If you ever hear that Larkin Poe has a stop in your town, buy a ticket! It’s a great time, and you definitely won’t regret it!
Words & Photos: Deanna Escobar