Family acts are nothing new in the music business, but Larkin Poe – the Atlanta-based sister act of Rebecca and Megan Lovell – has touched on something unique.
With gritty slide guitars underpinning soaring vocal harmonies, the duo’s sound offers a timeless quality that is familiar and fresh at the same time. At last year’s prestigious Glastonbury Festival, the sisters were tagged “Best Discovery of Glastonbury 2014” by England’s The Observer.
On Saturday, January 24, Larkin Poe will perform at WorkPlay, with Emily Kopp opening the 8 p.m. show. Currently, Larkin Poe is touring in support of its 2014 release, KIN. Recently, we caught up with Rebecca Lovell by phone from her Atlanta home.
Weld: Rebecca, thanks for your time. 2014 was a big year for you and Megan, and now you’re touring behind your first full-length release. If you will, talk about the creation of KIN.
Rebecca Lovell: We started writing for the record at the end of 2013 and made the record in Feb. 2014. A lot of the songs we wrote specifically for the record. Up until writing for KIN, we wrote separately. It was always sort of a bone of contention between us as sisters to get into a room and co-write together. Leading into writing for KIN, we decided to put our foot down and commit to the idea of co-writing as sisters. It was really important for us to come together and have this record fuse our personalities and artistic sensibilities together.
Weld: When co-writing, does one of you tend to focus in a certain area – either lyrically or melodically – more than the other?
RL: The beauty of writing together – and since we’ve been together pretty much nonstop our entire lives, I know what she’s thinking and she knows what I’m thinking. When we’re writing, we can get into the same thought at the same time, both melodically and lyrically. So it makes writing quick and easy. We both trust each other’s opinions and we rely on each other.
Weld: A lot of musicians don’t get to have the unique experiences of traveling and performing with family.
RL: Nor do sisters in general. They always tell you you’re not supposed to work with your family, so we’re kind of going against that rule. But it’s worked so well for us and we’ve had so many amazing experiences and memories.
Weld: How do you view the current musical climate given the impact of social media and modern outlets such as iTunes and satellite radio?
RL: I think a lot of people have a doom-and-gloom perspective on the music industry as a whole right now because it is in such a state of change. I think Megan and I choose to view it positively, because people have incredible access to what we’re doing and we can keep in close contact with our fans. You can really get to know the people that are buying your music.
Tickets to the show are $12 and can be purchased here.