The hotel room in Cognac, France, lit up in early July when the faces of Megan and Rebecca Lovell, from Calhoun, Georgia, appeared on camera.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
“All our guitars are scattered around the room, we are just composing a new song”, announces Megan, the youngest of the two, in her early thirties. She brandishes one for the journalist, a small pocket model in shades of azure blue. “In a tour bus, it’s more difficult to have privacy. »
France, Romania, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, opening for Jack White, Larkin Poe’s blues-folk-rock is hot on the festival stage.
The band’s final tour lasted seven weeks, then returned home to Nashville for 11 days and back to Europe for dozens of dates.
We’ve always been a road band, we know the rigors of life on tour. Rigors, you say? Vegas, Trois-Rivières, Cancún in three days.
The Lovell sisters
“I hope that everyone who reads this article will send us travel jujus [traduction libre : porte-bonheurs du voyage] crossing their fingers for us! »
A “bluegrass foundation”
Larkin Poe is the name of the quartet of two sisters, inspired by the name of their great-grandfather who was the first cousin of Edgar Allan Poe. The Lovell Sisters and bluegrass trio had just disbanded when eldest Jessica left her two younger sisters in 2009.
“We carry with us this bluegrass foundation, and this dexterity on the instruments. The world can easily spot the bluegrass twang in everything we do. »
Strong southern harmonies, heavy guitar riffs, epic rides à la slide guitar, they have been nicknamed the little sisters of the Allman Brothers as the identity is so strong in references.
Just by scaffolding a National Steel guitar, Rebecca thrills you with next to nothing. Megan, two years her junior, mainly plays the Rickenbacker Lap Steel guitar.
“I just bought a Kalamazoo brand guitar produced by Gibson during the 1930s, Megan proudly tells us, especially for composing. »
On the discography of six Larkin Poe albums published since 2014 on the Tricki-Woo label, we especially remember three: Venom & Faith, recorded in Nashville and nominated for the Grammy Awards the following year, an innovative blues album with many hues; without affixing them a label of colorful revivalists, the two sisters have gained admiration with Kindred Spirita 5e album which contains versions of songs by Lenny Kravitz, Neil Young, Elvis Presley, Elton John, etc. ; Self Made Manreleased in 2020, is also a great blues-folk record.
Blood Harmony
Blood Harmony, which comes out on November 11, suggests streams of emotions very different from those of the most recent disc, Self Made Man. Larkin Poe allows himself small audacity, an armful of truly magical choruses and voices that bloom in the middle of the guitars.
The concert became a record as its intensity justified it: with four musicians, more in your face, with raw energy and spontaneity, there are no doubles for guitars or vocal harmonies.
Rebecca Lovell
“This sums up our experience of the past 12 months, our post-pandemic reflections, being more honest with ourselves, the power of women, of human relations, and above all: rock’n’roll, alternative by force of things. We wanted to mix our personalities in the studio with those we have in front of an audience. »
A human approach
If they have not chosen the perilous path of innovation, their natural qualities as melodists are to thrill. They accompanied Elvis Costello on tour, were called in by T Bone Burnett on the project The New Basement Tapesplayed in concert with Conor Oberst (Bright-Eyes), wrote a few songs with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys…
“I don’t think we have any illusions of grandeur or even that we aspire to fame. It’s certainly not what motivated us to make music. »
There are still two appearances at the prestigious Glastonbury Festival, in 2014 and 2016.
“I’m going to tell you something,” said one of the two. We are very honest with ourselves. Recording records and touring, we’ve been doing that since we were 14. The quality of our relationship is the priority. Having mutual respect, empathy, courage and trust between the two of us is of the utmost importance. »
While one chisels the guitar solos behind the urban tales of the other, songs marked by innocence have come to life. “I’m very proud that this heroin worship doesn’t exist. Our primary goal is to have a human connection and to live in creativity. We have enriching conversations with them. »
These folk sisters inveterate have been able to adapt perfectly to new techniques, even if Blood Harmony is of a rock candor heavy with prophecies.
“With four musicians, it will be more energetic, we will draw from our compositions from the six albums, in addition to the covers of blues that we cherish. A very energetic and bombastic experience! “, promises us Rebecca.
Larkin Poe is performing on August 27 at the Cogeco Amphitheater at the Trois-Rivières en Blues festival.