Larkin Poe @ The Atomic Cowboy, St. Louis, MO

Words and photos by Duane Clawson
Things that make me happy? Young artists making real music you can listen to and understand! Two things that Larkin Poe do really well! A couple of years back, I had a co-worker show me one of their videos on YouTube. From that moment on, I have watched their career with a renewed hope for the future of music. Sisters Megan and Rebecca Lovell started as a bluegrass-Americana band with older sister, Jessica. In 2009, the group disbanded. 2010 saw a rebranding of the band with Megan and Rebecca re-emerging as, Larkin Poe. “So what’s up with the name, Larkin Poe”, you ask? Short answer, their great, great, great, great-grandfather Larkin Poe, was a cousin of that famous writer fellow, Edgar Allan. It appears fame runs in the family.

Since 2010, the sisters have garnered many accolades from their peers. Topping it off by hitting #1 on the Billboard Blues charts in November of 2018! As you may have guessed, their musical focus is blues music. An excerpt from an interview with Rebecca sums up their philosophy, "The blues is very dear and near to our hearts, and it’s not strongly represented by women. We feel that there’s this new resurgence that is taking place in support of the blues, a genre of American heritage that is truly a treasure. In consideration of that notion, we are trying to bring it into the 21st century and respectfully take it somewhere new."

Now with our Larkin Poe history lesson out of the way, let’s review the show! First off, I was not prepared for the power of their live show! Most of their YouTube videos find the sisters playing acoustically in a room. Their live, electrified show really packs a punch! From the opening chords of, “Summertime Sunset”, it was clear these ladies meant business. Paying homage to Lead Belly, the Poe’s absolutely ignite the Atomic Cowboy night with their cover of, “Black Betty”! With Rebecca holding down the guitar parts and vocals, Megan shows her talents on the Rickenbacker lap steel during, “Bleach Blonde Bottle Blues”.

The Lovell sisters seemed to be enjoying every minute of being on stage at a packed, intimate venue. A majority of their set was comprised of material from their last three albums. Rebecca sports her multi-instrument prowess, plucking the banjo on “John the Revelator”. Before the show, I talked to a young lady in the front row who was a big fan and it was her first time seeing the band. Acknowledging the young fan, Rebecca invited the young fan to come up on stage during the Poe’s last song. This gesture completed a great night of music in St. Louis! Thanks to our host, Atomic Cowboy and also to Larkin Poe for allowing MTC MAG document the show!

Photos of the show are below:

Contributed by Duane Clawson
Larkin Poe @ The Atomic Cowboy, St. Louis, MO Larkin Poe @ The Atomic Cowboy, St. Louis, MO Reviewed by Scott Rowe, Editor on June 21, 2019 Rating: 5
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