Concert Review: Larkin Poe Are Sisters of Rock At Mercury Lounge
Larkin Poe’s Mercury Lounge performance felt buried in the soil and spirit of this Earth. This duo feels like they rise from the ground up, and use their guitars like wands casting spells. They infuse country, blues, and rock n’ roll with an element of mysticism that reveals the magic of these genres, and the surrealism that it is to be human.
Sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell share duo/double duty as your singing guides for the night. After watching First Aid Kit, I sincerely believe sisters are the future of folk-rock. Something about the dynamic of two fierce ladies standing side by side, singing to the woes of existence over booming acoutics, makes the day seem more bearable. Maybe, its just me. Yet, like Frances Rose, it is always interesting to see how sisters react and play with one another. Rebecca is a ROCK-STAR/ strong narrator. Every time she sings you feel like she is circling a fire; looking within the ember-lyrics for the story. Meanwhile, if Rebecca reads the fire, then Meghan feeds it by playing her lap-steel guitar like it is a surgical table; she nits, picks, cuts, sews, and wraps the thing until every note comes out healed. These women are more than just singing sisters; they are stringed ones. They completely respect the guitar in its many forms, from mandolin to electric bass, which might be why their songs capture the power of nature. “Trouble In Mind”, “Cast Em’ Out”, “Freedom”, and “Wanted Woman” made you feel like you were in the middle of a forest during a fire or smack in the center of the ocean during a hurricane. The point is there you were exactly where you should not and did not want to be, but had to figure out if your could even get to where you wanted.
From “When God Closes A Door” to “Might As Well Be Me”, the Lovell sisters serve some of the most powerful music and voices for one of the most universal issues; resilience in resignation. Submission to life is not an easy pill to swallow because, frankly, we spend most of our time fighting life on what it wants for us or gives to us. Yet, for the Lovell sisters, when you embrace life, you learn how to maneuver/ manipulate it into the things or places you want for yourself. In essence, they are the ultimate “you attract more flies with honey” because not only is sweetness a better course, but you can also swat them down better when you make them come to you. AHA! Thus, as they sung, or rather roared their tracks like lionesses, I got sentimental again. I am a sap for families performing together, especially ones that share the bond these two ladies have. There is nothing like a band that likes and laughs with each other. Thus, Click Here For More Information On Larkin Poe, while I call my family to see if they want to start a band.
