April 2, 2025 • 34 mins
On this week's In Service Of sister duo Larkin Poe join co-hosts Steve Baltin and Sage Bava to talk about their upcoming tour, which begins next week; songwriting; the exciting rise of female talent in the blues/rock space; their friendship with Elvis Costello and more.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Today we got to speak to the incredible sister duo
Larkin Poe, who seamlessly blend their deep Southern roots with
a gritty electric sound, paying homage to tradition while forging
their own path forward. With Rebecca's raw soo vocals and
Megan's signature lapsteel guitar, they built a reputation for high
energy performances and fiercely independent artistry. Their music channels the
(00:30):
spirit of old school blues while embracing a contemporary edge,
earning them Grammy nominations and a devoted global fan base.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Hey, this is Steve and I'm here with Sage and
we are here with Megan and Rebecca from Lark and Po.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
Thanks for having us.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Of course. So you were saying it's a beautiful day
in Nashville. You leave on two or very soon? Correct?
Speaker 5 (01:13):
We got to see updates?
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Yeah, we but we really start touring for real in April.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
So touring for real? What's the rest? Is it rehearsal
or is it just like one off dates? Is it
just fun?
Speaker 4 (01:30):
It's like one off dates and we'll have a lot
of rehearsals in there, but it but we don't go
out for larger chunks of time until April through basically
through November.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Well, this is an album that feels like it's like
it's just intended to be live. As I can't talk,
it's so fucking early all the time. And by the way,
I can CAUs all I wanted the show, so it's
but I was gonna say, as you've been doing it live,
do you feel that respons for people, because it feels
like such a visceral record.
Speaker 6 (02:05):
We haven't had the opportunity to play these songs live
a whole ton as of yet. It's been more press opportunities.
That being said, the response that we have already received
from this record and from these songs in particular, it's
been a beautiful, loving response. And we're really excited to
play these songs because, like first and foremost, we're touring band,
(02:26):
and we always write from that perspective of wanting music
that will translate really well in the live space, and
I think over the years we've gotten better and better
at doing that. It's just a muscle that we continue
to strengthen. But I really feel good about Bloom and
the songs of Bloom and the ways that they represent,
you know, a large thwead of who we are as
(02:46):
people musically and spiritually, and I think it's going to
translate really well in the live space.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
You know, It's interesting.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I just did a big LA time story on the
Legacy of Love Supreme, and I talked to a bunch
of differentmusicians about it. And one of the things that
Saint Vincent said that I thought was fascinating in Sage
I sent this to you this weekend, was she had
a quote talking about how free she is on stage
and Sage and I've talked with a lot of musicians
about channeling and it's interesting because I usually think of
(03:15):
that in the songwriting perspective, but I've talked with a
lot of musicians about it as well, and they definitely
talk about that feeling when they're playing live. Do you
feel that when you get into the groove on stage
where you're just like Kaslash and I have talked about
that as well. I've known him for a long time,
and as he said, like, the best moments are just
when you get lost in it, if.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
You're thinking, you're stinking you've got it. It's like the
best moments are on stage when you're just you're like
just looking at a person, you're like just vibing with them,
connecting with them, and then everything else is happening on
its own. That's when it's really magical. And then occasionally
you'll kind of come back to yourself, come back to reality.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
It's like, oh wait, am I going to play? Oh
am I going to play the wrong note?
Speaker 6 (04:02):
Next?
Speaker 4 (04:02):
You're going to play the wrong note next. You know
that kind of thinking. Then you're just getting in your
own way.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
It's interesting.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Can you kind of tell when you write a song
that moment like will have that feeling for you that
like you'll be able to sort of just get out
of your head. Like there are certain moments like you know,
for example, when people talk about writing songs, they'll talk
about how quickly it comes to them and it just
is like this thing that's beyond their control. And you know,
(04:31):
like Jimmy Cliff was saying he wrote many Rivers cross
in ten minutes. You know, are there those moments for
you when you're writing a song when you're just like
this is going to fucking kill on stage.
Speaker 6 (04:43):
I feel like maybe I'm actually better at the litmus
test for me is like songs I know that are
going to be hard lyrically because I do. I wouldn't
describe it as anxiety, but I do. As a front man,
since I'm the one that sings the majority of the songs,
I struggled to remember my own lyrics at times, and
(05:03):
I think the songs that I struggle to remember are
those were the songs rhyme being really clever or having
a lot of like internal rhymes in a verse, or
when the words are not like a not conversational, but
they're written to be alliterative and catchy and cool and clever.
So I definitely can I trying to steer away from
(05:24):
those moments on Bloom because I do want to be
able to just get in the groove, and I think
that that was something Mega and I both committed to
at the beginning of the writing process for Bloom was
we want these songs to be written from a very
honest place and realistically all these songs spun out of conversation,
so to be able to have sentences in these songs
(05:46):
that I remember from specific conversations between Megan and myself,
things that I genuinely feel on a very deep level
that that registers in a different emotional space than historically,
you know, as a blues you know, kind of female
fronted rock act, having written swaggy songs that are very
braggadocious and like, you know, just kind of like popping
(06:08):
off with cool, you know, just cool little turns of phrase.
Those songs I feel have not stuck as well. But
even with the limited performances we've done thus far, lyrically,
I'm like, ah, this is.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Golden, which is a shame, you know, because it's really
quite a riot for me to be on stage when
she's in the midst of forgetting lyrics and I can
see her having a work over time to try and
come up with something to say. Lots of times people
don't notice, sometimes still stumble and it's a charming moment.
I think it's it brings a lot of like reality
(06:42):
to the stage. So you know, I hope you won't
be bulletproof. I hope you'll still forget every now and again.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
I don't think that's gonna be an issue.
Speaker 6 (06:51):
I'm thinking about eight thousand things all the time on stage.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I want to ask one more thing and then we'll
let's say shake over for a while, because they've dominated
so far. But it's funny because he talked about the
Bragg Turner phrase, and you and I talked in that
Fender article about Elvis Costello, and I could see how
you would be inspired to try and do that. But
of course Elvis can turn a phrase like no one
who ever lived. He's used words in songs that I'm
just like, you know how the you know, like there's
(07:18):
a video with eminem talking about rhyming orange and you
could see like Elvis Costelli using like cerulean in songs
or these crazy words, you know, And so it's funny.
Did you find that you were a little challenged inspired
by that?
Speaker 5 (07:34):
Absolutely?
Speaker 6 (07:35):
I mean from such a young age, Elvis was. He
cut a very big silhouette in sort of the skyline
of inspiration for me as a songwriter, and I think
for Megan as well. Very challenging lyricist, very very rap ish,
rap adjacent is the way that he would spit out
lots and lots of words, and I definitely I actually
(07:56):
haven't really reflected on that, but now that you mentioned it,
and I really do see a parallel that that was
a pretty a pretty big inspiration hitting close to home.
And again not that that will ever be something I
eradicate from my personal approach to lyric writing. But again,
I think just trying to speak from the heart has
felt like a pretty a pretty important shift for us
(08:19):
here in our early thirties. With writing this new record, well,
you know.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
There's not many people who can do what Elvis can do.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
So yeah, it's such a beautiful record, and I love
what we talk about. Obviously, it's so empowering, and I
love how you talked about like kind of the art
of becoming. You were focusing on Mockingbird, but I felt
it in a larger sense. And now with all of
(08:45):
these albums that you've made, I'm curious how this album
surprised you in the differences you just shared that, you know,
some of the songwriting was a bit different, but the production,
like all of it coming together. What was the most
surprising parts that perhaps differed from the last album.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
We you know, grew up playing a wide range of music.
We started out classically trained, We you know, played bluegrass music,
and our teens we've gone more, you know, harder rock.
In the middle of Lark and Poe and this record,
we really I think we took away a lot of
(09:27):
those parameters that we were that were that we were
feeling as the musically, and we were letting the lyrics
dry of the music, which is the complete reversal of
what we normally do. I think we in the past,
we've written a lot from from the music and then
the lyrics kind of had to match that. But but
(09:48):
this time we just really wanted to focus in on
trying to say things that were very true and and
and just let things kind of develop on their own.
And I think it was musically a little surprising along
the way. We had a lot more like pretty major
happy melodic moments in this record, which is sort of
(10:12):
unusual for us in the in the past few years,
and something that.
Speaker 5 (10:15):
Felt much needed.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
Uh and and and I love that that we're able
to kind of tap into that side of ourselves these days.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Yeah, I love you know. I'd be were messive it did,
and ask about songs like if God is a Woman
and then your last project, She's a Self Made Man,
like those songs. You know, it awakens a part of
me that I really really deeply appreciate. And obviously, the
music industry has always been notorious, uh for inequality and
(10:57):
predator behavior, and I was curious from your perspective, like
since the Me Too movement, have you seen a lot
of change or you've just seen it being talked about,
And you know, I appreciate your kind of empowering aspect
to your incredible musicianship, your incredible songwriting ability, and just
curious where you think we're That.
Speaker 5 (11:19):
Is so kind of you to say thank you.
Speaker 6 (11:21):
I do since and I think Meg and I both
we've talked about this since a lot of good change,
that is real change that is actually taking place in
response to the outcry. I mean, yeah, you're absolutely right.
You know, the music industry is definitely and in all
aspects of the industry been very male dominated. And I
think our experience in the blues rock space where for
(11:44):
many many years we would tour and would be the
only female artists on the bill, and that was a
little bit lonely and a little bit unsettling. But in
recent years, being able to see that change and see
all the incredible female talent that is rising up in
a very real way, it's it's incredibly inspiring, and I
think being able, you know, for each and every female
(12:06):
artist to speak their truth in a way that is authentic,
like for Megan and myself. Being able to write songs
that do sort of jokingly, in a joking fashion, poke
fun at the patriarchy feels appropriate for our style of feminism,
and being able to have a song like if God
is a win on the record feels equally important, And yeah,
(12:27):
I think it's just sort of wild in twenty twenty five,
when you still see some of the narrow lanes of
existence that pop culture likes to paint for women, You're like, really,
after all this time, guys and the conversations that we're having,
we're really going to have, you know, yet another sort
of trite movie storyline where the woman is discovered by
the man and he takes her glasses off and she's
suddenly beautiful and she's arrived, and you're like, wow, not
(12:52):
so I think being able again to like lighten up
the reins and be like, hey, you know, women can
occupy all the different roles, including the role of antagonist,
including the role of evil if she show chooses you know, yeah,
maybe God's a woman that if she is, and that
means the devil would be too, So let's just paint
with an even brushstroke.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
That seems like perfect advice to give to young women
artists or navigating the industry. I'm curious if you could
tell your younger self selves something, what would that.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
Be, Hm, you know, you got to ask for what
you need. I think that.
Speaker 4 (13:34):
We've at times suffered from being too polite, and that
you know, it's good to be polite. I mean, I
think it's I think empathy and kindness is all that's
always positives, But you do have to stand up for yourself,
and to stand up for yourself, you have to know
what you want. So I do think that you have
to like dig into yourself a bit and just really
(13:57):
know where you're going and believe in yourself and then
ask for the things that you need and and and
stand up for it, which takes a lot. I think
it takes a lot of inner strength that maybe we
just develop with time. So I would love to say
that to my younger self, but I don't know if
my younger self could take it in at that time.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
That's fair.
Speaker 6 (14:17):
I think the idea you've expressed this in the past, Megan,
that we cannot be vessels for other people's desires, and
there is a great temptation I think, you know, for
any personality type that contains pleaser energy like wanting to
I want to, I want to make you happy, that
you can you can lose yourself. But but you know,
(14:38):
not being able to to dig deep and find things
that motivate you and the the feedback that's important to
you as an individual, or the things that you hope
to achieve in your life. It's not a long term
play to to just live your life for other people.
And I think that we've we've felt that, you know,
as as public figures, where you know, we live in
(14:58):
a in an age where feedback is immediate on the comments,
on the posts, on the on the on the art,
on the content. This temptation to want to shape yourself
into something that will be pleasing to as many people
as possible, but that won't that won't make us, that
hasn't made us happy, won't make us happy. And being
willing to just like go your own way, like don't
(15:20):
be afraid you build it.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
They will come.
Speaker 6 (15:22):
There's a reason that somebody's old adages just stick around
because there's a lot of truth in them.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Creatives and as women especially, like boundaries are so important
and when you're in the public eye, I can't imagine
just kind of the the necessity of, like the ritual
of protecting your own energy, and I would love to
hear like, if there's any rituals kind of a weird word,
(15:46):
but if there's any you know, things that you do
that just have really helped ground you over the years.
Speaker 5 (15:53):
For me, it's deleting Instagram off my phone.
Speaker 6 (15:57):
And not you can read you can read the reviews,
but don't put any stock in them. I read a
really important book called Letters to a Young Poet by
Rainer Maria Rilka, and that was a really important insight
for me in my mid twenties that it's a beautiful
(16:19):
series of letters between a poet and a student. Highly
recommend But the gist that I took away is that
the only control that an artist has is within the work,
and our only responsibility is to do the work, to
dig deep, to find whatever it is that you need
to say as an artist, say that, and then your responsibility.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
Is complete that how people receive it, how well it does.
Speaker 6 (16:42):
These are all things outside our control and really are
a waste of our energy to focus on. So being
willing genuinely to pole up in what we actually control
and what is under our responsibility make our art and
then let it go.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
But that that really is easier said than I love that.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
I think we're meant to create our art, but we're
not meant to consume our own art. You know, you're
supposed to put it out and then not critique yourself
after it's already done.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Yeah, but it's a joke. How do you tell the
narcissist second about a musician? Oh, they meant to listening
to their own music. It's very rare, Like, it's funny.
One of my favorite stories ever. And I'm gonna come
back to my point in a second. But I remember
interviewing Alison Boss from The Kills and she's telling me
sometimes she's in the bar and she's like, Wow, that's
(17:32):
a really cool song. That sounds cool, and then she's like,
oh shit, that's me. So but it's interesting going back
to what you were saying about people pleasing you know.
That's also it's not just specific to gender, though, it's
also I think very specific to age as well. As
you get older you develop more confidence. Are there artists
that you've been around or that you really admire for
(17:53):
the way that they've been able to stay to themselves?
And I think of people like Jonie and Tom Waits,
and you know, people were just like, bug, I'm gonna
do whatever I want. But that's something that takes Even
those people who were so rebellious at the beginning were
still like, you know, I still had that feeling. So
the people that you really learned a lot from and
(18:14):
that ability to sort of delete Instagram and you know,
stop paying attention to what stupid critics like me say.
Speaker 6 (18:23):
Stupid critics, No, I think everyone has the right to
their opinion. That being said, I think within our own
artistic space like and not to be, not to be,
to use your word, narcissistic. But I have to shut
out Meghan because in twenty seventeen, that's when we started
our own record label, and.
Speaker 5 (18:42):
That is when Megan had the insight.
Speaker 6 (18:46):
We were in the middle of making a record, we
were working with a really incredible producer, and we were
constantly at odds, and specifically I was constantly at odds,
like I was not playing nice with the producer, and
Megan was like, listen, like, why are we making this?
Why are we fighting pill for this? But clearly what
we want to do is to be guided by our
own stars.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
So let's do that.
Speaker 6 (19:06):
Let's rip the band aid, let's kick everybody out. And
so that's when we tightened up our team. We let
people go, We kicked everybody out of the studio. We
started playing all the instruments on our records, ourselves, self producing,
writing all the material, and it was terrifying. But by
the same token, I think that that being able to
see that there was a void that we were trying
to fill with pleasing outside opinion, we removed that void
(19:31):
and turned inward and became very self reliant. And I
think while that has clearly added a good five to
seven years of burn time onto our career where we
were slow burning and sort of like trial and erroring
a lot of stuff, it really gave us a lot
of that resilience and it allowed us to access our
(19:52):
own inner strength and to find our own instincts and
intuitions and to follow them to have you know, enough
self trust to be like, hey, maybe we actually do
know what the fuck is going on, let's try this.
That that was a huge turning point for us. While
also listening to all these records of artists that have
fearlessly done what they wanted to do, Like I think
(20:12):
about Neil Young in the variety of records, Elvis Costello,
John Hopping, being willing to be challenging, being willing to
fuel their inner child, very inner creative by making records
that maybe people didn't even want to hear, and how
important those records undoubtedly have been in their career to
keep them alive and engaged as artists.
Speaker 4 (20:30):
So that's kind of going to shout out Elvis Cassello
again because that at that time, we were touring a
lot with him and he and he was saying, trust yourself.
Speaker 5 (20:40):
You know you I just I feel like it's just
the two of you.
Speaker 4 (20:45):
You know that you've got to have faith in yourself
and don't let anybody box you in, like he was
saying these things to us. And also watched, you know,
watching his career where he just did whatever he wanted,
whenever he wanted, with no concern over at being placed
into a box. And you know, he's had such a long,
(21:06):
illustrious career, and you know, and working with like t
Bone Burnett, who has the ultimate trust in people that
his style of production is not to come in a tweak,
it's too is to put the right people in the
room together and see what happens and have people trust themselves.
I think we were just surrounded by a lot of
people that were encouraging that sort of a self trust
(21:28):
point of view.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
That's interesting for you guys.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Then when you started to do that, was there one
thing that emerged as you started to trust your own instincts?
And by the way, I was joking about the narcissistic thing,
that is not making narcissy. It's more of the fact
that most artists hate to listen to their own music.
They're so embarrassed by it.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
But you know, I don't love it.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
I don't love it.
Speaker 6 (21:57):
Myself totally comfortable in owning I am such a narcissist
and I'm comfortable with it.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yeah, right, But you know, going back to the instincts
for a second, was there one thing that emerged that
kind of surprised you when you realize, like, oh shit,
we had known this all along, if we had just
listened to ourselves more, and then you were like realized
that this was the direction.
Speaker 6 (22:21):
You needed to go. What's very humbling, actually, is I
think for me that insight, like an insight that sort
of registers to that degree that you're expressing for me,
was with Bloom because for many years we have we've
sort of employed this grass is Greener type mentality of
(22:41):
fighting against some of our natural instincts because we are
raised in traditional Americana, you know, we grew up playing
bluegrass love, old style country love, the music of Americana,
of the American South, and I think for a long
time we did feel this need to sort of prune
out a lot of that musical material from our identity
(23:04):
and really exist in a blues rock space. And it
felt very challenging actually to make a record that was
very easy to make, because in a lot of ways,
Bloom was a very effortless record to make, because we
were allowing musically all these parts of ourselves to just
come to the foe without judgment, without trying to be like, oh, well,
this isn't this isn't badass air quotes, this isn't like tough,
(23:25):
you know. So it is very humbling to realize that, like,
since twenty seventeen until now, it took that many years
for me personally to come to terms with like, hey,
maybe actually like who I am in my musical identity
and all the different parts and the shades and the
colors of Americana and bluegrass and country and folk and
southern rock.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
Maybe that's maybe that's enough.
Speaker 6 (23:46):
Maybe actually I don't need to turn these things off.
Speaker 5 (23:48):
Maybe I just need to actually turn more on yiche.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Yeah, that's super interesting. I was very curious to ask
the like, your sound is so refined, it's so you,
it's so unique to you. And going back and listening to,
you know, all of the albums, there's so many. Now
you can tell you can hear that sound getting more
and more refined and now hearing you know this story back,
(24:19):
my question was going to be like, when did that
sound really start to become very crystal clear? And it
sounds like this last album was really the catalyst for that,
or at least the defining moment of that.
Speaker 5 (24:33):
And I do think we came to like.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
The Larkin post sound in a sort of unusual way,
which was learning a lot of cover songs and learning
how to take incredible songs that a lot of times
have a lot of production and then stripping it back
to two people and kind of trying to figure out
how how to represent a song so that people will
(25:00):
recognize it but also have it sound like us. So
we were doing our cover video series, like over and
over and over again, just as a learning tool of
like learning really great riffs, learning really great lyrics and
you know, the best melodies that I have ever been written,
(25:22):
and doing doing that process over and over again, because
at this point we've done like hundreds of cover videos
of great songs that kind of taught us how to
sound like us, which is strange because we're doing other
people's songs. But I do think that we figured out,
like what are the what are the tenets of music
that mean Mark and Poe, Like, what are these simple
(25:44):
things that need to be present in order for us
to sound like us and it? And you know, we
we now can do that in a really stripped back way,
and which is helpful when we're writing, because you know,
we're able to take the songs that we've written before
and see if we can perform them acoustic, because if
they can't stand up being played by just the two
(26:05):
of us, then they're not going to work for us.
So that's sort of the sign post, like the measuring
post for how a song can go on the record.
Speaker 3 (26:16):
All Right, I have to ask, what's the favorite cover
you've ever done?
Speaker 6 (26:20):
Oh? That's so hard, actually, I think a recent one
for me would be Gasoline Allly. We recently re listened
to that when someone there was a request for us
to potentially perform our version of Rod Stewart's Gasoline Ally
for a documentary, which caused us to narcissistically go back
and listen. And also, that's like, that is such as
(26:42):
it's such a beautiful song, and I really like the
way that we interpreted it, and I had genuinely forgotten
how we had even done it, and that was a
pretty one.
Speaker 5 (26:49):
What comes to your mind, Meg, maybe Bell Bottom Blues.
I love that song. It's such a classic that brings up.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
An interesting if you're listening to a cover, is it
narcissistic because it's technically someone else's song? And by the way,
Gasoline all is an amazing song. I've been fortunate to
become friends with Rod, and it's like he is such
an underrated songwriter from the seventies. Okay, quickly, because I
(27:19):
would be remiss if I didn't ask. Since the show
is called in service of what are like? How does
that work for you?
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Talk about the importance to you of giving back and
how that influences your music.
Speaker 6 (27:35):
We make music for the human connection, I think the
only thing that has really sustained our career because we
haven't had like a cakewalk of a career, Like there
have been many years where you know, we were hemorrhaging
money out on the road in our early twenties, like
scraping by like insane, honestly insane for us to have
(27:59):
like continued, but ah, the idealism of youth. Thank god,
we sort of burned through some years. But I think
the connection between Megan and myself that exists the self
knowledge and the knowing that we've been able to find
between each other and sort of by proxy, extending that
connection out to our audiences and being able to feel
(28:19):
people in the room with us, to be able to
have conversations, real conversations with people about how they're doing,
about what's going on in their life. And the vulnerability
that we are gifted by folks that come to our show.
I think they sense Megan's in my vulnerability with each other,
and that creates a safe space and freedom for people
(28:41):
to be vulnerable with us, and we so do not
take that lightly. The ability to open your heart and
be impacted by those around you and to in turn
acknowledge the impact that you have on others.
Speaker 5 (28:57):
It's what makes life worth living. It truly is. I
feel so grateful for this experience that we're able to have.
Speaker 6 (29:06):
I do feel that, you know, being able to be
a touring musician and to burn the candle at both ends,
that really is our highest and best purpose in being
able to feel humans on planet Earth.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
Good answers.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Sorry, And what I was laughing at was I have
two more interviews after this, and I love the fact
that I can't talk today. You'll have those days where
you're just like, every word gets fumbled and I'm like, boy,
the next two are gonna be fun as well. But
beautiful answer, and let's say wrap it up.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Yeah, a beautiful answer. I mean, I think music is
a form of service. So when you are doing that
work and you're allowing people to connect to soul like
that is great. I was curious, as far as words go,
do you ever source inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe, which
I know you took that name.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
Yeah, are our distant distant cousin. Yeah, I mean we
grew up reading Poe's work and love the macabre, love
the Southern Gothic flair, so it definitely has has trickled down.
I think that side the family, they're all very darkly
creative people, so I think I think we can kind
(30:22):
of see at the thread of him. Well.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
It's funny because we're both big believers in writing being subconscious,
so a lot of times things will infiltrate. Then a
year or so later you'll realize are there songs of
yours that you go back and listen to, or you're like, oh,
now we see that dark southern gothic macabre stuff that
maybe you didn't notice it as much at first, but
(30:47):
then you're like, that's just really twisted.
Speaker 6 (30:51):
I think, especially in my early twenties in mid twenties,
like being able to have gone back.
Speaker 5 (30:59):
And actually it's a little bit disturbing because it's.
Speaker 6 (31:02):
My sort of mental makeup is like I experience this
and this has been the work of the last fifteen years.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
For me.
Speaker 6 (31:11):
It's like I just experienced raw emotion, and oftentimes it's
very confusing to me to know what the emotion actually is.
Everything just kind of manifests irritation.
Speaker 5 (31:19):
And I'm like, wait, what.
Speaker 6 (31:21):
So I think in my early twenties, like writing and
having no idea what I was writing about like literally
writing blind in the dark, and then every few years
like learning a little bit more about myself, opening up
a little bit more, being able to access more vulnerability
and looking back and be like, oh, well, that's what
I was.
Speaker 5 (31:39):
So upset by. That's what I was struggling with.
Speaker 6 (31:42):
And it's funny that you bring up say that you
bring up Edgar Allan Poe because on that side of
our family there there is a huge and heavy history
of mental illness that we have inherited and impacts our
family and continues to impact our family in myriad ways.
And so being able to like find a way to
vent sort of one some of those idiosyncrasies and to
(32:07):
talk with other people through our art about some of
those added struggles that I think many of us can
relate to and maybe sometimes don't have words or descriptions
to try to try and connect with one another through
this like gauze of the human experience that separates us
from reality from each other. So it has been I
(32:29):
think we have had huge impact from our family tree
and the inherited conditions that continue to perpetuate. And again,
just feel so grateful to art to be a mirror
that you can you know you can scream into and
learn more about yourself through hearing your art interpreted.
Speaker 5 (32:49):
Back to you by other people and what it means.
Speaker 6 (32:52):
So it's it's a pretty beautiful symbiotic relationship we all
got going here.
Speaker 5 (32:56):
This has been such a fun conversation. Thank y'all so much.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Of course, I mean we.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
Had a last last conversation, so I was looking forward
to catching up and Megan, great pleasure to meet you.
Is there anything you guys wanted to had that we
didn't ask you about.
Speaker 4 (33:11):
No, we're just I mean, we're really excited to be
out on the road supporting Bloom and being able to
share these songs with people. So we're just we're just
really thrilled to be able to go out and tour
in twenty twenty five and see people.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
Who would be the dream person that tour with. Justly fun.
Speaker 4 (33:28):
Hm.
Speaker 6 (33:30):
So a couple of years ago, when Jon Jet and
Brian Adams were Torn together, I went out and bought
tickets and just like partied my face off at their show.
Speaker 5 (33:38):
So I would like to be the third band on
that bill.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
That sounds awesome to be too.
Speaker 3 (33:43):
Let's go that's such a weird bill. I like them
both and I know them both, but it's such a weird.
Speaker 6 (33:48):
Bill dude, I tell you what, It worked like insane
because they're both the caliber of performer that both Joan
and Brian are and their associated bands and musicians on stage.
Speaker 5 (34:00):
It was like it was so avant garde.
Speaker 6 (34:03):
But yeah, it made perfect sense. So maybe Larkin Poe
could find a little corner of existence there in that universe.
Speaker 5 (34:08):
Yes, please lust.
Speaker 6 (34:10):
They both have so many familiar songs, true, they just
keep slinging out the bangers.
Speaker 5 (34:15):
It's unreal.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Oh well, thank you guys, boss so much. We'll see
you soon.
Speaker 5 (34:22):
I'm sure we have lots of love you guys.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
Thanks, thanks right,
Today we got to speak to the incredible sister duo
Larkin Poe, who seamlessly blend their deep Southern roots with
a gritty electric sound, paying homage to tradition while forging
their own path forward. With Rebecca's raw soo vocals and
Megan's signature lapsteel guitar, they built a reputation for high
energy performances and fiercely independent artistry. Their music channels the
(00:30):
spirit of old school blues while embracing a contemporary edge,
earning them Grammy nominations and a devoted global fan base.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Hey, this is Steve and I'm here with Sage and
we are here with Megan and Rebecca from Lark and Po.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 4 (01:03):
Thanks for having us.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Of course. So you were saying it's a beautiful day
in Nashville. You leave on two or very soon? Correct?
Speaker 5 (01:13):
We got to see updates?
Speaker 4 (01:15):
Yeah, we but we really start touring for real in April.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
So touring for real? What's the rest? Is it rehearsal
or is it just like one off dates? Is it
just fun?
Speaker 4 (01:30):
It's like one off dates and we'll have a lot
of rehearsals in there, but it but we don't go
out for larger chunks of time until April through basically
through November.
Speaker 2 (01:43):
Well, this is an album that feels like it's like
it's just intended to be live. As I can't talk,
it's so fucking early all the time. And by the way,
I can CAUs all I wanted the show, so it's
but I was gonna say, as you've been doing it live,
do you feel that respons for people, because it feels
like such a visceral record.
Speaker 6 (02:05):
We haven't had the opportunity to play these songs live
a whole ton as of yet. It's been more press opportunities.
That being said, the response that we have already received
from this record and from these songs in particular, it's
been a beautiful, loving response. And we're really excited to
play these songs because, like first and foremost, we're touring band,
(02:26):
and we always write from that perspective of wanting music
that will translate really well in the live space, and
I think over the years we've gotten better and better
at doing that. It's just a muscle that we continue
to strengthen. But I really feel good about Bloom and
the songs of Bloom and the ways that they represent,
you know, a large thwead of who we are as
(02:46):
people musically and spiritually, and I think it's going to
translate really well in the live space.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
You know, It's interesting.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
I just did a big LA time story on the
Legacy of Love Supreme, and I talked to a bunch
of differentmusicians about it. And one of the things that
Saint Vincent said that I thought was fascinating in Sage
I sent this to you this weekend, was she had
a quote talking about how free she is on stage
and Sage and I've talked with a lot of musicians
about channeling and it's interesting because I usually think of
(03:15):
that in the songwriting perspective, but I've talked with a
lot of musicians about it as well, and they definitely
talk about that feeling when they're playing live. Do you
feel that when you get into the groove on stage
where you're just like Kaslash and I have talked about
that as well. I've known him for a long time,
and as he said, like, the best moments are just
when you get lost in it, if.
Speaker 4 (03:37):
You're thinking, you're stinking you've got it. It's like the
best moments are on stage when you're just you're like
just looking at a person, you're like just vibing with them,
connecting with them, and then everything else is happening on
its own. That's when it's really magical. And then occasionally
you'll kind of come back to yourself, come back to reality.
Speaker 5 (03:58):
It's like, oh wait, am I going to play? Oh
am I going to play the wrong note?
Speaker 6 (04:02):
Next?
Speaker 4 (04:02):
You're going to play the wrong note next. You know
that kind of thinking. Then you're just getting in your
own way.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
It's interesting.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Can you kind of tell when you write a song
that moment like will have that feeling for you that
like you'll be able to sort of just get out
of your head. Like there are certain moments like you know,
for example, when people talk about writing songs, they'll talk
about how quickly it comes to them and it just
is like this thing that's beyond their control. And you know,
(04:31):
like Jimmy Cliff was saying he wrote many Rivers cross
in ten minutes. You know, are there those moments for
you when you're writing a song when you're just like
this is going to fucking kill on stage.
Speaker 6 (04:43):
I feel like maybe I'm actually better at the litmus
test for me is like songs I know that are
going to be hard lyrically because I do. I wouldn't
describe it as anxiety, but I do. As a front man,
since I'm the one that sings the majority of the songs,
I struggled to remember my own lyrics at times, and
(05:03):
I think the songs that I struggle to remember are
those were the songs rhyme being really clever or having
a lot of like internal rhymes in a verse, or
when the words are not like a not conversational, but
they're written to be alliterative and catchy and cool and clever.
So I definitely can I trying to steer away from
(05:24):
those moments on Bloom because I do want to be
able to just get in the groove, and I think
that that was something Mega and I both committed to
at the beginning of the writing process for Bloom was
we want these songs to be written from a very
honest place and realistically all these songs spun out of conversation,
so to be able to have sentences in these songs
(05:46):
that I remember from specific conversations between Megan and myself,
things that I genuinely feel on a very deep level
that that registers in a different emotional space than historically,
you know, as a blues you know, kind of female
fronted rock act, having written swaggy songs that are very
braggadocious and like, you know, just kind of like popping
(06:08):
off with cool, you know, just cool little turns of phrase.
Those songs I feel have not stuck as well. But
even with the limited performances we've done thus far, lyrically,
I'm like, ah, this is.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
Golden, which is a shame, you know, because it's really
quite a riot for me to be on stage when
she's in the midst of forgetting lyrics and I can
see her having a work over time to try and
come up with something to say. Lots of times people
don't notice, sometimes still stumble and it's a charming moment.
I think it's it brings a lot of like reality
(06:42):
to the stage. So you know, I hope you won't
be bulletproof. I hope you'll still forget every now and again.
Speaker 5 (06:49):
I don't think that's gonna be an issue.
Speaker 6 (06:51):
I'm thinking about eight thousand things all the time on stage.
Speaker 2 (06:55):
I want to ask one more thing and then we'll
let's say shake over for a while, because they've dominated
so far. But it's funny because he talked about the
Bragg Turner phrase, and you and I talked in that
Fender article about Elvis Costello, and I could see how
you would be inspired to try and do that. But
of course Elvis can turn a phrase like no one
who ever lived. He's used words in songs that I'm
just like, you know how the you know, like there's
(07:18):
a video with eminem talking about rhyming orange and you
could see like Elvis Costelli using like cerulean in songs
or these crazy words, you know, And so it's funny.
Did you find that you were a little challenged inspired
by that?
Speaker 5 (07:34):
Absolutely?
Speaker 6 (07:35):
I mean from such a young age, Elvis was. He
cut a very big silhouette in sort of the skyline
of inspiration for me as a songwriter, and I think
for Megan as well. Very challenging lyricist, very very rap ish,
rap adjacent is the way that he would spit out
lots and lots of words, and I definitely I actually
(07:56):
haven't really reflected on that, but now that you mentioned it,
and I really do see a parallel that that was
a pretty a pretty big inspiration hitting close to home.
And again not that that will ever be something I
eradicate from my personal approach to lyric writing. But again,
I think just trying to speak from the heart has
felt like a pretty a pretty important shift for us
(08:19):
here in our early thirties. With writing this new record, well,
you know.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
There's not many people who can do what Elvis can do.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
So yeah, it's such a beautiful record, and I love
what we talk about. Obviously, it's so empowering, and I
love how you talked about like kind of the art
of becoming. You were focusing on Mockingbird, but I felt
it in a larger sense. And now with all of
(08:45):
these albums that you've made, I'm curious how this album
surprised you in the differences you just shared that, you know,
some of the songwriting was a bit different, but the production,
like all of it coming together. What was the most
surprising parts that perhaps differed from the last album.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
We you know, grew up playing a wide range of music.
We started out classically trained, We you know, played bluegrass music,
and our teens we've gone more, you know, harder rock.
In the middle of Lark and Poe and this record,
we really I think we took away a lot of
(09:27):
those parameters that we were that were that we were
feeling as the musically, and we were letting the lyrics
dry of the music, which is the complete reversal of
what we normally do. I think we in the past,
we've written a lot from from the music and then
the lyrics kind of had to match that. But but
(09:48):
this time we just really wanted to focus in on
trying to say things that were very true and and
and just let things kind of develop on their own.
And I think it was musically a little surprising along
the way. We had a lot more like pretty major
happy melodic moments in this record, which is sort of
(10:12):
unusual for us in the in the past few years,
and something that.
Speaker 5 (10:15):
Felt much needed.
Speaker 4 (10:17):
Uh and and and I love that that we're able
to kind of tap into that side of ourselves these days.
Speaker 1 (10:35):
Yeah, I love you know. I'd be were messive it did,
and ask about songs like if God is a Woman
and then your last project, She's a Self Made Man,
like those songs. You know, it awakens a part of
me that I really really deeply appreciate. And obviously, the
music industry has always been notorious, uh for inequality and
(10:57):
predator behavior, and I was curious from your perspective, like
since the Me Too movement, have you seen a lot
of change or you've just seen it being talked about,
And you know, I appreciate your kind of empowering aspect
to your incredible musicianship, your incredible songwriting ability, and just
curious where you think we're That.
Speaker 5 (11:19):
Is so kind of you to say thank you.
Speaker 6 (11:21):
I do since and I think Meg and I both
we've talked about this since a lot of good change,
that is real change that is actually taking place in
response to the outcry. I mean, yeah, you're absolutely right.
You know, the music industry is definitely and in all
aspects of the industry been very male dominated. And I
think our experience in the blues rock space where for
(11:44):
many many years we would tour and would be the
only female artists on the bill, and that was a
little bit lonely and a little bit unsettling. But in
recent years, being able to see that change and see
all the incredible female talent that is rising up in
a very real way, it's it's incredibly inspiring, and I
think being able, you know, for each and every female
(12:06):
artist to speak their truth in a way that is authentic,
like for Megan and myself. Being able to write songs
that do sort of jokingly, in a joking fashion, poke
fun at the patriarchy feels appropriate for our style of feminism,
and being able to have a song like if God
is a win on the record feels equally important, And yeah,
(12:27):
I think it's just sort of wild in twenty twenty five,
when you still see some of the narrow lanes of
existence that pop culture likes to paint for women, You're like, really,
after all this time, guys and the conversations that we're having,
we're really going to have, you know, yet another sort
of trite movie storyline where the woman is discovered by
the man and he takes her glasses off and she's
suddenly beautiful and she's arrived, and you're like, wow, not
(12:52):
so I think being able again to like lighten up
the reins and be like, hey, you know, women can
occupy all the different roles, including the role of antagonist,
including the role of evil if she show chooses you know, yeah,
maybe God's a woman that if she is, and that
means the devil would be too, So let's just paint
with an even brushstroke.
Speaker 1 (13:12):
That seems like perfect advice to give to young women
artists or navigating the industry. I'm curious if you could
tell your younger self selves something, what would that.
Speaker 5 (13:22):
Be, Hm, you know, you got to ask for what
you need. I think that.
Speaker 4 (13:34):
We've at times suffered from being too polite, and that
you know, it's good to be polite. I mean, I
think it's I think empathy and kindness is all that's
always positives, But you do have to stand up for yourself,
and to stand up for yourself, you have to know
what you want. So I do think that you have
to like dig into yourself a bit and just really
(13:57):
know where you're going and believe in yourself and then
ask for the things that you need and and and
stand up for it, which takes a lot. I think
it takes a lot of inner strength that maybe we
just develop with time. So I would love to say
that to my younger self, but I don't know if
my younger self could take it in at that time.
Speaker 5 (14:16):
That's fair.
Speaker 6 (14:17):
I think the idea you've expressed this in the past, Megan,
that we cannot be vessels for other people's desires, and
there is a great temptation I think, you know, for
any personality type that contains pleaser energy like wanting to
I want to, I want to make you happy, that
you can you can lose yourself. But but you know,
(14:38):
not being able to to dig deep and find things
that motivate you and the the feedback that's important to
you as an individual, or the things that you hope
to achieve in your life. It's not a long term
play to to just live your life for other people.
And I think that we've we've felt that, you know,
as as public figures, where you know, we live in
(14:58):
a in an age where feedback is immediate on the comments,
on the posts, on the on the on the art,
on the content. This temptation to want to shape yourself
into something that will be pleasing to as many people
as possible, but that won't that won't make us, that
hasn't made us happy, won't make us happy. And being
willing to just like go your own way, like don't
(15:20):
be afraid you build it.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
They will come.
Speaker 6 (15:22):
There's a reason that somebody's old adages just stick around
because there's a lot of truth in them.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Creatives and as women especially, like boundaries are so important
and when you're in the public eye, I can't imagine
just kind of the the necessity of, like the ritual
of protecting your own energy, and I would love to
hear like, if there's any rituals kind of a weird word,
(15:46):
but if there's any you know, things that you do
that just have really helped ground you over the years.
Speaker 5 (15:53):
For me, it's deleting Instagram off my phone.
Speaker 6 (15:57):
And not you can read you can read the reviews,
but don't put any stock in them. I read a
really important book called Letters to a Young Poet by
Rainer Maria Rilka, and that was a really important insight
for me in my mid twenties that it's a beautiful
(16:19):
series of letters between a poet and a student. Highly
recommend But the gist that I took away is that
the only control that an artist has is within the work,
and our only responsibility is to do the work, to
dig deep, to find whatever it is that you need
to say as an artist, say that, and then your responsibility.
Speaker 5 (16:38):
Is complete that how people receive it, how well it does.
Speaker 6 (16:42):
These are all things outside our control and really are
a waste of our energy to focus on. So being
willing genuinely to pole up in what we actually control
and what is under our responsibility make our art and
then let it go.
Speaker 5 (16:58):
But that that really is easier said than I love that.
Speaker 4 (17:00):
I think we're meant to create our art, but we're
not meant to consume our own art. You know, you're
supposed to put it out and then not critique yourself
after it's already done.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Yeah, but it's a joke. How do you tell the
narcissist second about a musician? Oh, they meant to listening
to their own music. It's very rare, Like, it's funny.
One of my favorite stories ever. And I'm gonna come
back to my point in a second. But I remember
interviewing Alison Boss from The Kills and she's telling me
sometimes she's in the bar and she's like, Wow, that's
(17:32):
a really cool song. That sounds cool, and then she's like,
oh shit, that's me. So but it's interesting going back
to what you were saying about people pleasing you know.
That's also it's not just specific to gender, though, it's
also I think very specific to age as well. As
you get older you develop more confidence. Are there artists
that you've been around or that you really admire for
(17:53):
the way that they've been able to stay to themselves?
And I think of people like Jonie and Tom Waits,
and you know, people were just like, bug, I'm gonna
do whatever I want. But that's something that takes Even
those people who were so rebellious at the beginning were
still like, you know, I still had that feeling. So
the people that you really learned a lot from and
(18:14):
that ability to sort of delete Instagram and you know,
stop paying attention to what stupid critics like me say.
Speaker 6 (18:23):
Stupid critics, No, I think everyone has the right to
their opinion. That being said, I think within our own
artistic space like and not to be, not to be,
to use your word, narcissistic. But I have to shut
out Meghan because in twenty seventeen, that's when we started
our own record label, and.
Speaker 5 (18:42):
That is when Megan had the insight.
Speaker 6 (18:46):
We were in the middle of making a record, we
were working with a really incredible producer, and we were
constantly at odds, and specifically I was constantly at odds,
like I was not playing nice with the producer, and
Megan was like, listen, like, why are we making this?
Why are we fighting pill for this? But clearly what
we want to do is to be guided by our
own stars.
Speaker 5 (19:05):
So let's do that.
Speaker 6 (19:06):
Let's rip the band aid, let's kick everybody out. And
so that's when we tightened up our team. We let
people go, We kicked everybody out of the studio. We
started playing all the instruments on our records, ourselves, self producing,
writing all the material, and it was terrifying. But by
the same token, I think that that being able to
see that there was a void that we were trying
to fill with pleasing outside opinion, we removed that void
(19:31):
and turned inward and became very self reliant. And I
think while that has clearly added a good five to
seven years of burn time onto our career where we
were slow burning and sort of like trial and erroring
a lot of stuff, it really gave us a lot
of that resilience and it allowed us to access our
(19:52):
own inner strength and to find our own instincts and
intuitions and to follow them to have you know, enough
self trust to be like, hey, maybe we actually do
know what the fuck is going on, let's try this.
That that was a huge turning point for us. While
also listening to all these records of artists that have
fearlessly done what they wanted to do, Like I think
(20:12):
about Neil Young in the variety of records, Elvis Costello,
John Hopping, being willing to be challenging, being willing to
fuel their inner child, very inner creative by making records
that maybe people didn't even want to hear, and how
important those records undoubtedly have been in their career to
keep them alive and engaged as artists.
Speaker 4 (20:30):
So that's kind of going to shout out Elvis Cassello
again because that at that time, we were touring a
lot with him and he and he was saying, trust yourself.
Speaker 5 (20:40):
You know you I just I feel like it's just
the two of you.
Speaker 4 (20:45):
You know that you've got to have faith in yourself
and don't let anybody box you in, like he was
saying these things to us. And also watched, you know,
watching his career where he just did whatever he wanted,
whenever he wanted, with no concern over at being placed
into a box. And you know, he's had such a long,
(21:06):
illustrious career, and you know, and working with like t
Bone Burnett, who has the ultimate trust in people that
his style of production is not to come in a tweak,
it's too is to put the right people in the
room together and see what happens and have people trust themselves.
I think we were just surrounded by a lot of
people that were encouraging that sort of a self trust
(21:28):
point of view.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
That's interesting for you guys.
Speaker 2 (21:40):
Then when you started to do that, was there one
thing that emerged as you started to trust your own instincts?
And by the way, I was joking about the narcissistic thing,
that is not making narcissy. It's more of the fact
that most artists hate to listen to their own music.
They're so embarrassed by it.
Speaker 4 (21:55):
But you know, I don't love it.
Speaker 5 (21:56):
I don't love it.
Speaker 6 (21:57):
Myself totally comfortable in owning I am such a narcissist
and I'm comfortable with it.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
Yeah, right, But you know, going back to the instincts
for a second, was there one thing that emerged that
kind of surprised you when you realize, like, oh shit,
we had known this all along, if we had just
listened to ourselves more, and then you were like realized
that this was the direction.
Speaker 6 (22:21):
You needed to go. What's very humbling, actually, is I
think for me that insight, like an insight that sort
of registers to that degree that you're expressing for me,
was with Bloom because for many years we have we've
sort of employed this grass is Greener type mentality of
(22:41):
fighting against some of our natural instincts because we are
raised in traditional Americana, you know, we grew up playing
bluegrass love, old style country love, the music of Americana,
of the American South, and I think for a long
time we did feel this need to sort of prune
out a lot of that musical material from our identity
(23:04):
and really exist in a blues rock space. And it
felt very challenging actually to make a record that was
very easy to make, because in a lot of ways,
Bloom was a very effortless record to make, because we
were allowing musically all these parts of ourselves to just
come to the foe without judgment, without trying to be like, oh, well,
this isn't this isn't badass air quotes, this isn't like tough,
(23:25):
you know. So it is very humbling to realize that, like,
since twenty seventeen until now, it took that many years
for me personally to come to terms with like, hey,
maybe actually like who I am in my musical identity
and all the different parts and the shades and the
colors of Americana and bluegrass and country and folk and
southern rock.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
Maybe that's maybe that's enough.
Speaker 6 (23:46):
Maybe actually I don't need to turn these things off.
Speaker 5 (23:48):
Maybe I just need to actually turn more on yiche.
Speaker 1 (23:55):
Yeah, that's super interesting. I was very curious to ask
the like, your sound is so refined, it's so you,
it's so unique to you. And going back and listening to,
you know, all of the albums, there's so many. Now
you can tell you can hear that sound getting more
and more refined and now hearing you know this story back,
(24:19):
my question was going to be like, when did that
sound really start to become very crystal clear? And it
sounds like this last album was really the catalyst for that,
or at least the defining moment of that.
Speaker 5 (24:33):
And I do think we came to like.
Speaker 4 (24:37):
The Larkin post sound in a sort of unusual way,
which was learning a lot of cover songs and learning
how to take incredible songs that a lot of times
have a lot of production and then stripping it back
to two people and kind of trying to figure out
how how to represent a song so that people will
(25:00):
recognize it but also have it sound like us. So
we were doing our cover video series, like over and
over and over again, just as a learning tool of
like learning really great riffs, learning really great lyrics and
you know, the best melodies that I have ever been written,
(25:22):
and doing doing that process over and over again, because
at this point we've done like hundreds of cover videos
of great songs that kind of taught us how to
sound like us, which is strange because we're doing other
people's songs. But I do think that we figured out,
like what are the what are the tenets of music
that mean Mark and Poe, Like, what are these simple
(25:44):
things that need to be present in order for us
to sound like us and it? And you know, we
we now can do that in a really stripped back way,
and which is helpful when we're writing, because you know,
we're able to take the songs that we've written before
and see if we can perform them acoustic, because if
they can't stand up being played by just the two
(26:05):
of us, then they're not going to work for us.
So that's sort of the sign post, like the measuring
post for how a song can go on the record.
Speaker 3 (26:16):
All Right, I have to ask, what's the favorite cover
you've ever done?
Speaker 6 (26:20):
Oh? That's so hard, actually, I think a recent one
for me would be Gasoline Allly. We recently re listened
to that when someone there was a request for us
to potentially perform our version of Rod Stewart's Gasoline Ally
for a documentary, which caused us to narcissistically go back
and listen. And also, that's like, that is such as
(26:42):
it's such a beautiful song, and I really like the
way that we interpreted it, and I had genuinely forgotten
how we had even done it, and that was a
pretty one.
Speaker 5 (26:49):
What comes to your mind, Meg, maybe Bell Bottom Blues.
I love that song. It's such a classic that brings up.
Speaker 2 (26:59):
An interesting if you're listening to a cover, is it
narcissistic because it's technically someone else's song? And by the way,
Gasoline all is an amazing song. I've been fortunate to
become friends with Rod, and it's like he is such
an underrated songwriter from the seventies. Okay, quickly, because I
(27:19):
would be remiss if I didn't ask. Since the show
is called in service of what are like? How does
that work for you?
Speaker 3 (27:27):
Talk about the importance to you of giving back and
how that influences your music.
Speaker 6 (27:35):
We make music for the human connection, I think the
only thing that has really sustained our career because we
haven't had like a cakewalk of a career, Like there
have been many years where you know, we were hemorrhaging
money out on the road in our early twenties, like
scraping by like insane, honestly insane for us to have
(27:59):
like continued, but ah, the idealism of youth. Thank god,
we sort of burned through some years. But I think
the connection between Megan and myself that exists the self
knowledge and the knowing that we've been able to find
between each other and sort of by proxy, extending that
connection out to our audiences and being able to feel
(28:19):
people in the room with us, to be able to
have conversations, real conversations with people about how they're doing,
about what's going on in their life. And the vulnerability
that we are gifted by folks that come to our show.
I think they sense Megan's in my vulnerability with each other,
and that creates a safe space and freedom for people
(28:41):
to be vulnerable with us, and we so do not
take that lightly. The ability to open your heart and
be impacted by those around you and to in turn
acknowledge the impact that you have on others.
Speaker 5 (28:57):
It's what makes life worth living. It truly is. I
feel so grateful for this experience that we're able to have.
Speaker 6 (29:06):
I do feel that, you know, being able to be
a touring musician and to burn the candle at both ends,
that really is our highest and best purpose in being
able to feel humans on planet Earth.
Speaker 3 (29:20):
Good answers.
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Sorry, And what I was laughing at was I have
two more interviews after this, and I love the fact
that I can't talk today. You'll have those days where
you're just like, every word gets fumbled and I'm like, boy,
the next two are gonna be fun as well. But
beautiful answer, and let's say wrap it up.
Speaker 1 (29:37):
Yeah, a beautiful answer. I mean, I think music is
a form of service. So when you are doing that
work and you're allowing people to connect to soul like
that is great. I was curious, as far as words go,
do you ever source inspiration from Edgar Allen Poe, which
I know you took that name.
Speaker 4 (30:00):
Yeah, are our distant distant cousin. Yeah, I mean we
grew up reading Poe's work and love the macabre, love
the Southern Gothic flair, so it definitely has has trickled down.
I think that side the family, they're all very darkly
creative people, so I think I think we can kind
(30:22):
of see at the thread of him. Well.
Speaker 2 (30:27):
It's funny because we're both big believers in writing being subconscious,
so a lot of times things will infiltrate. Then a
year or so later you'll realize are there songs of
yours that you go back and listen to, or you're like, oh,
now we see that dark southern gothic macabre stuff that
maybe you didn't notice it as much at first, but
(30:47):
then you're like, that's just really twisted.
Speaker 6 (30:51):
I think, especially in my early twenties in mid twenties,
like being able to have gone back.
Speaker 5 (30:59):
And actually it's a little bit disturbing because it's.
Speaker 6 (31:02):
My sort of mental makeup is like I experience this
and this has been the work of the last fifteen years.
Speaker 4 (31:09):
For me.
Speaker 6 (31:11):
It's like I just experienced raw emotion, and oftentimes it's
very confusing to me to know what the emotion actually is.
Everything just kind of manifests irritation.
Speaker 5 (31:19):
And I'm like, wait, what.
Speaker 6 (31:21):
So I think in my early twenties, like writing and
having no idea what I was writing about like literally
writing blind in the dark, and then every few years
like learning a little bit more about myself, opening up
a little bit more, being able to access more vulnerability
and looking back and be like, oh, well, that's what
I was.
Speaker 5 (31:39):
So upset by. That's what I was struggling with.
Speaker 6 (31:42):
And it's funny that you bring up say that you
bring up Edgar Allan Poe because on that side of
our family there there is a huge and heavy history
of mental illness that we have inherited and impacts our
family and continues to impact our family in myriad ways.
And so being able to like find a way to
vent sort of one some of those idiosyncrasies and to
(32:07):
talk with other people through our art about some of
those added struggles that I think many of us can
relate to and maybe sometimes don't have words or descriptions
to try to try and connect with one another through
this like gauze of the human experience that separates us
from reality from each other. So it has been I
(32:29):
think we have had huge impact from our family tree
and the inherited conditions that continue to perpetuate. And again,
just feel so grateful to art to be a mirror
that you can you know you can scream into and
learn more about yourself through hearing your art interpreted.
Speaker 5 (32:49):
Back to you by other people and what it means.
Speaker 6 (32:52):
So it's it's a pretty beautiful symbiotic relationship we all
got going here.
Speaker 5 (32:56):
This has been such a fun conversation. Thank y'all so much.
Speaker 3 (33:00):
Of course, I mean we.
Speaker 2 (33:01):
Had a last last conversation, so I was looking forward
to catching up and Megan, great pleasure to meet you.
Is there anything you guys wanted to had that we
didn't ask you about.
Speaker 4 (33:11):
No, we're just I mean, we're really excited to be
out on the road supporting Bloom and being able to
share these songs with people. So we're just we're just
really thrilled to be able to go out and tour
in twenty twenty five and see people.
Speaker 3 (33:24):
Who would be the dream person that tour with. Justly fun.
Speaker 4 (33:28):
Hm.
Speaker 6 (33:30):
So a couple of years ago, when Jon Jet and
Brian Adams were Torn together, I went out and bought
tickets and just like partied my face off at their show.
Speaker 5 (33:38):
So I would like to be the third band on
that bill.
Speaker 4 (33:41):
That sounds awesome to be too.
Speaker 3 (33:43):
Let's go that's such a weird bill. I like them
both and I know them both, but it's such a weird.
Speaker 6 (33:48):
Bill dude, I tell you what, It worked like insane
because they're both the caliber of performer that both Joan
and Brian are and their associated bands and musicians on stage.
Speaker 5 (34:00):
It was like it was so avant garde.
Speaker 6 (34:03):
But yeah, it made perfect sense. So maybe Larkin Poe
could find a little corner of existence there in that universe.
Speaker 5 (34:08):
Yes, please lust.
Speaker 6 (34:10):
They both have so many familiar songs, true, they just
keep slinging out the bangers.
Speaker 5 (34:15):
It's unreal.
Speaker 3 (34:17):
Oh well, thank you guys, boss so much. We'll see
you soon.
Speaker 5 (34:22):
I'm sure we have lots of love you guys.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
Thanks, thanks right,
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!