Podcast Summary

Podcast: Takin' A Walk – Music History with Buzz Knight

Episode: Grammy Nominees Larkin Poe | Sister Duo on Southern Rock, Blues Guitar and Viral Music Success

Date: January 26, 2026

Guests: Rebecca Lovell and Megan Lovell (Larkin Poe)
Host: Buzz Knight

Episode Overview

This episode features an in-depth conversation with Rebecca and Megan Lovell, the dynamic sister duo behind Larkin Poe, a Grammy-nominated roots rock and Americana band known for their genre-blending sound and fierce musicianship. Host Buzz Knight explores their musical upbringing, pivotal career moments, creative processes, and the philosophy that drives their continuous evolution. The Lovell sisters reflect candidly on their musical journey, grassroots fanbase, technical influences, and what real "musical happiness" means to them.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Musical Upbringing and Family Foundation

Timestamps: 03:19 - 05:09

• Music was integral to their family: the sisters learned harmony singing with their mother from a young age, sometimes singing together before they could even read.
  • Megan: “[Our mom] sat down and taught us to sing ... we learned to sing harmony before we could even read.” (03:29)
• Parents encouraged classical violin and piano, and music as “a language” rather than strictly as a career.
  • Rebecca: “Our parents allow[ed] us to start taking classical violin and piano lessons ... I don’t think that they were ever intending us to treat music as a livelihood. It was just a joy.” (04:12)
• Exposure to a wide variance of genres—folk, rock, jazz, bluegrass, world music—instilled in them a broad musical curiosity.

2. Genre Fluidity, YouTube Series, and Musical Identity

Timestamps: 05:15 - 07:36

• Larkin Poe consciously avoids being boxed into a single genre, reinforced by their wide-ranging song covers on YouTube.
  • Rebecca: “People view us as less attached to genre because they know us for our original material and ... for covering anything from rockabilly to hard rock from our YouTube series.” (06:37)
  • “It’s actually ... been such a boon to us in allowing Larkin Poe to kind of skate on the surface of a very broad musical lake.” (06:56)
• Mentorship from Elvis Costello—himself noted for genre exploration—encouraged this spirit of unpredictability.
  • Megan: “He kind of imparted that wisdom onto us: don’t box yourselves in. Try and keep audiences guessing a little bit ...” (07:06)

3. Career Turning Points: Independence and Creative Freedom

Timestamps: 07:44 - 09:00

• Self-production of their 2017 album "Peach" and starting their own record label was a transformative move.
  • Rebecca: “[It] has been one of the ... most impactful moments of our career because it was a very intimidating move to make ... That was really our first taste of pure, unfettered creative freedom.” (07:44)

4. Work Ethic, Sibling Dynamic, and Managing Pressure

Timestamps: 09:00 - 11:57

• Driven by parents’ strong work ethic (both in the medical field) and healthy sibling rivalry.
  • Megan: “There’s no resting on laurels when you’ve got somebody beside you who ... wants to see you improve as well.” (09:35)
• Discussion on balancing the constant demands of being modern musicians (social media, self-management) with preserving time for true creativity.
  • Rebecca: “There is such a hand in glove relationship with social media ... that sometimes ... we need to dial back the self-criticism ... and make sure our priorities are in line.” (09:56)

5. The Sisterly Push: How They Motivate Each Other

Timestamps: 11:57 - 14:50

• Each sister’s qualities challenge and complement the other.
  • Rebecca: “Megan doesn’t mince the truth ... she will give me her undiluted truth ... I trust this woman. I really do.” (12:10)
  • Megan: “We’re kind of like puzzle pieces, a little bit so different, and yet we fit together. ... Rebecca is really good at ... momentum is king ... Sometimes you just have to jump in and learn trial by fire, sink or swim.” (13:45, 14:50)

6. Technical Fascinations: Gear, Instruments, and Innovation

Timestamps: 14:50 - 17:33

• Larkin Poe are not “gearheads,” preferring reliability and consistency over constant tinkering, but Megan advanced lap steel design.
  • Rebecca: “We like to find something that works and then stick ... we want the ghosts [in the gear] to just rest.” (15:26)
  • Megan reverse engineered a lighter lap steel guitar with Beard Guitars (the Electrolyse line). (16:30)
  • Megan: "[The Electrolyse] is half the weight ... it still has that tone that I'm looking for and is shaped better for standing on stage." (17:33)

7. The Impact of Finding the Dobro/Lap Steel

Timestamps: 20:24 - 21:35

• Megan describes discovering the Dobro as life-changing and finding her “voice” through it, inspired by Jerry Douglas and the instrument’s vocal quality.
  • Megan: “I was always searching for my voice in an instrument and lap steel/Dobro ... have such a vocal quality ... It’s very human.” (20:31)

8. Influences: Musical Heroes and Hidden Mentors

Timestamps: 21:35 - 22:58

• Deep influences include Jerry Douglas, Elvis Costello, blues legends like Skip James, Son House, Muddy Waters, and the “Three Kings.”
  • Rebecca: “Anybody who listens to our records could say we make music that is adjacent to the blues. We are not a blues band. But so many of these artists ... are the guys that we’re listening to.” (22:58)
• Also inspired by musicians they’ll never meet—a continual process of absorbing from both direct and indirect connections.

9. Connecting Influences: Little Feat, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt

Timestamps: 25:01 - 26:58

• Buzz draws parallels between Larkin Poe and Little Feat, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, which the sisters warmly embrace.
  • Rebecca: “We want to rock ... but we don't want to shred ... I think of the melodies that Ry Cooder writes with his guitar, and the lyrical depth of a band like Little Feat.” (25:59)
  • Megan on Bonnie Raitt: “I revere Bonnie. She was doing something in her time that nobody was doing. There’s nobody who looked like her playing the way she did.” (26:58)

10. Favorite Driving Songs

Timestamps: 27:17 - 28:25

• Running on Empty (Jackson Browne, feat. David Lindley) and “Little Rock” (Collin Raye) are revealed as their must-play road tracks.
  • Megan: “Running On Empty is a huge one for me.” (27:41)
  • Rebecca: “Anytime we drive into Little Rock, we have to listen to Little Rock by Collin Raye.” (27:59)

11. Creative Process in the Studio

Timestamps: 28:25 - 30:48

• Their approach is evolving: from bedroom recordings to desiring live-in-the-studio albums that capture human connection, despite budget and space challenges.
  • Rebecca: “Our relationship to recording is constantly on the move ... The goal for us is to do an all live record because there is something unique ... that AI can never recreate.” (29:09)
  • Currently constructing a studio to allow fuller live in-person recording.

12. Mentoring and Looking to the Future

Timestamps: 30:48 - 32:14

• Haven’t begun mentoring or signing artists yet, but see this as a future passion as their workload allows.
  • Megan: “Once we have a little bit more time ... we would love to devote some energy to mentoring the next generation of music makers.” (31:17)

13. Building a Fanbase: Grassroots and Emotional Connection

Timestamps: 32:14 - 33:45

• Their success has been built person-by-person, city-by-city, with years spent playing to small crowds, deepening their connection with fans.
  • Megan: “It was person by person by person. Our 20s were definitely dedicated towards a huge grassroots effort ... it also ties us to our supporters.” (32:30)

14. Defining “Musical Happiness”

Timestamps: 33:54 - 37:09

• For Megan, it is creating music that goes out into the world and connects with others.
  • Megan: “Musical happiness ... is time to experiment, to create something new that then can go out into the world and mean something to somebody else.” (34:14)
• For Rebecca, it is about pure, in-the-moment acoustic music-making with minimal technological barriers.
  • Rebecca: “There is a fingerprint of spiritual energy that exists when humans make music together ... Musical happiness is when it’s conversational.” (36:41; 37:09)
  • On playing with T Bone Burnett: “It was such a cool experience to sit acoustically on stage ... The sound waves coming from one human to the next was impacting all of us and our chemistry on stage ...” (34:41)

Notable Quotes

• Rebecca Lovell (on genre): “We make music that is adjacent to the blues. We are not a blues band.” (22:58)
• Megan Lovell (on fanbase): “Our 20s were definitely dedicated towards a huge grassroots effort ... it also ties us to our supporters and these people that come out and spend their time and energy on us.” (32:30)
• Rebecca Lovell (on creative freedom): “That was really our first taste of pure, unfettered creative freedom. And there's no going back for us now.” (08:56)
• Megan Lovell (on sibling dynamic): “We are very different people, but ... we mirror each other very well. We're kind of like puzzle pieces ... so different, and yet we fit together.” (13:36)
• Rebecca Lovell (on technology in music): “AI can never recreate the unique energy of humans responding spontaneously with one another in the live space ...” (29:48)
• Rebecca Lovell (on musical happiness): “Musical happiness is when it's conversational ... when it's not too premeditated. There isn't pressure. Musical happiness is when it's conversational.” (37:09)

Memorable Moments & Timestamps

• 03:29 – Megan describes singing harmony before they could read.
• 06:37 – Rebecca on how their cover series liberated their musical identity.
• 07:06 – Megan on Elvis Costello’s advice to keep audiences guessing.
• 15:26 – Rebecca’s humorous take on being “ghost-averse” with unreliable gear.
• 20:31 – Megan reflects on finding her “voice” in the Dobro.
• 22:58 – Rebecca distinguishes Larkin Poe’s relationship to the blues.
• 31:17 – Megan and Rebecca express desire to mentor the next generation once their schedule permits.
• 32:30 – Megan emotionally recounts their grassroots rise.
• 37:09 – Rebecca's insight: “When music is allowed to be a conversation ... Musical happiness is when it's conversational.”

Conclusion

This episode spotlights Larkin Poe’s journey of artistic autonomy, creative evolution, and grounded humanity. Rebecca and Megan Lovell share how a strong family musical heritage and an independent spirit shaped both their sound and approach to connecting with fans. Their reflections on genre, mentorship, creativity, and musical fulfillment reveal thoughtful, relatable artists determined to keep growing, experimenting, and sharing the gifts of authentic music with the world.

For fans old and new, this conversation is a window into the sisterhood, ambition, and passion at the heart of Larkin Poe’s ongoing story.