After 15 years, Larkin Poe keeps finding ways to ‘Bloom’

Specifically, the prolific musicians’ story began in Calhoun in the state’s northwest corner.

In 2005, the duo were two-thirds of a rootsy group called the Lovell Sisters. Basically an acoustic trio, the outfit included their older sister, Jessica Lovell. They parted ways in 2010, effectively ending a chapter of their early career that included two well-received full-length recordings and several high-profile gigs, including performances at Bonnaroo and the Grand Ole Opry.

“We were so young, and our eldest sister was working so hard to teach us everything she knew about how to do pretty much everything,” Rebecca recalled. “I think we were doing things that were so special, we were probably too young to quite grasp how cool some of it was. We didn’t seem to understand what an honor it was while it was all happening in real time.”

Continued Megan: “In hindsight, now we can appreciate that was the root of what we are still doing. But it was a lot to experience in a very short time, 2005 to 2009-ish. It definitely laid the foundation of our sound, as we learned to add elements of Southern rock, blues and country to the mix.”

Credit: Handout

Credit: Handout

Since the family was located near the Tennessee border, the sisters often played rustic spots in extreme North Georgia. But often their journeys took them farther north to Signal Mountain and other nearby Tennessee enclaves, as they participated in various “pickin’ parties” in the mountains near Chattanooga.

“All of those little ‘Oprys’ and porch parties we played were very instrumental in what we still do,” Megan said. “And then we’d come all the way down to Atlanta as often as we could, just to see concerts. It was really a nice balance.”

The Lovells credit their parents for introducing them to a wide variety of music. “We definitely grew up in a rural environment,” Megan continued. “But we had classical training, and I think all of that helped us to embrace the roots of bluegrass and traditional American music in general.”

Music was always playing in their home.Their parents’ tastes “were all over the place, so they would take us to see all kinds of concerts — as often as possible,” Megan said. “They wanted to hear it, and they wanted us to experience it live, too. In Atlanta, I remember we saw Loreena McKennitt, Indigo Girls and even Shawn Mullins at Eddie’s Attic. We really loved that place.”

In fact, the first Atlanta venue the musicians can remember playing was Eddie’s Attic’s venerable stage. “We basically started there for our Atlanta shows, once we became the Larkin Poe duo (in 2010),” she said.

From there, the band’s rapid ascent took them to increasingly larger halls.

To christen their 2010 debut as Larkin Poe — named in honor of their great-great-great-great-grandfather — the sisters continued to celebrate their roots, while touring frequently and cultivating a dedicated fan base. Their music catalog also grew in the process. “It was such an inspirational time,” Rebecca said. “It pushed us to record and write as we went along.”

After issuing several independent EPs and collaborative albums (with other artists and appearances on compilations), they signed with RH Music in late 2013 and released their debut studio album, “Kin,” in 2014.

“We went from the smaller listening rooms to midsize halls fairly quickly after that (first) album,” Rebecca said. “I do remember the day we got to play the Variety Playhouse along the way. That was so cool, because we saw so many shows there. But then to play that room, it was just incredible.”

Megan called it “a real pivotal moment of arrival for us. Then came things like Glastonbury and all that.” After they were honored as “Best Discovery of Glastonbury 2014” by the Observer in the United Kingdom, their shows expanded with a full-time backing band on board. During this time, they also attracted the attention of several notable musicians, including Elvis Costello, T Bone Burnett and Conor Oberst.

Fifteen years on, the band is back on the road in support of “Bloom,” the eighth Larkin Poe album, and ready to share their latest songs on their own terms.

“Now that we’re in our 30s, we truly love being our own boss, writing our own songs, having our own label and just being self-tasked entrepreneurs, so I guess we really are in ‘bloom,’ in a lot of ways,” Megan said with a laugh.

“I really do think a lot of stars aligned in our favor,” Megan said. “Being able to begin when we were so young — we were just teenagers when we were in the Lovell Sisters. But as we kept playing out and learning how it all works, I think the idealism of our early 20s really allowed us to grow, even as we were eating ramen and trying to keep our feet under us. But I guess perseverance is key. You have to love it and you have to be here for the right reasons.”

The sisters said they agree the live show remains the most important part of their overall mission. “Playing live shows anywhere is a special thing,” Rebecca said. “I finally realized that after the pandemic. It’s still hard to tour and do it right, even now, but we are determined to get out there and take this music to as many people who want to hear it.”

After playing the Ryman in Nashville on Thursday, the group will head to the Eastern for a sure to be raucous evening of music.

“Atlanta shows, in particular, always feel like a big homecoming for us,” Megan said. “We always have a lot of family there — but also in Nashville and even Asheville (North Carolina), too. The whole area we used to travel over and over, when we play there now, there’s always that strange but good feeling of everything that has happened over the years. But then when you see your mom and dad in the audience, it just brings everything back. We know we’ll need to sorta step it up a little to make it even more special for them.

“And for us!”

CONCERT PREVIEW

Larkin Poe

Doors open at 7 p.m., showtime 8 p.m., Friday at the Eastern. With special guest Katie Pruitt. $44-$254. 800 Old Flat Shoals Road, Atlanta. easternatl.com.