Grammy Award-winning roots-rock duo Larkin Poe will make its Park City Song Summit debut this year.
Sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell say they’re enthralled by its mission of supporting creativity, musician wellness and recovery and inclusivity in the music industry.
“The motivating factors behind the event — spreading awareness, creating more conversation around mental health, advocating the health of artists, the inclusion of all artists and justice for minorities — cover a wide range of social issues,” Rebecca said, “So this is something that is a no-brainer to be involved in.”
The sisters first heard about the event, which runs from Wednesday to Thursday, from mutual friends, according to Rebecca.
“People spoke so highly about the event,” she said. “I had friends and my husband (singer-songwriter Tyler Bryant) had gone out (last year) and taken part in a lab and performance. So, we were curious to come out to see what it is all about and experiencing it first hand. We think there is a lot of magic happening out in Park City.”
The Lovell siblings are slated to participate in two labs — Beats & Bytes: Navigating Creativity in the Age of AI and Blood Harmonies — Friday afternoon at the Pendry Room at the Pendry Park City at Canyons Village, before capping their visit off with a live performance with My Morning Jacket, Anders Osborne and Jackie Greene later that night at the Canyons Village Amphitheater.
“I’m just looking forward to being out there,” Megan said. “We don’t get to do labs a lot. So I think it will be fun to sit down and talk with people about some of the things we’re thinking about and experiencing. I think it’s really valuable to bring artists together to talk about these things.”
The siblings are interested in participating in Beats & Bytes, scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday, if only to hear what the other participating artists — Eric Krasno, Steve Poltz, Chris Koopman and representatives of Abundance Institute, a nonprofit that strives to pave the way for emerging technologies to grow, develop and thrive — think about the pros and cons of artificial intelligence and its role in the future of music and other creative endeavors.
“I do think it will be fascinating to sit down and have a conversation at-large with other individuals in the creative space and talk about their experiences about if (AI) is helping or hurting,” Rebecca said. “I’ve not had any firsthand use of AI in the creation of my own art and the art of Larkin Poe, but I think just by nature of the advent of AI in the creative space within the last 12 to 18 months, it’s a bit more on people’s radar and across social media with memes being shared.”
Still, the advent of AI in the past two years has pushed Rebecca to reflect on and appreciate analog human art “that much more.”
“But I also think we don’t want to cut anything off at the knees,” she said. “Sometimes allowing change and technological evolution in the space could be interesting. Who knows how it will even begin to serve when used appropriately.”
Megan still hasn’t fully formed her opinion about AI, which some artists believe takes the integrity out of songwriting and other forms of creativity.
“This is something I’m pondering because I don’t think that we should make decisions based on fear,” she said. “Technology can serve. It can bring people together. And I think it’s about how it is used, and I think artists should have the opportunity to opt-in to whether their music is being used by AI. That’s surely a conversation that needs to be taken seriously.”
The siblings will then get the chance to talk about themselves, sisterhood and the challenges and rewards of making music together during the Blood Harmonies lab, which will follow Beats & Bytes, at 11:30 a.m. at the Pendry Room.
“Larkin Poe started in 2010, but we’ve been making music as sisters since the jump,” Rebecca said. “We started classical violin lessons when we were 3 and 4 years old, but this is a relationship that continues to renew. We know and see some of the devastating and heart-breaking implosions that sibling bands can experience. So, I think it’s pretty miraculous that we’re at this point in our career professionally and still hang out on off days and watch ‘Whose Line Is It Anyway?’”
Megan says sibling relationships can be complex, and she’s looking forward to talking about her experiences being in a band with her sister..
“We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs, and we have worked through a lot of kinks in our relationship and have come out on the other side more than once,” she said. “It’s a relationship that is unlike any other, and it’s one that I feel super grateful for. There is nobody I’d rather make music with.”
The lab’s title Blood Harmonies also refers to the duo’s 2022 album, “Blood Harmony” that just won the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
“When I picked up a guitar when I was 15 years old and started writing songs, I never thought to dream about winning a Grammy,” Rebecca said.
“Blood Harmony” is the second Larkin Poe album to be nominated for a Grammy after 2018’s “Venom & Faith,” she said.
“It was quite a surprise when we were first nominated, so to get nominated again and then get a new breakthrough of winning a Grammy was wild,” Rebecca said. “It was such an honor, and it was cool to bring our parents out to Los Angeles and relive all those memories we made surrounding that whole experience.”
Megan was also surprised by the nominations and win.
“We’ve never really been embraced by the music industry,” she said. “We’ve always taken our own path and gone the long way around. So, it was a very different experience to be in that world.”
While the Lovells are honored and grateful their peers recognized them for the Grammy, they both agree that the support of their fans is the real reward for making music.
“It’s nice to win an award, but it’s also good to be grounded and remember what we’re really doing,” Rebecca said. “Every ticket represents an individual who is putting their money behind us, and that support is so magical.”
Collaborating with artists they respect is also something Larkin Poe has done from the early stages of their career, and that has not only been an honor. It has been a way to boost musicality, Megan said.
“We’re more than 20 years into this, so it’s always good to up your game,” she said. “If you’ve hit a plateau, these types of things are a good way to bonk yourself out of a rut (because when) you work with other people , you learn how they do things. And we always take those opportunities to bring something new to what we do.”
Collaborations aren’t anything new to Larkin Poe, Rebecca said.
“We are blessed that we have been able to work with a lot of heavy-hitters early on in our career,” she said. “I can’t speak highly enough of the work we have done with Elvis Costello over the years, and how much he, by osmosis, passed down to us regarding the energy with which you approach songwriting and the intention with which you approach your stage design and set list.”
Other established artists who have supported Larkin Poe include fellow Grammy Award winners Keith Urban and Melissa Etheridge, Rebecca said.
“Being able to tour with Keith Urban was something totally different than what we have done with Elvis Costello,” she said. “And getting on stage with Music Cares this year around the Grammys with Melissa Etheridge and seeing how she is paying it forward to the next generation of musicians (was eye-opening). She went out of her way to give us a vote of confidence by putting us on her bill to share her spotlight. We want to take a page out of these many lives and incredible books around us and weave them into our own story.”
The sisters are looking forward to learning more and forming new bonds with other musicians and fans as they perform Friday night’s concert.
“I think what brings everyone together is that we’re trying to bring joy,” Rebecca said. “Seeing our name on the bill with other artists of that caliber, people who have committed their lives to making art, (share) the human experience and vagrantly travel the world to bring people together, is something that I most look forward to. And bringing people together is something that I choose to remind myself of what we do.”
Megan said it is always a “joy” to be featured in a live lineup with artists she and her sister admire.
“We get to enjoy the music when we play with other people, and that kind of reminds ourselves what it’s like to be in the audience,” she said. “And we, hopefully, will let someone drop their burdens for just a moment and come together to listen to the music.”
Park City Song Summit
- When: Aug. 15-17
- Where: Canyons Village
- Web: parkcitysongsummit.com
- For information about Larkin Poe, visit larkinpoe.com