Rebecca and Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe no doubt had a very musical upbringing. Their mother put them at ages three and four, respectively, into classical violin, but it was getting into bluegrass music a bit later that would lead them to picking up instruments like the banjo, mandolin, dobro, and lap steel guitar—elements that ring out in their southern-infused roots rock.
Recently, we had the chance to welcome Larkin Poe into the Reverb studio to perform some of their songs (and a Son House cover) and talk about their musical history and the gear staples in their respective rigs. "So I have a fairly standard pedalboard and it's remained the same for years, actually. I've got a Tube Screamer and a volume pedal—I have to have those two elements," Megan started, going on to mention the Mooer Ana Echo and Hall of Fame Reverb pedal that round out the pedalboard that powers her 1940s-era Rickenbacker lap steel.
Rebecca's board is more fluid than her sisters, with pedals often coming and going as she experiments with new sounds. "Usually I always have some form of overdrive, some sort of a boost, and then some sort of an echo/delay pedal," she told us. Her favorite pedal on her board right now is called the TB Drive, made by German company Rodenberg, which she describes as "basically like two Tube Screamers just back to back with each other."
The final, and perhaps most integral, piece of the collective Larkin Poe live rig is the clock that has lived on Rebecca's board since the band accidentally went five minutes over their slot time opening for Bob Seger. Be sure to check out the full Reverb Session above, and stay tuned for Larkin Poe's new album, Venom & Faith, coming November 9.