Larkin Poe/Amythyst Kiah – The Vic Theater, Chicago, May 17, 2025

By Linda Cain

Photos: Jim Summaria

Rebecca & Megan Lovell

Larkin Poe & Amythyst Kiah  - The Vic Theater, Chicago, May 17, 2025

By Linda Cain

Photos: Jim Summaria

The sensational sisters of Larkin Poe are experts at playing both traditional and modern styles of blues, bluegrass, country, folk and rock; these lively and lovely ladies are adept at combining the genres into a savory blend of music that makes for a fun, engaging and exciting live show that has won the adoration of fans worldwide. Rebecca and Megan Lovell wear their influences on their faded denim shirt sleeves -- from Heart, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and the Allman Brothers to Son House, Robert Johnson, Doc Watson and Jerry Douglas. You might say that Larkin Poe is like the female North Mississippi All-Stars, except they are from Georgia and they can play bluegrass.

Amythyst Kiah weaves a similar blend of Americana and contemporary styles – as evidenced by her new release, Still + Bright, and she was the perfect opening act.

Amythyst’s latest album on Rounder Records was produced by Butch Walker (Taylor Swift, Green Day and Weezer) and not surprisingly is a richly produced sonic soundscape that sounds, at times, like a film soundtrack to accompany her cinematic, storytelling style of songwriting.

But for her show at The Vic, Amythyst left the studio effects at home and served up a heartfelt solo acoustic set that was stripped down and soul stirring.

Amythyst Kiah

Seated center stage with only an acoustic guitar or banjo, her beautiful powerful voice rang out, with a just a single spotlight and a fog machine surrounding her.  At first listen, Tracy Chapman comes to mind. However, growing up in a white suburb of Tennessee, Amythyst was inspired to become a singer/songwriter by Tori Amos, an artist who is a survivor and fearlessly bares her soul in her music.

From the opening note, to her big finale, the SRO crowd huddled in front of the stage (there were no seats on the main floor, only up in the balcony) enchanted by Amythyst’s compelling stage presence, powerful voice and profound lyrics. The chatter stopped and the fans kept respectfully quiet during her performance, but they heartily cheered and applauded approval at the close of each song.

The charismatic Amythyst performed eight songs total and five of them came from her new album. Her songs are mostly melodic, catchy, rhythmic and easy to sing along to. But her lyrics are deep, spiritual, insightful, introspective, personal, painful and truthful, with universal messages.

Her opener was “Empire of Love” with its positive message for the world:

 My religion is none at all…

I don’t want a theocracy/ Some idle ideology

We’re all made from stars from above

I pledge allegiance to my soul/ I follow where she needs to go

I’m a pilgrim for the Empire of Love

Amythyst introduced most of her songs with the back story of what prompted her to write them.  The next song, she told us, was inspired by a podcast she watched that was a ghost story and a love story.

In “Silk and Petals,” she asked the question:

I don’t feel like myself at all/ Is there a ghost in me or just a love song?

The third song, “Gods Under the Mountain,” also came from a podcast affiliated with her hair stylist, that she described as an Appalachian horror story. Some in the audience seemed to be familiar with the creepy podcasts of which she spoke.

Now in her 30s, Kiah has said that as a teen she was an “anime-nerd mall goth” and she references fantasy stories and nature imagery in some her songs and videos.

She switched to banjo for “I Will Not Go Down,” a song she started to write in high school after studying about the Crusades and its bloody violence in the name of religion. On the new album, the song is presented as progressive bluegrass music, featuring the virtuoso guitar picking of Billy Strings.

The only cover song she played was “Abracadabra,” Lady Gaga’s witchy “dance or die” song about casting a love spell on the dance floor, which Amythyst  cleverly transformed into a bluegrass tune. The audience was spellbound!

Amythyst’s new song “SPACE” was a banjo driven, trance like mantra, inspired by her practice of meditation, with the repetitive chorus of “Give me space, Give me space.” The audience, who were packed in front of the stage, seemed to relate to the message.

She introduced “Wild Turkey’ by telling us it took her two years to write, but once it was written, she felt relief. “Songwriting is my catharsis, my therapy.”  She revealed that the song was about her mother’s tragic death when she was only 17. You could sense that folks in the audience wanted to give her a big hug.

She’s  never coming back… Will I ever feel right again? The audience was clearly moved by this truthful, warm, charming and relatable soul onstage.

For her last number, Amythyst spoke about the Our Native Daughters project—a historic roots music supergroup that she joined, along with Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla and Allison Russell.  She wrote “Black Myself,” for the project and it tells a narrative from three different points of view: from an enslaved person, a freed slave, and a Civil Rights activist. For this song, Amythyst switched back to acoustic guitar and she proudly belted out the chorus “I’m Black Myself.”  Her voice was majestic, it swooped, soared, hollered and moaned. It was an affirmation for her personally and for the ancestors who overcame oppression and injustice throughout history. And she brought the house down!  As the fans wildly cheered and clapped for her big finale, Amythyst, waved, grabbed her instruments and disappeared into a cloud of fog.

That same night, superstar Beyonce was headlining  at Soldier Field for a three-night stand as part of her Cowboy Carter tour, playing songs from the Grammy-winning album of the same name, on which the versatile artist recreated country music in her own bedazzling image -- which musically speaking is a far cry from Merle Haggard or Loretta Lynn. Nonetheless, she struck a chord with fans and revived interest in black cowboys and chitlin’ circuit entertainers.

Meanwhile, another set of Grammy winners, Larkin Poe, took the stage at the humble, historic Vic Theater on the North Side -- the polar opposite of Beyonce’s highly produced, polished and glitzy extravaganza at the stadium. These Georgia Peaches couldn’t have been more different looking either, with the Lovell sisters dressed in oversized, well-worn denim shirts worn over baggy, patched jeans and Converse high tops -- and not a false eyelash or sequin to be seen.  Their music couldn’t be more different than the Cowboy Carter soundtrack either.

When Ringo Starr recorded his new country music album, Look Up, featuring a dazzling array of guest artists, who did he and producer T-Bone Burnette ask to join them in the studio and onstage at the storied Ryman Auditorium for the recent CBS-TV special? (Hint: not Beyonce). The Lovell sisters were the chosen ones to enhance the former Beatle’s love letter to the old school country music that he grew up with.

The Larkin Poe sisters have shared the stage with other music luminaires, including: Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Jackson Browne, Don Henley, Billy Gibbons, Bob Seger, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and Mike Campbell (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers). They have won countless awards and nominations and have performed at prestigious festivals including: Chicago Blues Festival, Mahindra Blues Festival in Mumbai, India and Glastonbury Fest in Scotland.

Larkin Poe’s new album is titled Bloom and the stage was decorated appropriately, decked out with potted plants, images of flowers projected onto the stage floor and sides, and a huge backdrop of flowers, too. Even the bass drum head displayed a giant pink daisy. As the house lights went down, the sounds of a flower song medley were heard: the anti-war folk song “Where Have All The Flowers Gone,” “Wildflowers” by Dolly Parton and Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers.”

 Boisterous crazed, cheers arose as the band took the stage to open with the danceable, pedal to the metal, rock ‘n’ roll number “Nowhere Fast” from Larkin Poe’s new release that celebrates their Georgia roots and more. A jammin’ mashup of “Summertime Sunset,” “Kick the Blues” and “Sugar High” followed, pumping up the fans on the floor even more so. Backed by thumping drums and bass plus punchy keyboards, lead guitarist Rebecca jumped and twirled while sister Megan played stinging slide guitar on her dobro as their vocal harmonies soared.

The sisters kept the energy level high throughout the 17-song set. They smiled, swayed and moved about, sometimes stopping at center stage to play a guitar duet, toe-to-toe and back-to-back, as the fans went wild. You would never guess that Rebecca is an expectant mother. And that she recently recovered from minor surgery. She is married to the band’s former bass player, Tyler Bryant, who now heads his own group but continues to co-produce and help write Larkin Poe’s music.

Rebecca Lovell enjoyed “throwin’ the horns” for the band’s loud rock numbers, and encouraged the fans to scream and cheer as loudly as they could.  Which they did, but only when asked, since this was a polite, all ages crowd. There were no seats on the main floor and the fans stood shoulder- to-shoulder in front of the stage, thus providing close interaction and reaction shared between the band and fans.

Things quieted down just a bit for the third song, also from the Bloom album, titled “Easy Love Part 1.” Rebecca dedicated this upbeat song to the audience because we were “easy to love.” The melodic tune featured soulful harmonies and a boppin’ beat topped with Megan’s breezy slide guitar; Rebecca beckoned us to sing along for the “whooo, whoo” finale, and so we did.  We were loveable indeed!

The next song, “Bluephoria,” also from the Bloom album, picked up the pace as Rebecca played crunchy rockin’ chords and unleashed her powerhouse vocals, like Ann Wilson of Heart. Backed by a heavy, floor thumping beat, the always-smiling siblings leaned into each other, back-to-back, for some wailing guitar duets and solos along with glorious harmonies. Megan’s righteous slide guitar excursions built the excitement to a crescendo. The fans screamed and cheered their approval. “Bluephoria” is sure to be the band’s next hit song and a concert staple.

Also from the Bloom album, was “Mocking Bird,” – a tuneful song with more soaring harmonies and bluesy slide guitar accents. Self-discovery, introspection and individualism are the running themes on the new release and this tune exemplifies just that: “Like a mocking bird, singing a thousand songs that don’t belong to me.” The Lovell’s metaphorical mockingbird is seeking to sing her own song -- “my secret melody”-- despite pressures from the outside world.

The next song was a hit from Larkin Poe’s previous Grammy-winning album, Blood Harmony. “Bad Spell” was dedicated to “all the blues lovers in the house” (your truly included) as the sisters put on their hard core, blues-rock boots to kick some butt with their Cream inspired killer guitar solos and jammin’. The audience loved it!

The sisters kept the rockin’ guitars going for a song from their sophomore album Peach – “Wanted Woman/ AC/DC.” With a surf rock beat and dramatic stops, the tune celebrated a female outlaw protagonist who finds rejection and then love. The Lovells ended the rollicking number with an electrifying AC/DC homage finale.

Then, off came the electric guitars and it was time for an acoustic, roots music set.

It seemed that some in the audience came to hear Larkin Poe loudly rock out, while others were patiently waiting for this beautiful, down home portion of the show. And some patrons were happy to hear absolutely everything the Lovells had in their repertoire.

Classically trained as young children, the Lovell sisters branched out into playing progressive acoustic bluegrass music as teens.  Rebecca and Megan formed The Lovell Sisters with big sis Jessica in 2005 and were very successful. Jessica left the group in 2010 to attend college and the two younger sisters formed an electric band and named it Larkin Poe – after an ancestor who was Edgar Allen Poe’s cousin.

While the band switched to acoustic instruments, Rebecca recalled their bluegrass beginnings; she also emphasized the importance of blues music as the “bedrock” of Larkin Poe’s music and of ALL music. No argument here.

The band members moved to the front of the stage now to join Rebecca on mandolin, Megan on dobro, the keyboard player on acoustic guitar, longtime bass player Tarka Lay on upright bass, and the drummer downsized to snare and tambourine.

The quintet of players huddled around a mic and proceeded to serenade us with gorgeous harmonies and beautifully played acoustic songs with incredible solos:

“Southern Comfort” – A song about longing to return to the comforts of home and embrace their Southern roots once again.

“God Moves on the Water” – Blind Willie Johnson’s gospel blues song from 1929, about the sinking of the Titanic

“Mad As A Hatter” – Lovingly dedicated to the Lovell’s grandmother who suffered from mental illness

“Thank God I’m A Country Boy” – a stomp down bluegrass version of the John Denver nugget that got the crowd clapping and singing along.

Larkin Poe’s acoustic set was like a show within a show and the crowd loved it.

The band then moved back behind their electric instruments for the rest of the show. Larkin Poe played three more songs from the new release, Bloom.

Rebecca introduced the song “Little Bit” by saying “Now that we’re in our 30s, we know what we want from life -- just a little bit. The song featured catchy, country-ish melodies and lovely harmonies, as the sisters smiled and sang about keeping it simple and not always wanting more and more.

For the new song “If God Is A Woman,” the ladies switched gears to launch into a haunting, North Mississippi trance tune with a pounding four-on- the- floor beat. Megan’s slide playing was like a snake hissing and slithering through the swamp. Rebecca answered with her guitar’s entrancing licks as she sang out:

“If God is a woman/ The Devil is too

Better get down on your knees/ I’m gonna pray for you”

The next song, “Pearls,” followed a similar thematic and musical path; it opened with a snarling guitar, accompanied by stinging slide guitar and a manic, shuffling bass line and drum pulse that recalled Pink Floyd. The sisters decried their past passivity and defiantly declared: “Hey hey hey …You try to tell me what to do…Keep your pearls!”

“Blue Ridge Mountains” (from Venom & Faith) had the band switching gears again to a downhome theme about celebrating nature and a simpler rural lifestyle. The music, however was all over map, starting out with Megan’s eerie slide guitar backed by a country boom chick thump, that built up into a number of tempo and style changes and then into a crescendo that crashed into a big wall of psychedelic, head-banging sound. It was one trippy jam. Whew!

So of course, Rebecca threw up “the horns” again.

“Bolt Cutters & The Family Name” (from Blood Harmony) began with a Canned Heat style, buzzy guitar intro and bluesy thumping beat, as Rebecca declared: “you can take me out of the fight/ but you can’t take the fight outta me.” Megan’s slide was as lyrical and defiant as the music.

The sisters’ guitars wailed as they bopped around the stage; Rebecca asked the crowd to sing the song’s ending with: “whoo hoo/ yeah yeah yeah” and the fans didn’t hesitate to keep it going. The band took a pause so only the audience’s voices could be heard. The sisters finished “Bolt Cutters” with the audience’s help. It was a special synergy where the lines between the stage, the band and the audience disappeared and the house came together as one.

That was the last song and Larkin Poe exited the stage. Thunderous applause and cheers beckoned their return for the encore.

The ladies obliged and played for us the title track from Bloom. They were inspired to create this lovely song by Heartbreaker Mike Campbell who encouraged the sisters to pen a song in the legendary style of Phil and Don Everly and their signature sibling harmonies.

 “Bloom Again,” starts as a quiet, achingly beautiful acoustic song with the sisters singing heavenly harmonies and lamenting a romance that is on the rocks, hoping that the flame can be rekindled. The song began with only the sisters’ gorgeous voices and weeping guitars:

Don’t close the door/ My heart can’t take more…

Can’t our love bloom again?

The band joined in and charged up the dynamics for the sister’s solos -- Megan’s soaring slide guitar sounded reminiscent of Duane Allman’s coda on “Layla,” while Rebecca played an emotional, goosebump-raising guitar solo worthy of Eric Clapton.

It was a triumphant finish to an outstanding, wide-ranging musical experience,  that surely satisfied every type of music lover in the house. All told, Larkin Poe delivered a breathless, intoxicating 17-song set, which included eight new songs from their Bloom album along with favorites from earlier albums.

The band stepped to the front of the stage for a group bow as an adoring audience cheered, clapped and whistled its approval.

As Larkin Poe exited the stage, the lights came up and the PA played the silly novelty song “Tiptoe through the Tulips” by Tiny Tim in keeping with the floral theme.

It sent us into the night with smiles on our faces and fond wishes for the three ladies and their bandmates to continue to bloom and grow.

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