A Live Orchestral Experience, Larkin Poe & Nu Deco Ensemble Release Full Live Album “Paint The Roses”
After what feels like an eternity of teases, we can now fully Paint The Roses. On our latest visit to the world of Americana we are checking out Paint The Roses (Live In Concert), the latest live album from Larkin Poe and the Nu Deco Ensemble. While we have traveled down the Americana road before, it is about time we went full blues with a full orchestra. For those not familiar with Larkin Poe, this Grammy-nominated duo consists of multi-instrumentalist sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell who have been making major waves in the Americana and Blues worlds. Larkin Poe actually just finished recording/releasing their fifth album Self Made Man, but couldn’t tour and support the new songs due to COVID-19 restrictions. In need of a solution, Larkin Poe joined forces with the Nu Deco Ensemble and created their newest live album Paint The Roses: Live In Concert. Beyond serving as a chance to perform music in front of humans again, Paint The Roses gave Larkin Poe and new experience to add to their repertoire and introduce their music to an entirely new audience.
“Before we could even speak in full sentences, our introduction to the language of music began with classical violin and piano lessons; ever since then, music has been the bedrock upon which we’ve built our lives. Over the years we have drawn inspiration from a wide range of genres, but it has always been a dream of ours to find a way to honor our classical upbringing. ‘Paint The Roses’ was born out of a fortuitous, one-night collaboration with Nu Deco Ensemble. In hearing our Roots Rock n Roll repertoire reinterpreted through an orchestral lens, it felt like a creative circle was being completed; we wanted to share the performance on a grander scale and, thus, our first-ever live album came into being. We are deeply indebted to Sam Hyken for writing such incredible orchestra arrangements and also to Jacomo Bairos for conducting such a magical evening of music.” – Larkin Poe
An interesting beast themselves, the Nu Deco Ensemble is a Miami-based hybrid orchestra that burst onto the scene back in 2015. Their catalog includes collaborations with Wyclef Jean, Tune-Yards, PJ Morton, Macy Gray, Jacob Collier, and Ben Folds to name a few. Nu Deco has even released re-imagined versions of tracks by artists including Daft Punk, Outkast and classic rock artists as well as new music from today’s top composers. It is clear that if you want a unique neo-classical twist to your music, you need to reach out and connect with Nu Deco.
“During the challenging times of this past year, music served the critical purpose of connection to one another. Among those valuable connections was our first collaboration with the amazing duo Larkin Poe and the live album that resulted from it.” – Nu Deco Ensemble Co-Founders/Artistic Directors Jacomo Bairos, Sam Hyken
If you have been following Modern Neon for at least a while now, you know that we have been picking apart the singles from this album for quite some time…and we’re glad to finally Paint The Roses. Just leading up to this full album drop, Larkin Poe released the fan-favorite previously unreleased single “Mad as a Hatter”, which set the stage for the full album drop. Acclaimed by fans and members of the production, “Mad as a Hatter” is definitely the stand-out track of the album, best utilizing the Nu Deco Ensemble to expand the experience. The track is already a powerful one without Nu Deco backing, as the track is an ode to Larkin Poe’s late grandfather, who suffered from a primarily undiagnosed mental illness for the majority of his life. While we aren’t normally enraptured by Americana, Larkin Poe and Nu Deco prove that when you have access to an orchestra, they can’t take away the power in your music, only elevate it.
Make sure you check out the full live performance with Nu Deco Ensemble over on their Facebook page!
You can also check out the full live album Paint The Roses on Spotify below!
Are there any other projects/albums/movies that you think we should check out? Let us know in the comments! Make sure to follow Modern Neon Media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube!
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Who am I? Just some guy who decided to start writing on the Internet years ago and now operates his own brand and site. Owner/Operator of Modern Neon Media, I make all kinds of niche content to suit my interests at the time. DIY Enthusiast, Brewmaster extraordinaire, and avid freak for geek culture. Follow on my socials for a more “on” version of me.
