A Dirty Dozen with ROB & JACKIE WOLF – June 2021

According to a recent press release: “Rob and Jackie Wolf are relatively new to the Nashville Country music scene, a brother and sister duo based in Nashville, TN. hailing from Southern Montana, near Bozemen. Jackie is a graduate of Belmont University with a degree in Music Business  and Rob started playing at age 15 in coffee shops and recently moved to Nashville. The  duo is currently playing smaller, quaint venues in Nashville together, such as Alley Taps and similar venues to build their fan base. Jackie was about 7 years old when she fell in love with music and Rob was first bitten by the music bug in school productions in the 5th grade, but really dug in deep his freshman year of high school when he learned to play a few chords on the guitar.” We get the duo to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Jackie: Our latest release is a song called “Montana.” I wrote it one night during my first summer in Nashville when I was living alone in a little studio apartment. For whatever reason I felt extremely homesick and lonely that night and this song is the result of those feelings. Here’s a hidden nugget for you – if you listen closely to the song, you’ll be able to hear a lone wolf howling in the background. It’s very subtle, but it’s there.

Rob: There is one line in our song “Montana” where we talk about singing in a bubble down in Norris Springs. Norris Springs is one of many natural hot springs in Montana where people go to soak in the healing waters and listen to live music. The story behind this lyric is that Jackie and her friends might have had a little too much to drink one night and Jackie tried to go up in her bikini and take over the mic while another singer was performing.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

Jackie: I have always wanted to be a musician for as long as I can remember.  I think the moment it clicked for me though was when I was 7 years old and discovered Elvis for the first time. As a performer, he moved me and made me want to do the same for other people.

Rob: I’ve always loved to sing from a very young age, but I started to perform a lot around the age of 15 and from then on I really fell in love with performing in front of an audience.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Jackie: Like I said, my first realization that I wanted to be a performer for a living happened when I discovered Elvis. But my dad was always playing music that he grew up on around the house. Artists like Paul Simon, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, and Bruce Springsteen opened my young eyes to the art of songwriting and storytelling through music.

Rob: John Denver has influenced my singing career majorly. He was one of the main singers I looked up to and listened to when I was younger and still to this day.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

Jackie: Stevie Nicks. She is my hero and just seems like the coolest person in the world.

Rob: Luke Combs. He produces such amazing and heartfelt songs. His songs are real and have a lot of meaning.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

Jackie: Is sleep too boring of an answer? Other than that, I love to fish. We grew up fly fishing on the rivers of Montana, so I always find peace when I’m on the water. I love going out around Nashville for a beer and to catch some live music. But I also live staying in and having movie nights with my friends. Favorite movie snack is a big bowl of popcorn with hot sauce tossed in – trust me, it’s a game changer!

Rob: I love to do anything outdoors whether it’s hunting, fishing, hiking, literally anything outdoors. I also love to work on my truck and do mechanical stuff like that.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

Jackie: I would describe it as country folk. It’s a little bit country, a little bit hippie. We grew up out west so a lot of our influence comes from artists such as John Denver who drew inspiration from being out in nature.

Rob: We are a country folk band which means our music comes from the heart and has a little bit of a mountain feel.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

Jackie: I drink enough for Rob and I combined. If you see me out and about, you’ll most likely see me with a drink in my hand. It’s rare I see Rob without a guitar. He’s always whipping it out for an impromptu singalong.

Rob: Like Jackie said, I have my guitar in my hands as much as I can. I do most of the cooking because Jackie would burn the place down.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

Jackie: The last time I was starstruck was when I was 17 and ran into Harry Styles at lunch.

Rob: The last time I was starstruck was when I saw Garth Brooks perform.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

Jackie: The best part of being a musician is creating and playing music! One of the best feelings in the world is finishing a song about something that’s been wearing on your mind. It’s like a release of sorts. Because now all these crazy things inside my head can be used for good and are made into something tangible and beautiful that brings us all together, if only for 3 minutes. If I wasn’t a musician, I would probably be working in A&R at a record label. I’ve always had a passion for discovering new artists, so I could see myself really loving that!

Rob: I love making music for people and seeing the smiles on their faces when we sing. If I wasn’t a musician I don’t really know what I’d do, but I’ve always talked about being a hunting guide but I also might have followed my baseball career.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

Jackie: I love rapid fire questions about seemingly stupid stuff. Sometimes someone’s favorite movie can tell you a lot about a person! I’m just grateful that people are interested in what we have to say, so I’m not really tired of answering anything!

Rob: I love questions that go in depth about home. I love all questions so there is no unwanted question.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

Jackie: I wish I could change the outfits I used to wear onstage. Some of them were downright hideous.

Rob: I can’t think of any situation or moment where there was a misstep.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Jackie: Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys. I’ve always been a huge fan of The Beach Boys and a couple years ago I watched a documentary on Brian Wilson. The man was an absolute genius. The innovations he made in the recording studio are second to none and I would have loved to be a fly on the wall to watch the master at work. My dad and I were lucky enough to see him perform at The Ryman here in Nashville a few years back. Even in his 70’s, he’s still got it.

Rob: I would love to be at the John Denver wildlife concert which then got turned into an album or Queens album Queen II.

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Category: Interviews