Lisa chats with Runaway June about their very different origins, how they came together as a trio in Nashville, Jennifer’s famous grandfather John Wayne, Naomi’s happy Amish childhood, Hannah’s vegetarian cooking website, The Poor Herbivore, songwriting with Eric Paslay and more!
Show Participants
- Runaway June
- Naomi Cooke, lead singer and guitar
- Hannah Mulholland, singer and mandolin
- Jennifer Wayne, singer and guitar
- Lisa Konicki, NCD Editor in Chief
Show Notes & Links
- Runaway June website
- Runaway June’s “Lipstick” lyric video
- Hannah’s vegetarian cooking website, The Poor Herbivore
- Eric Paslay’s “She Don’t Love You” (Jennifer Wayne co-wrote the song with Eric) music video
Show Quotes
- “It was [about] midnight and I remember thinking, ‘We must be the only people on Music Row writing right now.’ And “She Don’t Love You” turned out to be nominated for a 2016 ACM Awards Song of the Year. I still can’t get over all of the response it got.” Jennifer Wayne
- “My dad was a huge John Wayne fan, so I grew up watching John Wayne movies. It was always a special thing. He was always sacred to me. So, when I met Jen, I was like, ‘What is my life right now?’” Naomi Cooke
- “It’s called ‘The Poor Herbivore’ for broke vegetarians, because people think it’s expensive [to be a vegetarian].” Hannah Mulholland
- “All I’ve heard is good things about pit bulls. How sweet they are.” Lisa Konicki
- “They’re like humans. They’re just, ugh. I have a special place in my heart for [pit bulls].” Jennifer Wayne
- “Don’t go there, Lisa. Don’t take the bait!” Naomi Cooke
- “I think initially I wanted to be a rock star. Then the more I got involved in songwriting and telling my own story in songwriting, country was the only thing that felt right for me.” Hannah Mulholland
- “There were so many stories that I related to and artists that I related to. I felt immediately at home when I started listening to the music. Dolly Parton had a lot of siblings. Shania Twain grew up really poor and had to take care of her siblings. I felt like my identity was there.” Naomi Cooke
- “It’s always been country for me. I mean, I love all music but it’s always been country. My dad wouldn’t let me listen to anything except oldies when I was growing up, because everything else was devil music. So, I really transitioned from oldies to country and I feel like, if you listen to oldies now, it would be what country is.” Jennifer Wayne
- “We can’t say, ‘We sound like the Dixie Chicks,’ because they are way too sacred to say that.” Hannah Mulholland
The Writers Room, Ep. 20, 32 minutes
photo courtesy Red Light Management; (Clockwise from top-left) Jennifer Wayne, Hannah Mulholland and Naomi Cooke
