Night Owls and Yo-Yos: Behind the Scenes with The Dollyrots
This interview was a bit like stepping into Kelly Ogden’s and Luis Cabezas’ lives. The pair was navigating a tire issue and Ubering to their child’s field hockey game, all while handling phone interviews like this one. But not every parent is gearing up for a tour with Bowling for Soup while rooting for their child on the sidelines of the tournament field hockey game.
In the late 1990s, pop punk was everywhere. For then teenagers like Kelly Ogden and Luis Cabezas it was a powerful outlet. The first incarnation of The Dollyrots was officially formed in 2000. The pair are now married with two kids, and Dollyrots have just hit the road again for a tour with Lit and Bowling for Soup.
“We started touring with them in 2009,” Ogden says of Bowling for Soup, “so we’ve known them for a long time and we were touring together so much that eventually they were like ‘Why don’t you ride in the bus instead of following us in your van?’. And so once that happened, you know, they really became like my big brothers.
“Getting play with them is always – it’s just so nice. It’s comfortable. It’s fun. It’s warm. It just makes me happy. And I think that comes across on stage too.
“We did the same tour for Bowling for Soup with Dollyrots in the UK. And you know, we had never met Lit before, of course we liked their music. So it was exciting. But once we met them, you know they fit in great. They’re really really kind guys. It’s gonna be fun, maybe too much fun,” Ogden says with a laugh.
When asked about pre-tour rituals, Ogden admits that figuring out her wardrobe to travel with is challenging. “What I do is totally freak out, empty my closet, and decide I have no clothes to wear and then I just pull out the same thing I wore the tour before anyway.”
Now traveling with ten-year-old River and seven-year-old Daisy there is some extra juggling – or in River’s case yo-yo-ing.
“So, in the past, when they were babies, it was great. I could fit all my clothes and all their clothes in one big suitcase. And now they’re getting bigger so their clothes are getting bigger and they have opinions. Like River only wants to wear Dollyrot’s merch.”
While River tries to bring various electronics and over 20 yo-yos from his collection – Daisy has become a pro at packing herself only asking ‘How many days, Mom?’ for guidance.
The Dollyrots embracing punk-rock parenthood almost didn’t happen. They originally thought they would have to choose between having a family and being able to tour. “We actually sold the tour van. We cried. We said goodbye to it and we played our last show. I was I was extremely pregnant. And we thought that might be the end of it,” explains Ogden.
“We just kind of figured, we’ll just change direction for a while and it’ll be okay. But then when I was like, eight months pregnant, we got asked to play in southern California, with one of the versions of Black Flag. And it was all good venues like House of Blues and stuff – so we accepted.
“And I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I don’t know how we’re gonna do this but we’ll try’. And so we went, we played those shows and it was amazing. And I was like, you know, and I think that we might be able to do this. Then we ended up going South by Southwest and you know, we just kept saying ‘yes’. Then you know, here we are, you know our oldest kid is ten. He’s been to more places than most adults go in their entire life. And I think the kids are better for it. I think we’re better for it because you know, we didn’t completely lose ourselves in parenthood – we just kind of merged them together in a way.”
In October 2023 Dollyrots released ‘Night Owls’. They are aiming to give each song from the full-length album its due by releasing a lyric video for every track. They hope that the additional social media push will continue to raise interest in the songs and the album. It has been released for streaming in full on the usual platforms.
With a headlining tour around St Patrick’s Day slated throughout the Midwest US, Ogden’s continued duties as a Sirius XM radio host (on channels 21 and 721), and independently designed merch – The Dollyrots are a force to keep up with.
As for advice for other musicians who are trying to make that next leap, “Go to shows and play shows,” says Ogden. “Because if you go to shows, then you’re going to meet musicians. And once you play shows, you learn a lot about yourself. You learn a lot about how you are as a performer or if you even want to perform. You see your songs in a different way.
“That’s something we did when we first moved out to Los Angeles. We didn’t know anybody at all. We had one friend who was a few grades ahead of us in high school, and he had moved out to LA. He was the only soul he knew there… So we would do our day jobs every day and then we would just go out to rock shows every single night. And that’s how we found our community. As soon as we do that, then it opens up more opportunities.”
Keep up with the Dollyrots across social media, catch them on tour, and look for River at the merch booth showing off his newest yo-yo trick.
Tour dates:
January with Bowling For Soup and Lit
1/21 at Revolution in Ft Lauderdale, FL
1/23 at Vinyl Music Hall in Pensacola, FL
1/24 at Southport Hall in New Orleans, LA
1/25 at Ponte Verde Concert Hall in Ponte Verde, FL
1/26 at Hard Rock Live in Orlando, FL
1/28 at Jannus Live in St. Petersburg, FL
March –
3/7 at X-Ray Arcade in Cudahy, WI with Gymshorts
3/8 at James Ballentine “Uptown” VFW in Minneapolis, MN with Gymshorts
3/9 at Reggie’s in Chicago, IL with Gymshorts
3/10 at Old Rock House in St. Louis, MO with Gymshorts
3/11 at Night Shop in Bloomington, IL with Gymshorts
3/12 at Southgate House in Newport, KY with Gymshorts
3/13 at Melody House in Indianapolis, IN with Gymshorts
3/14 at Rumba Café in Columbus, OH with Gymshorts
3/15 at Sanctuary in Detroit, MI with local support
3/16 at Beachland Tavern, Cleveland, OH with local support
About 850ME
850 Music & Entertainment 