INTERVIEW: The Dollyrots are back, this time as ‘Night Owls’
Photo: The Dollyrots feature Luis Cabezas and Kelly Ogden. Their new album is called Night Owls. Photo courtesy of Jen Rosenstein / Provided by Earshot Media with permission.
The Dollyrots, featuring wife-husband team Kelly Ogden and Luis Cabezas, have been one of the hardest-working rock ‘n’ roll bands in recent years, constantly touring and releasing a new record every few years. Making good on their promise to fans, they are releasing a brand new album today, Oct. 13, courtesy of Wicked Cool Records. The album, called Night Owls, will be celebrated at a special record release party set for tonight at Heaven Can Wait in New York City.
Recently Ogden, the singer and bassist for the band, spoke with Hollywood Soapbox about the new songs, what life was like during the COVID-19 pandemic, what fans can expect at the record release party and whether the Dollyrots’ sound has changed over the years. Here’s what she had to say.
On the inspiration for Night Owls …
“Well, we’ve been putting out an album every couple years for about the last 20 years, but there was that whole hiccup when COVID happened. We had lots of bits and pieces of songs, but in that time period, we didn’t really finish anything. So we put out a B sides and rarities album called Down the Rabbit Hole, but once we got back out touring and felt inspired again, we looked at all those bits and pieces that we wrote and were like, ‘Oh my gosh, we’ve got at least an album here.’ And so we put it together pretty quickly once we had the inspiration behind us.”
On what it was like not touring during the pandemic …
“Honestly, as a band, the shows are kind of the reward for a lot of the work that we do behind the scenes, and so not being able to play live and see the people who like our music, who we make music for, that definitely, definitely sucked. But there were some silver linings. I mean, we did get to spend an entire year home with our little kids, just as a little family. There were sweet parts to that, but it also meant we had to homeschool. We were doing Zoom schooling, and so trying to balance being a creative person while parenting around the clock, trying to be a teacher, and also I have a radio show on [Sirius/XM], I had just started that, so it got be a little overwhelming. To bridge the gap, we played a lot of online shows on StageIt, and that did help. We got to connect with people that way, but there’s nothing like a live rock show to inspire us.”
On what fans can expect Friday, Oct. 13 at the record release party …
“It’s actually the release day, which is pretty cool. We’ve never did a record release party in New York. We were living in Los Angeles for 12 years, and so that’s always been our home base. But now that we’re on the East Coast, we’ve been playing New York a lot more. The album is coming out on Wicked Cool Records, which is a New York label, so it all made sense. We’re going to make a party of it. Our labelmate, Kurt Baker, is playing the show. We’re going to do a VIP meet and greet and acoustic show right after soundcheck. I think that’s at 6 o’clock, and there’s a really limited number of tickets for that. So we’re going to do that and have a little gathering of us and the superfans. We can take some pictures. We’ll play some of the new songs acoustic. I guess that means we have to learn them, but then we’ll have a great rock ‘n’ roll party in New York City. It’s going to be a great way to start off the album cycle.”
On whether the Dollyrots’ sound has changed over the years …
“I do think if somebody likes the Dollyrots, they’re definitely going to like the album and understand it. It’s not a huge departure, but at the same time, we had four years to create this one. I think there’s a little more thought to it, in the same way I feel like a band’s first album is sometimes the best because you’ve been working on that album your whole life. You’ve really thought about the songs, and you’ve put a lot of work into it. In the same way, Night Owls, it took a while. It got to marinate for a little bit longer. We weren’t touring, so it might be a little deeper at times. But on the surface, it’s still a fun, great rock ‘n’ roll record that you can scream and dance along to. The subject matter might be a little bit more grownup at times. There are a couple songs that are a different style that we haven’t done in the past really, but overall, it’s just a great Dollyrots record. I don’t think any Dollyrots fan would be disappointed. I think anyone who likes just rock ‘n’ roll in general can find stuff on this album that they like.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
The Dollyrots’ new album is called Night Owls, and it was released today, Oct. 13, from Wicked Cool Records. Click here for more information.
