The Dollyrots
Los Angeles, California, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2000 | SELF
Music
Press
Barefoot and Pregnant is another onslaught of spunky bubblegum punk from LA’s the Dollyrots. If the very idea of “bubblegum punk” makes you want to choke a marmoset (or, better yet, Billie Joe Armstrong), take a deep breath; the Dollyrots’ blend of hooks, melody, and aggression is much more of a garage-rock throwback than a cynical, Blink-182ish attempt to mask lazy songwriting with overdrive (for proof, they close the set with a blended cover of “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “I Wanna Be Sedated”). Besides, these are some damn catchy songs; check your pulse if you don’t find yourself bopping along to “Stupidly in Love”, “Get Weird”, “Nightlight” and the glorious “Bury Me in Ireland”.
The album, their fifth, is loaded with smirky humor, which doesn’t always work—“First World Anarchist” is more odd than hilarious, and singer/bassist Kelly Ogden’s use of social media-age slang (“I’ve got these feels”) is more distracting than biting. But there’s more variety and nuance here than ever before; jokey hardcore runs seamlessly into mid-tempo stomps and bad-girl anthems, all powered by Luis Cabezas’ satisfyingly fuzzy guitars and delivered with an economy (13 songs in 37 minutes) that would have made Dee Dee and the boys proud. Barefoot and Pregnant is deeply hooky, melodic, wacky and at least as delightfully bratty as 2007’s Because I’m Awesome. - Popmatters
Barefoot and Pregnant, the 5th studio album by L.A.’s The Dollyrots has been released and it is my first official entry into my “Best of 2014” competition. There isn’t a skippable track on this pop-punk gem - it really is that good. Especially if you have a thing for lady-led pop punk - which I do.
The album kicks off with the invitation to “Come and Get It” which blends super fun pop melodies with a rock n roll, Joan Jett-y punk beat. Kelly Ogden, who pulls double duty playing bass as well as singing lead vocals, has got the perfect set of pipes and just nails the cute and sassy in every song. The real life couple really shows you what they got as guitarist Luis Cabezas and his excellent punk rock guitar work are showcased on songs like “Stupidly In Love”, “First World Anarchist” and “Get Weird” . The fun, lyrical style and organic rawness is blended so well on tracks like “Barefoot and Pregnant” and “Worstie”, which are probably two of my favorites on the album.
Every track is filled with so much energy and they just make you wanna get up and move and they all lend themselves so well to the next track. The sweet love song “Nightlight” is sweet and charming and will be a staple on many a playlist this year. I have made time to listen to this record multiple times since I got my hands on it and I seriously can’t find a thing wrong with it.
If you like bands like The Muffs, The Sounds, Jack Off Jill, or Go Betty Go you should definitely add this to your record pile…or playlist, however the kids are doing it these days.
And if what I am telling you doesn’t do it for ya, you can check out the video they just released for the title track, which is uber-cute and was filmed while Ogden was pregnant and about to burst with the couple’s first child. Congrats to the happy family :-) - Tracy - Emoatheart.com
‘One Big Happy’ is the upcoming release that precedes the return of Texan pop-punk legends Bowling For Soup to the UK. They’ve gone for something a little more original this time round and this has lead to a three-way split album with the support acts of their October tour – The Dollyrots and Patent Pending.
My high expectations of Bowling For Soup are immediately laid to rest with their introductory track ‘Lets Go To The Pub’. There is simply nothing special to it and it is just a cheap re-hash of all their other songs about drinking and partying. This, fortunately, will turn to be my only criticism as hope for brilliance is restored when the opening song is followed by The Dollyrots covering the Bowling For Soup classic ‘The Bitch Song’. They prove that the song is far from a one-off as they pull it off to a great standard retaining the raw pop punk nature of the track and pumping a little more aggression into the vocals. The cover, in particular the female vocals, give the song a fresh air as if the song is a tribute to a close but irritating friend rather than to a lover of a similar personality. This is immediately followed by Patent Pending giving their rendition of the lesser-known Bowling For Soup song ‘Shut Up And Smile’.
The Dollyrots' brilliantly catchy ‘Just Like All The Rest’ follows. The lyrics contain an attitude that is like second-nature whilst the chorus proves borderline irresistible to sing-along to. As soon as the song ends Bowling For Soup return to the wheel with ‘My Heart Explodes’ that announces itself as a love song with more energy than commonly expected; a common theme on many of their greatest hits.
The next contribution by Patent Pending comes in the form of back-to-back pieces of their own work. The first of which is a two minute piece by the name of ‘Hyperactive’. The name of which does not deceive in terms of the auditory experience. ‘Hyperactive’ precedes ‘Psycho In Love’ which comes across as a pop-punk classic just waiting to explode into its place in the genre’s history.
The tenth and final song of the album isn’t directly listed as being by a particular of the three bands but rather as a duet between Jaret Reddick of Bowling For Soup and Kelly Ogden of The Dollyrots. The song goes by the title of ‘Love Ya, Love Ya, Love Ya’ and tells the story of an angry, bitter yet irresistible relationship. It is an excellent all-round piece and I can imagine it proving to be a vital component of the setlists.
The strongest contribution to this three-way split comes from The Dollyrots whose work displays a skilled balance between both the pop and the punk from which their genre is titled. The Bowling For Soup sections contain recycled versions of everything we’ve heard from them before but that’s kind of expected for a band that has spent nearly 20 years in their genre… even more so when you consider that this is only their third full-length release to contain less than 12 tracks (the previous albums being a Christmas special and another [but rarely remembered] split). Whereas Patent Pending’s addition to the record is admirable but, despite their efforts, a little forgettable.
All in all, the album comes across as an excellent advert for the energy and fun that comes hand-in-hand with a Bowling For Soup performance. - live-music-scene.co.uk
American pop punk band The Dollyrots have announced new tour dates for the United States and the United Kingdom. This tour is in support of their last two albums, Barefoot and Pregnant and Love Songs, Werewolves, & Zombies, as well as an upcoming live album and companion DVD that will be called "Taste The Super Badass Awesomeness." Some of The Dollyrots upcoming shows in both the U.S. and the U.K. will include performances by fellow pop punk and alternative rock bands, Bowling For Soup (BFS) and Lacey.
The Dollyrots upcoming tour will kick off on September 11, 2015, and will first visit 10 cities in the United States. One of these live show dates will be in Seattle, Washington, at the Crocodile on Tuesday, September 15. Before heading to the United Kingdom, The Dollyrots will also be performing at the Northern California Women's Music Festival, in Modesto, California, on Saturday, October 24, and The Fest in Gainesville, Florida, on Sunday, November 1. Then, as of February 1, 2016, The Dollyrots will begin their tour of the U.K. in Glasgow, Scotland. To date, The Dollyrots have a total of 15 scheduled shows in the United Kingdom, with more dates to be announced soon.
The Dollyrots is made up of Kelly Ogden on bass and vocals, and Luis Cabezas on guitar and vocals. The duo and couple also had a child in 2013, hence the title of their 2014 album, Barefoot and Pregnant. Since their formation in 2000, The Dollyrots have released a total of six studio albums, with two of those albums being released via Joan Jett's Blackheart Records label. The Dollyrots last three albums were released via their new label, Arrested Youth Records. Over the years, The Dollyrots music has been used in a variety of television shows and movies including "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2," "Raising Hope," "Ugly Betty" and "Reaper."
Don't miss The Dollyrots and Bowling For Soup, live on their upcoming tour:
Sep 11 - Marquis Theatre - Denver, CO
Sep 12 - Urban Lounge - Salt Lake City, UT
Sep 13 - Neurolux - Boise, ID
Sep 14 - Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR
Sep 15 - Crocodile - Seattle, WA
Sep 16 - WOW Hall - Eugene, OR
Sep 17 - Boardwalk - Orangevale, CA
Sep 18 - Bottom Of The Hill - San Francisco, CA
Sep 19 - Roxy - Los Angeles, CA
Sep 20 - HOB - Anaheim, CA
Oct 24 – Northern CA Women’s Music Festival – Modesto, CA
Nov 1 – THE FEST – Gainesville, FL
Feb 1 – 02 Academy – Glasgow
Feb 2 - 02 Academy – Newcastle
Feb 3 - 02 Academy – Leeds
Feb 4 - 02 Academy – Liverpool
Feb 5 - 02 Academy – Manchester
Feb 6 - 02 Academy – Birmingham
Feb 7 - 02 Academy – Sheffield
Feb 8 – UEA – Norwhich
Feb 9 – Rock City – Nottingham
Feb 10 – G Live – Guildford
Feb 11 – London – Roundhouse
Feb 12 – Bournemouth - 02 Academy
Feb 13 – Southampton – 02 Guild Hall
Feb 14 – Cardiff – Great Hall
Feb 15 – Bristol - 02 Academy - AXS.com
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
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Bio
When The Dollyrots entered the studio in
late 2013, the punk pair of Kelly Ogden [vocals, bass] and Luis Cabezas
[guitar, vocals] brought someone else along for the ride. Ogden was
actually pregnant with the couple’s first child River throughout the
entire process, making it unlike any recording experience they enjoyed
this past decade. As a result, they tapped into something very special
for their fifth full-length album, the aptly titled Barefoot And
Pregnant [Arrested Youth/Hunnypot Records].
“Well, our goal for 2013
was to make a new record and have a baby,” smiles the frontwoman. “We
accomplished both. It’s straightforward punk rock. We didn’t overthink
anything, and nobody was looking over our shoulders. The end result is
an album that shows where Luis and I are at right now. It’s honest. The
album literally grew as my belly grew.”
That said, a raw vitality
courses through each of the tracks. With production by the band and John
Fields [Jimmy Eat World, Miley Cyrus, Andrew WK], The Dollyrots’
signature spirit shines through in snappy guitar riffs, irresistible
hooks, and punked-out percussion courtesy of none other than Stacy
Jones. Despite bouts of morning sickness and exhaustion, Ogden would
record vocals at home in a closet, capturing an intimacy like never
before, while Cabezas took over the engineering duties himself.
“It’s a little rough around the edges in a good way,” he explains. “It’s
playful, but it doesn’t sound too computerized or digital. It nods to
our influences. We really made it sound as vinyl-y as it could.”
That organic power comes through on the title track and first single.
Kicking into a fast beat, it quickly morphs into a sly and sharp anthem.
The writing even happened as the duo drove home from a Pixies concert
in Los Angeles.
“Kim from The Muffs was on bass, and I was not going
to miss that,” laughs Ogden. “After seeing her kill it that night I was
inspired to write a funny punk song about being pregnant. The phrase
Barefoot And Pregnant has some negative connotations though. It makes
you think of fifties housewives who had no option other than to stay
home barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. We feel totally the opposite
about pregnancy. It’s an F-U to the idea that when you have a kid your
life is over and that’s all women are good for. We’re not afraid to
flaunt parenthood and still rock.”
And rock they do. “First World
Anarchist” emanates a riotous energy as it hilariously examines what
Ogden refers to as “the only anarchy most people experience in the
States and the UK”, i.e. breaking arcane societal rules like wearing
white after Labor Day.
Simultaneously, the band financed the effort
through PledgeMusic, receiving overwhelming support from their diehard
fan base and keeping everyone updated on each step of the process. Not
only did they meet their goal, but five percent of the excess profits
will be donated to MusiCares.
“We knew the album couldn’t suck,
because people had already pre-ordered it through Pledge before
recording began,” Cabezas goes on. “The fans have become family. It’s a
direct relationship that’s helped us as artists because we’re not
responsible to anyone but them. Even though we weren’t on the road last
year, by making an album this way we got closer to everyone who believes
in us because we owed them a kick-ass record.”
They’ve built this
incredible audience through tireless touring and recording. Forming in
2000 while still teenagers, they’ve become true punk stalwarts. They
released their debut Eat My Heart Out in 2004 via Lookout Records
followed by 2007′s Because I’m Awesome and 2010′s A Little Messed Up
both for Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records. Then, the band dropped their
self-titled fourth album on their very own Arrested Youth Records. Along
the way, they played the Vans Warped Tour a staggering seven times and
saw placements on CSI: NY, Easy A, Raising Hope, Disney’s Brave, Greek,
and numerous other films and television shows.
At the end of the
day, there’s a heartfelt message at the center of Barefoot And Pregnant.
“The fans know everything we do so completely,” says Ogden. “I hope the
music inspires them to do whatever they feel passionate about in life. I
want them to feel empowered to be themselves because great things can
happen when you allow yourself to follow your animal instincts.”
Band Members
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