The Dollyrots

Founded by longtime friends elly gden and uis abezas, whose relationship stems back to their time as eighth-graders in Florida, the Dollyrots assembled as a fun, diversionary tactic while the pair wrapped up their middle chool days. Ogden had just learned to play the guitar and Cabezas, a classically trained pianist, had just left his band. Ogden and Cabezas, during the 2000 presidential election debacle in Florida, decided that the stage was the way to force change.

"We were watching the 2000 presidential election results, and when we found out that [George] W. [Bush] had won, Luis and I were like, 'The world's probably gonna end anyway,' so we thought, 'Let's just do the band." Ogden and Cabezas decided it was time to relocate, they decided the City of Angels would become their new home. It was terrifying and awesome," Ogden says of the band's earlier days. "ut we found a place that had everything we needed -- record labels, venues, other bands. It seemed like the right place."

It was also the right time. The Dollyrots assembled heir ebut albu Eat My Heart Out

and self-released it to rampant success, which led to the band getting picked up by Lookout!/Panic Button Record in 200. Raising he Dollyrots' stage profile came with a slot on the 2006 Vans Warped Tour, performing alongside a slew of punk acts for six weeks on the Kevin Says and Shira stages throughout the U.S. The tour was important for the band since it allowed them to connect with Warped '06's VIP woman, Joan Jett.

Jett took a liking to The Dollyrots and offered to add th to the roster of her label, Blackheart Records. Excited about their new found home at Blackheart, the band becam revitalized, road-tightened, and released their second and third albums Because I'm Awesome and A Little Messed Up.