Take a tour. . .

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In my continuing exploration of music and the memories that it creates, my study heads to affairs of the heart.  If you look at newly released Song Journals, you will see that many people share their feelings about songs and loves they still have or have lost to the sands of time.

These same feelings were evident in the responses I received as I interviewed people from around the globe:

Patti Wood, The  Body Language Expert:

In junior high,  I remember standing up against the wall at a big school dance feeling so lonely and humiliated because no one asked me to dance to “Color my World.” For four years whenever I heard that song I longed to dance to it and finally I was able to in my senior year of high school and I now have a fantastic memory of dancing to it with my high school crush, a college boy, at a church dance!

FP, “The Unstoppable Champion“:

“Hold your Head Up” became my theme song for a lot of reasons but most notably it was the first song that came on the radio right after my first sexual experience. My boyfriend couldn’t have been more  COLD had he been left in the Freezer over night. It seemed he had gone from warm, loving and “oh so sweet” to a dispassionate and unaffectionate statue. I could feel the tears forming behind my eyes and I began to feel ashamed for what I had done. My self esteem was taking a beating here and I didn’t know what to do. Well Argent’s song came on.. “HOLD YOUR HEAD UP” and it was exactly what I need to mobilize myself, get dressed and walk out like it meant nothing to me. Of course I broke down later but now when I hear this song I remember my tears fondly. It brings me right back to that moment in time, but I don’t want to cry. I remember that no matter what, I am unstoppable!

Elisse Goldstein-Clark, of the Elkhorn Inn & Theatre in West Virginia

“You’re So Beautiful” by Pat McGuire: This song, sung by Pat McGuire in Marty O’Brien’s Pub on 2nd Ave. in NYC on Thursday nights after 9/11 is the song my husband and I fell in love to. This is OUR SONG- and probably the song for a Lot of NYC couples of that time… When we play his albums “Love Songs For Astronauts” and “Big Brown Sofa” we are both literally transported back to the fall and winter of 2001 and a totally crazy time & place, for better and for worse… We met in an elevator while both working for FEMA as disaster response workers in NYC (Oct 22, 2001), and Thursday nights spent listening to Pat McGuire at Marty O’Brien’s, doing some serious drinking, and dancing up a storm in the tiny bar with cop and firemen friends was what kept us sane…

Genma Stringer Holmes, of  Genma Speaks:

My sons heard me humming the chorus to Maxwell’s song, “Pretty Wings” and both commented how I seem to “drift” every time I hear the song.  My oldest sent me the lyrics a weeks ago and my heart skipped a beat. I sent the words to a former lover that stills holds a special place in my heart along with the video. The song speaks to me so powerfully.

Maxwell sings about being in love and not valuing the relationship or the person at that time of the relationship.  The wings are allowed to fly away but the love is still there and in order to find real love with each other they needed to be apart.  I think I will always love him but it was one of those relationships that literally drove me to the brink of insanity.

My favorite lines, in bold font, speaks to how crazy I was to love someone so powerful and so out of my league to begin with.  I am smart but I was dumb and young to be so madly in love and to think I was not going to get hurt or hurt him. Talk about passionate craziness.  It has been a few years since our final goodbye and I am still in counseling! (smile) Yes, we are friends and I wish him the best in life even with our crazy history.

Almost every adult in the world has stories of someone that touched his/her heart.  And I would venture to say that every love affair has a song or two that rekindles the memories.

I sat down with Kelly of the Dollyrots and discussed everything from their upcoming album to this year’s Vans Warped Tour dates ato meanings behind some of their songs to even the strange things small children do on a playground.

Jason: Hey Kelly, thanks for taking the time, and hopefully I don’t have any more near death experiences this week.

Kelly: It’s no problem, and yeah, some dentists can be quite an experience…lol

Jason: What is your full name?

Kelly: Kelly Ann Ogden

Jason: Where were you born?

Kelly: Teaneck, New Jersey

Jason: Where did you grow up?

Kelly: Land O Lakes, Florida, a really small cow town outside of Tampa

Jason: What is Your favorite food?

Kelly: Avocado. But I also really love Thai food

Jason: When did you decide you wanted to be a vegan (obviously you are an animal lover)? Was your love for animals the main reason behind this decision?

Kelly: I have tried being straight vegan several times, but I still eat eggs and regular milk occasionally. I love animals; it’s just hard to find soy products out on the road when you tour.

Jason: You have an unusual pet, which happens to be a rat. Are rats your favorite animal or is there a deeper meaning behind it?

Kelly: Rats are great for people that travel and are very smart and easy to feed. I have a degree in biology. It was probably part of what opened me up to all kinds of animals.

Jason: I have personally petted and met your pet rat, so I have to admit it is quite gentle. Prairie dogs are pretty cool animals as well.

Kelly: I had a pet prairie dog in college

Jason: What was your first job?

Kelly: Day care center, teacher’s assistant, I noticed some interesting things about kids, among them is the fact that some kids are humpers. (Laughs) You would see kids humping the seesaws and all kinds of other playground equipment. (Laughs)

Jason: At least there was never a dull moment. (Laughs)

Kelly: No, there definitely weren’t many.

Jason: If you couldn’t have a career in music, what career would you have done?

Kelly: I worked for the government in college. It was observance and tracking of the animals, and I even wrote a thesis on turtles. It would probably have something to do with wildlife preservation or biology.

Jason: When did you meet your band mates?

Kelly: I met Luis in 8^th grade.  Chris, I met him when I moved to LA.

Jason: Who are some of the artists that inspired you to play music?

Kelly: Joan Jett, The Ronnetes, Kathleen Hannah, The Pixies, Flogging Molly, Against Me!

Jason: It must be cool to be on the same label as one of your heroes.

Kelly: It was really cool. We met her on Warped when we gave her one of our CD’s.  That’s how we got signed to Blackheart.

Jason: On your first album, Eat My Heart Out, you have a song called “Skinny”. Is the song really about wanting to be skinny?

Kelly: It’s about the pressure to be thin and the way young people force themselves to be a certain weight. So, it is definitely about wanting to be skinny regardless of the consequences.

Jason: The song “My Best Friend’s Hot”, is it based on personal experience or was it written just for fun?

Kelly: It’s a little of both, and I did have lots of friends that I had crushes on and didn’t have it in me to tell them.

Jason: In your opinion, what makes a great song?

Kelly: The meaning behind it and it doesn’t hurt if it is fun.

Jason: How does it feel to be recognized as one of the sexiest women in rock?

Kelly: Cool, obviously, and I don’t really focus on myself like that. I’ve always thought I wasn’t that cute but it is cool. My dad even thought it was cool.

Jason: You’re playing Vans Warped Tour this year. Are you excited?

Kelly: It’s exciting, but at the same time you kind of wonder if they are really there for the music even. A lot of people at the bigger festivals are too concerned with fashion and not the music. I honestly would rather play in a small club than anywhere else.

Jason: Are there any plans for a new Dollyrots album?

Kelly: We have written some new songs and are going to start recording in the fall. We will be playing one of the new songs live at our Vans tour dates.

Jason: That’s exciting news. We’ll be looking forward to it. Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions and for letting us into your busy life for a moment.

Kelly: You’re welcome, and if you have any other questions anytime, feel free to ask.