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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.