The Dollyrots
with Pohgoh and City Mouse
The Crowbar • Ybor City, Florida • November 5, 2023
by Bob Pomeroy
Sunday was Family Fun Night at the Crowbar when the Dollyrots played their first “hometown” gig in ages. While the band is currently based out of Los Angeles, bassist/singer, Kelly Ogden and guitarist Luis Cabezas are originally from the Tampa suburb of Land O’ Lakes. They both attended New College in Sarasota before taking up the musician’s life, so the November 5 show was a homecoming. Aside from Dollyrots fans, the crowd was full of friends and family, from Grandma to toddlers.
After kicking off the evening with “I Do,” Kelly paused to declare the space directly in front of her the kids’ mosh pit. Kelly and Luis have their own young children on the road with them, so they are very kid friendly themselves. They even took a break toward the end of the set for the young fans to tell jokes on stage. Kelly was having a blast telling stories between songs, including how she drove her friends crazy playing Melanie’s “Brand New Key” over and over. Then she played “Brand New Key” as a hyped-up rocker. The Dollyrots played songs from their seven-record discography, including “My Best Friend is Hot,” “Dance Like a Maniac,” and “Jackie Chan.” They also played “Night Owl” from their latest release, Night Owls.
The Dollyrots had one last surprise when they kicked into their closing number, “Because I’m Awesome.” About halfway through the song, the kids did a stage invasion and dumped two trash bags full of party balloons on the crowd. The show came to an end with balloons flying everywhere and everyone letting their inner child out to play.
