For the Dollyrots, the first time was the charm, as the Los Angeles-based band’s debut and sophomore efforts knocked it right out of the park, landing the pop-punk trio on two record labels, a number of high-profile television spots and several stints on the Vans Warped Tour, amongst many other incredible achievements.

And now the act — Kelly Ogden (bass/vocals), Luis Cabezas (guitar) and Chris Black (drums) — is poised to continue with its follow-up full-length, A Little Messed Up, to its ever-expanding fanbase. With a host of gigs, tours, recording sessions, small- and big-screen appearances, plus a sizable repertoire of songs from which to choose, The Dollyrots aren’t ones fresh out of the garage.

Founded by longtime friends Ogden and Cabezas, whose relationship stems back to their eighth-grade middle school days, the Dollyrots assembled as a fun, diversionary tactic until the 2000 presidential election debacle in Florida ensued — convincing these musicians that the stage was mightier than the lab. “We were watching the 2000 presidential election results, and at four o’clock in the morning, when we found out that [George] W. [Bush] had won, Luis and I were like, ‘The world’s probably gonna end anyway, and I don’t want to go to med school,’ so we thought, ‘Let’s just do the band,’” says Ogden. “So that’s when it happened. We had no future anyways, so let’s just be in a rock band!” Deciding to move to Los Angeles from their native Florida, the band eventually saw the addition of drummer Chris Black. “We had lived and toured together in a van for like two months, both his former band and ours,” says Ogden. “We knew that we all got along and we knew each other’s weird quirks.”

The Dollyrots quickly gained notice—thanks in large part to Ogden’s high-energy vocals and the melodic riffs of guitarist/vocalist Luis Cabezas—earning song placement and acting stints in television shows and commercials including Hewlett-Packard, Kohls, ABC Family’s Greek, Ugly Betty, The Price is Right, Easy A, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, and Bring It On: Fight to the Finish. And, fortunately for the band they struck these deals during the right decade.

“We are lucky, in that our generation of musicians doesn’t have that whole sell-out, freak out attitude,” says Ogden, referencing the punk community’s previous disapproval of such commercial involvement. “I’m glad it’s been these past ten years and not the past ten years before, because we now have these opportunities as songwriters. And that’s something that no one could ever teach us, we just had to learn along the way to not let the fear of something hold us back.”

In addition to licensing the band has also had the opportunity to release their debut “Eat My Heart Out” on the venerable Lookout Records and two subsequent albums on Joan Jett’s Blackheart Records. Jett took a liking to the band following the 2006 Warped Tour. “I mustered up the guts to say ‘hi’ to Joan Jett,” Ogden recalls. “It was awesome she was there, and was a headliner, because it was good for us girls.” Blackheart released “Because I’m Awesome” in 2007 and “A Little Messed Up in 2010.”

The Dollyrots have worked with a number of well-known producers, including John Fields (Switchfoot, Miley Cyrus), Chris Testa (Jimmy Eat World, Dixie Chicks), Matt Wallace (Maroon 5, Faith No More), and Sylvia Massy (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool). “A Little Messed Up is definitely different in comparison to our previous efforts,” says Ogden. The end result is a collection of tracks that contains the expected melodic sensibilities of The Dollyrots, coupled with an unexpected edge that’s not heard on the band’s previous material in its growing back catalog. “It actually makes for a more interesting record,” says Ogden. “I think we’ve always been a rock band, but this one’s a little more gritty.”

On the touring front, within the past year The Dollyrots have toured the U.S. with Bowling For Soup, a North American tour with Buzzcocks, and the UK and Ireland with Bowling For Soup, “A”, and Forever The Sickest Kids. Early 2011 sees the band headlining U.S. dates in support of “A Little Messed Up” and playing for a 6th consecutive year at the South-By-Southwest music conference. The Dollyrots plan to have yet another album ready to tour behind before the end of 2011 and are currently either on the road or furiously writing their next record in Los Angeles.