| Symon Smith has one quest in life-to make a great rock album. He never dreamed that his creation, The Carpet Frogs: Music After Tomorrow would become one of the best-selling rock albums ever. But it comes with a price. His quest sends him on agonizing journey of lost loved ones, drugs and a painful truth he desperately tries to avoid. Alan Arlt's extraordinary, debut novel opens with Symon's interview in a Minneapolis weekly music publication. The succeeding tracks serve as the narrative, taking the reader beyond Symon's interview and deep into the lives and souls of The Carpet Frogs. Symon, the 21-year-old bassist and lead vocalist haunted by his manic depressant mother's ties to The Beatles. Jerad Christianson, a drug-addicted guitarist too young to drink, trying to outrun the demons of his childhood. The third member of the trio, Mason Gallager, a 22-year-old drummer, fighting to keep Symon and Jerad focused on making music. The Carpet Frogs: Music After Tomorrow is a story of the motile power of music. But most of all, it is a meditation of the human soul. Soul as a musician, best friend, mother and rock legend. |
