Eric Sonnenschein (Author)

Rocked and Rolled -Trevor Lipps is a prolific, young writer who becomes inspired to write a song while traveling abroad. As one song grows into a catalog of several, Trevor receives encouraging responses, including from his uncle Ned—a composer and the black sheep of the family—who calls Trevor a great talent.

Trevor comes to believe that music is his calling, because it seems a more effective way for him to reach a wider audience than he can as a writer. However, he faces a large obstacle. While Trevor writes lyrics and hears melodies in his head, he doesn’t know how to read or play music!

By a twist of fate, Trevor finds himself in the New Wave music scene, where a generation of innovative artists is making a new sound with a few chords and the fortitude to express themselves at all costs. In this turbulent and cutthroat new music scene, Trevor strives to establish himself as a serious artist.

To achieve his ambitious goal, Trevor must learn to put his music on paper, find his voice, and play chords on an electric organ. He must also recruit musicians who can produce a unique and compelling sound, record it and perform it. Finally, he must convince cynical club managers to book his band for their coveted stages, so he can attract a following against 400 competing bands and get signed to an elusive recording contract.

Yet, as Trevor fights to succeed in music and become a seasoned performer, he risks losing the creative fervor that inspired his musical quest in the first place.

Through the lens of 1970s-80s New York City, Rocked and Rolled! conveys the universal and ever relevant human struggle to express, invent and reinvent oneself in a world of scant opportunity and annihilating competition.