In the Summer of 2007, the mother of Tony's children gave birth to a novel, more than a decade in the making. The book, initially titled CLIMBING THE SYCAMORE by Tammy Letherer Rogers, is just about the best book I ever read, except maybe for "In Cold Blood," which, I'll admit, was actually read to me by my mother at the age of 6. Anyway, "Sycamore" is the harrowing, heartbreaking, and humorous (hot, huh?) story of Sally Van Sloeten, a teenage girl growing up in Holland, Michigan in the 1960's, trying to 1) reconnect with her deadbeat father and 2) figure out why absolutely everyone in town is blonde.
In 2011, Tony put the finishing touches on a collection of 20 original songs inspired by the novel. Recorded by Chris Shepard at CRC and mixed by Manny Sanchez at I.V. Lab, the album of CLIMBING THE SYCAMORE also features the incredible voice of Marisa Fiorito, as well as death-defying performances by John Scholvin (guitar), Steve Kouba (piano), Marcin Fahmy (keys), Tad Santos (bass), Blake Cooper (drums), Woody Ma (trumpet), Marques Carroll (trumpet), Nik Krimm (vocals), Devin Arkin (vocals), the Abby Eddy orchestra, and Stephen Alltop's oh-my-god Apollo Chorus.
The book is currently seeking representation for publishing. Tony swears there are no spoilers. Come to think of it, he swears a lot.
To get the album, look for “Tony Rogers: Sycamore” on iTunes or name your price to download it now at tonyrogers.bandcamp.com.
Interested in the book? Email him.