by Laura Youngs
I like my Bacon hot and I like my Bacon sizzling and with the Bacon Brothers I get a double order! Admittedly that is a bit cliché but there is no denying that all that star p
ower is attractive. Kevin Bacon appears to be ageless.
His first film was the frat comedy “National Lampoon’s Animal House” in 1978 but it was his lead performance in the box-office smash “Footloose” in 1984 that catapulted the young actor to stardom. This was followed by decades of movie hits (an approximated 80 films!) such as “A Few Good Men”, “Apollo 13”, “Mystic River” and “Stir of Echoes” and stage and television roles including starring in the gripping Fox television series “The Following.”
He is the recipient of awards from the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild and the Saturn Awards, to mention a few, and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His older brother Michael is a star in his own right, although best known within his industry. He has composed hundreds of songs for television shows and motion pictures. Michael is also an Emmy Award winner and many of the films he composed music for are Academy Award and Golden Globe winners. He has written songs that have been recorded by artists Jerry Lee Lewis, Carlene Carter and Peter Yarrow among others.
Philadelphia born and bred, the brothers have been playing together for over 20 years. Their first gig was at a small club in Pawling, NY called the Towne Crier Café to a sold out crowd. Granted, most first gigs don’t have the likes of Meryl Streep and Ron Howard in the audience but that can be expected when the duo is already famous.
To their credit, however, they are truly all about the music. The perks that come with fame do not give you the ability to sing, make you a good songwriter or a talented musician. Both men have talent in abundance and a band to equal it.
Kevin and Michael both are singer/songwriters and play guitar, with Michael also playing the cello and Kevin harmonica and percussion. They have kept the same band members since they began playing together. The diversity in instruments can give you a sense of why you cannot pigeonhole their music in to a particular style. It consists of Joe Mensonna on keyboards and accordion, Ira Siegel on guitar and mandolin, Paul Guzzone on bass and Frank Vilardi on drums.
This versatile instrumentation allows them to play virtually any style of music and they all have some input in to the creative process. Somehow in their busy schedules they manage to collaborate and record in an actual studio instead of “phoning it in” with click tracks.
They have recorded eight albums through the years with the latest coming out officially on June 1st. It features the poignant tune “Tom Petty’s T-Shirt” which recently debuted on the Jimmy Fallon Show. When asked by Fallon if it was an homage to Petty himself Kevin said although they are certainly Petty fans the song is really abut the sadness of this girl. Listen to it. The heartfelt lyrics has me going back to it again and again.
While you can hear their music on YouTube, if you would like to get a sense of their energy and versatility watch their performances with Daryl Hall on “Daryl’s House.” I consider this the ultimate jam session as you really have to know your “stuff” to keep up with professionals on that level and the brothers do not disappoint. They bring to their shows the ease and professionalism gleaned from years of experience and working together.