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Bacon Brothers' homecoming this Saturday
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Kevin and Michael Bacon have a soft spot when it comes to the Mummers, The Colonial Theatre and French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust. When they can use their musical talent to promote all three of these things, it’s a happy day.
On October 10, The Bacon Brothers will be playing a concert at the Colonial Theatre to benefit both the Theatre and French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust. “The French and Pickering Creeks Conservation Trust is something I really believe in,” says Michael in an interview last week. “I had a chance to ride my bicycle in the hills and the absolutely beautiful scenery and environment. It’s there because people care about it. That’s one thing and also, you know, it’s the Colonial Theatre. We’ve been going there since we were little kids. We remember Jerry’s Market. We remember The Blob and all that kind of stuff. It’s nice to be home.”
Now that I’ve explained the Theatre and the Trust, you might ask why I mentioned the Mummers. The title track on the Bacon Brothers’ sixth album is “New Year’s Day”. It is a song about a “son of a Mummer” who moved to California in search of stardom and ends up dreaming of getting back to perform with the Mummers again. The song is really cool. It’s got Philly Soul, Beach Boys and don’t laugh, a little David Cassidy. It’s the kind of song you can hear in a movie. But it ended up as the anthem in the campaign to save the 108-year old New Year’s Day Mummers’ tradition. Back in June 2009, the brothers went into a studio in Northern Liberties remixing the song with members of the Mummers Association's 16 string bands. The resulting song featuring traditional string band instruments will help raise money to help defray costs of the parade.
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Album Cover
I talked to Kevin and Michael a little bit about how they decided to put a band together what with their very successful full-time careers. “Our first gig was actually planned at TLA in downtown Philly. An old friend of Kevin’s was working there and said ‘why don’t you guys put a band together, call it the Bacon Brothers and come down and play a gig for fun’,” explains Michael. “We booked and played one show in upstate NY to get ready for the TLA show. Then a couple other little clubs in the northeast heard a rumor that we could actually play and people would come. It all started from there.” Having released New Year’s Day, they seem to be doing something right. They found a way to write and record that fits in with their busy schedules. “Our last record, we were never in the same room except for one day for backup vocals,” reveals Michael.
Since starting to write as the Philadelphia Local Music Examiner, I’ve become less surprised by albums that have songs that sound so completely different (like Andrew Lipke’s Motherpearl & Dynamite.) Having followed my new album listening protocol, I found New Year’s Day offered flavors reminiscent of Springsteen, Jack Johnson, 80’s pop, blues and a little reggae. It was hard for me to discern the theme that tied these songs together to make this a great sounding and exciting record. I couldn’t easily pick up the thread and Michael explained why. “I think what pulls this album together is probably a lack of a thread. Our philosophy, if we really have one, is that we allow the songs to drive the arrangement.” This is a style that is most commonly attributed to a singer/songwriter type of band. They’re harder to categorize into what the music industry uses as defining characteristics of different kinds of music. “We use the songs as the driving force. For instance on the new record, Kevin wrote a song called “A Bunch of Words” while on vacation in the Caribbean that had a reggae feel. Playing reggae is really fun. I wouldn’t want to do it all night but it’s a heck of a lot of fun to do one song,” describes Michael.
When it comes to song writing, Kevin generally takes the lead. His writing style is very specific. “There are songwriters who are really super good at picking up a hook. They write from titles. Those can become songs that tap into something that a lot of people can relate to,” Kevin explains. “We’ve done that and we can do that, we’re not very good at it but we can do it. We tend to actually write from really personal experience. So even though it may sound like something that’s taken from the pages of somebody else’s life, they usually are some how a reflection of what’s going on inside of us emotionally.” Michael shares similar feelings about his process. “What I like to do with songwriting is think of a scenario of something that’s happened to me, something I’ve thought about or a relationship two people had that I found interesting and it’s really like solving a puzzle. Can you take this scenario and make a song about it and communicate that to the listener so they get the whole thing.”
Musically, the Bacon Brothers individually and collectively draw inspiration from their roots in Philadelphia. “Since we are from Philadelphia, we have an eclectic kind of background in music,” shares Michael. “There was a lot of stuff going on that we were exposed to and I think that’s reflected in the way we arrange our songs,” he adds. Their sound, dubbed “Forosco,” is an mélange of folk, rock, Philly soul and country. “I was really influenced by the early British invasion rock – the Stones, the Beatles. American bands too – Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty,” Kevin conveys. “Then there’s all the soul music we listened to in Philly – the Spinners, the Stylistics. And Motown, Teddy Pendergrass. Sam Cooke, Otis and on and on and on,” he continues.
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It is clear that Michael and Kevin are a big influence on each other. “My first musical memories were of Michael actually performing because I would be able to go to his shows with my parents and sit there and see what it’s like to hold an audience in your hand and try to affect them with music.” Asked specifically about what Michael has taught him about performing, Kevin tells me “Michael has absolutely no fear when it comes to putting himself in song. That, I think, is a really good lesson. It’s a great lesson for a singer, a songwriter and also for an actor too. You have to be willing to expose your inner most, darkest demons. You have to be able to stand up there, words and all and I think that’s what he’s done.” Michael shares that Kevin taught him a thing or two about music. “Of the two of us, I’m the trained musician but being trained and being good musicians are not necessarily the same thing. There are a lot of people who are highly trained that are lousy musicians and there are a lot of people, like my brother, who’s never been taught formally that have an amazing sense for both music and writing and arranging songs.”
The tracks on New Year’s Day include: “New Year’s Day”, “Go My Way (The iPod Song)", “Almost Got Rich”, “Bunch of Words”, “Bitter Man”, “Tell Me What I Have To Do”, “Architeuthis”, “Children”, “Eye of the Storm”, “Wild Life” and “Kikko's Song.” Between all these songs, you’ll enjoy gritty, rock guitar, soulful vocals, bluesy harmonica, a rootsy accordion and mandolin combo and emotionally charged lyrics. Musicians include: Michael Bacon: vocals, guitar, cello; Kevin Bacon: vocals, guitar, harmonica, percussion; Paul Guzzone: bass/vocals; Charlie Giordano: keys; Frank Vilardi: drums; Ira Siegel: electric guitar.
This album, like all their previous releases, wasn’t made because an actor and his brother have something to prove. It’s part of the musical journey of two brothers who share a passion for music and performing. Something in which they are both equally talented.
We are lucky that their journey will include another stop in the Philly area this weekend. “We are so pleased that Michael and Kevin are returning to the Colonial Theatre,” says Mary Foote, Executive Director of the Association for the Colonial Theatre. “This event has become our signature fundraising event of the year and everyone always enjoys the music, it is great!” Kevin and Michael seem delighted to lend their name and talent to help out a cause. “If there is something that we think is cool and the gig will be fun and it’s something we believe in, we’re happy to help out,” says Kevin. Tickets for the show are still available. They are $75 for general admission or $250 for the reserved package (which gives you access to the Bacon Brothers sound check on Saturday afternoon, a meet and greet and your choice of seat.)
The Bacon Brothers will also be at Homegrown Manayunk Fall Festival presented by Sheldon Crossing on Saturday with the Mummers between noon and 2 pm. They'll be at Main Street Music signing autographs.
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