Kevin Bacon’s band The Bacon Brothers perform at Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg on Aug. 2
From a press release:
Get one degree closer to legendary actor Kevin Bacon when the folk rock band he formed with his brother Michael, The Bacon Brothers, performs at the Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg on Thursday, Aug. 2 at 8 p.m.
Tickets, which are $34, $44, and $54, are on sale now and available through the Sherman Theater box office (524 Main St., Stroudsburg) and online at shermantheater.com and ticketfly.com. VIP boxes and sky boxes are available for this show and include eight tickets (VIP box) or 12 tickets (sky box), a fruit and cheese platter, and waitstaff. To purchase box seats, call the theater at 570-420-2808.
Most people would agree that there’s nothing stronger, more durable and, occasionally, even more volatile than the bond between brothers. And when that bond includes the common goal of making music, the results often offer reason for an audience to sit up and take notice. There have been any number of examples in music’s modern era – The Everly Brothers, The Beach Boys, The Kinks, and Oasis, to name but a few. Not that it’s easy or even agreeable, but there is common cause, and that’s generally enough to ensure there’s passion and purpose in its creation.
Just as the Bacon Brothers. Fiercely devoted to making music, even from an early age (they cite such influences as The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Motown, Led Zeppelin, Philly soul, and James Taylor, with mentions from Michael of Pete Seeger, Jimmy Rogers, Chet Atkins, and Jim Kweskin & The Jug Band, and additional kudos to Michael from Kevin for his input), the two siblings share a singular body of work that’s found them spending more than 20 years of working the road and paying their dues, resulting in eight albums – “Forosoco” (1997), “Getting There” (1999), “Can’t Complain” (2001), “Live: The No Food Jokes Tour” (2003), “White Knuckles” (2005), “New Year’s Day” (2009), “Philadelphia Road” (2011), “36 Cents” (2014), and the eponymous “The Bacon Brothers” (2018) – spanning rock, soul, folk, and Americana. Never content to be typecast, they’re fiercely devoted to the cause of making music, undeterred by fame, fortune, or the pitfalls that frequently obstruct the path to success.
There are so many ways to record now. The simplest is to pass around tracks recorded to a click, as most musicians have a sophisticated recording rig in their living situations. Everybody adds their parts individually. The other way is to actually all sit in the same room and build the piece en mass. That’s what the Bacon Brothers did with their new CD, and G.E. Smith was the right person at the right time to do just that. The new album follows on the heels of last year’s “Driver,” a resilient tale of lost youth imbued with tender memories, and the single “Broken Glass” also echoes that personal resolve. Written by Kevin and recorded at Lehman College studio where Michael teaches, the song was co-produced by both Bacon brothers.
“It’s a very personal song,” Kevin says of its reflective musings. “I think that the songs are strong when they are personal. It took a long time. Some come easy, some not. But I’m proud of it and very happy with what Mike and the guys brought to the mix.”
That song was followed by Michael’s composition “Two Rivers,” a tender, reflective ballad also recorded during the Lehman sessions.
It’s not that either brother lacks the means to steal the spotlight. Kevin Bacon is an award-winning actor with 80 films and dozens of television and stage credits to his name, resulting in numerous Emmy and Screen Actor’s Guild nominations cited in his resume. Older brother Michael initially began making music in their native Philadelphia before moving to Nashville, where his songwriting career blossomed by leaps and bounds. An Emmy-winning composer, he most recently scored the documentary “That Way Madness Lies,” currently on the festival circuit. Other recent works include the audiobook “You Don’t Look Your Age… And Other Fairytales” and the HBO documentary “RX: Early Detection with Sandra Lee,” which premiered at Sundance this year.
Still, while it’s clear that Michael and Kevin don’t view the band as simply a sideline, their commitment is clear. Indeed, the high points have been many. Kevin points to an opening slot for The Band at Carnegie Hall, surveying the Texas landscape in the midst of a lightning storm, rocking The Stone Pony on the Jersey Shore and Cains Ballroom in Tulsa. For Michael, it’s been all about touring in Germany and Japan and the fascination he feels performing for overseas audiences.
So while casual observers may be awed by their Hollywood credentials, critics have been quick to note that the brothers – Michael on vocals, guitar, and cello and Kevin on vocals, guitar, and percussion – along with the band that’s been with them since the beginning – Paul Guzzone (bass, backing vocals), Joe Mennonna (keyboards, accordion), Ira Siegel (lead guitar, mandolin, and backing vocals), and Frank Vilardi (drums) – eschew any hint of glitz and glamour in favor of an ethic gleaned from the hard lessons that come as a result of determination and drive.
