By DONNA BALANCIA
DEWEY BEACH, De. – The Bacon Brothers – AKA actor Kevin Bacon and composer brother Michael – put on a musical performance that blends folk, rock, soul and country they call “Forosoco.” But the fans simply know their music as the product of brotherly love.
The Bacon Brothers are bringing their music to new locations and are trying out some new venues on their “People In The World” tour, which takes them through the East Coast and throughout the Midwest.
“The tour is going well, we love to play live and we’re going back to places we haven’t been,” Kevin said. “We’re adding some new places as well on this tour, like Havre de Grace, Maryland.”
It’s all part of the brothers’ multi-faceted, Philadelphia born-and-bred work ethic. They may be having a great time joking around and making great music for the fans, but the next venue or job is always on their mind.
Around the brothers’ regular summer gig at Bottle and Cork in Dewey Beach, De., (July 17) they’ll be hitting some additional venues like the Star Centre in Havre de Grace, Md. (July 18), City Cruises of Washington, DC (July 19), and City Cruises Pier 15 in Manhattan (July 20).
Michael said it always makes sense to grab as many venues as possible in a location.
“When we go somewhere, we’ve got to fly the whole band out, so if you can pick up another night nearby, it makes it all feasible,” he said.
At Bottle and Cork in Dewey Beach, in particular, the “sand and suntanned” crowd always has a good time, the brothers said.
“Those who can remember them, say the shows are very good,” Michael said. “Being old men, we don’t start until 10:30 p.m. It’s fun to do the crazy beach scene, it’s jam-packed with people and Jello shots. Every year we affect the listeners who come to our show and we’re happy to play to everyone whether they’re 21 or 80.”
The Bacon Brothers have a new live album and they say they’re happy with how it turned out.
“We love the way it sounds,” Kevin said. “Michael has been championing it. it’s always that thing when you’re in a band you’re chasing the feeling of the songs live. We haven’t done a live album for a long time. we’re excited.”
The live album was recorded in Crockett, Texas, and at Lehigh University.
There is an underlying reason for all the fun and games, the brothers said.
“We’ve done a lot of stuff with Six Degrees Dot Org, that’s my non -profit,” Kevin said. “One of the things we like to do is highlight small grassroots charities in different parts of the country. We’re doing this thing where someone can nominate a good person in the world and they can come to a show.”
See The Bacon Brothers website to nominate someone who makes a difference here.
“There are a lot of people out there with very little support and exposure who are doing great work quietly in their neighborhood,” Kevin explained. “For instance, we partner with a group in Philly called ‘Rockin the Future,’ Michael and I are a supporters. They put instruments in the hands of young people. This is a group that teaches, creates band opportunities and not just rock, but also rap and hip hop.”
The brothers teamed up with the kids of Philadelphia and players from The Philadelphia Eagles on a recording called “Philly Thing.”
But the brothers’ interests go beyond the music also.
Kevin and his wife, Kira Sedgewick co-directed a film called “Family Movie,” a comedy-horror that they’re taking on the festival circuit.
Michael is in his 12th season of composing music for the PBS show “Finding The Roots.” He knows the ins and outs of the music business and uses that all-too-familiar effort.
“I’ve been very fortunate, I have a huge library that they use,” he said. “It’s been really fun. If you want to be a film composer, it’s 50 percent honing your skills and looking for work.”
The Bacon Brothers ‘People In The World’ Tour:
July 17: Dewey Beach, DE — Bottle & Cork
July 18: Havre de Grace, MD — The Star Centre
July 19: Washington, DC — City Cruises Washington DC
July 20: Manhattan, NY — City Cruises Pier 15
August 8: Orkney Springs, VA — Shenandoah Valley Music Fest
August 16: Evergreen, CO — Mountain Music Festival
August 17: Beaver Creek, CO — Vilar Performing Arts Center
August 20 & 21: Pottstown, PA — The SunnyBrook Ballroom
August 22 & 23: Clayton, NY — Clayton Opera House
September 10: Minneapolis, MN — The Cowles Center
September 11: Wisconsin Dells, WI — Crystal Grand Music Theatre
September 12: Mount Carroll, IL — Rhythm Section Amphitheater
September 18: Shipshewana, IN — Blue Gate Performing Arts Center
September 19: Carmel, IN — The Palladium
September 20: Louisville, KY — The Louisville Palace
