The Bacon Brothers Opening Act: Cindy Alexander

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There is something special about the pairing of sibling’s voices and how they match each other in an instinctive and natural way.

—No Depression

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), the two siblings share a singular body of work that’s found them spending more than twenty 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.

It’s not that either brother lacks the means to steal the spotlight. Kevin Bacon is an award-winning actor with eighty films and dozens of television and stage credits to his name, resulting in numerous Emmy and Screen Actors 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 last year.

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), Tim Quick (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.