The Bacon Brothers with Rebecca Loebe and Raina Rose
Where: The Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria
When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 1 and 2
Info: $35; ticketmaster.com
Consider the dilemma of the Bacon Brothers, Michael the award-winning composer and Kevin the award-winning actor.
Anyone who has worked at a side project or even a second job that they love know that balancing more than one career is difficult under the best of circumstances. Combine that with a fan base that craves new music and you have the dilemma.
“That is the challenge Kevin and I were talking about a month ago,” Michael Bacon said. “We had this exact conversation two to three weeks ago. … How do we keep bringing new music in?”
Although the brothers have consistently released new music every two years since they formed in 1997, the music industry has changed so that albums that are more than six months old are considered fairly stale. The two-year schedule hasn’t affected the enthusiastic fan base the brothers have built but it does keep them scrambling to keep their stage show fresh to satisfy the fans and their own creativity.
The brothers said their band has been very successful, playing music with a fresh enthusiasm and working the new songs the brothers write into their shows as well as covers such as a Beatles song.
“Our album is only a year old,” Kevin Bacon said. “With a new album, it really is just a question of writing it and then finding a time to cut it. … There is no balance and there never really was a master plan for the band. Let’s see what comes up and if we can fit it in, we will. When we look forward what is on the plate we just see what is possible.”
For anyone else that would mean little but for the brothers that means major projects including concerts and a special project to benefit their Philadelphia hometown.
The project involves working with producer Larry Gold to re-record their song “New Year’s Day” with a big band tone to help underwrite the 100-plus-year-old Mummers Parade to celebrate the New Year.
“What we are trying to do beside promote your band is to try to help them raise money,” said Michael Bacon. “Budget cuts almost canceled this major cultural institution in Philly. It’s really part of the fabric in Philadelphia and we want to use our music to help support that.”
To Kevin, the event is just another way to enjoy music.
“I lose myself in music,” he said. “I am not so interested in the genre — my iPod has country, rap, rock, and everything in between — what I really like are great songs. That is the thing that inspires me to be a musician.”
