Concerts

Be a part of the bevy of Bacon Brothers in Beverly

The multi-talented siblings from Philadelphia will fry up some onstage brotherly love at The Cabot on Aug. 7.

Photo by Charles Chessler

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In 1998, VH1 aired a countdown of “The 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll.” Before introducing The Kinks (who were #56, if I recall correctly), host Kevin Bacon – whom I supposed was just as qualified for the job as any other celeb – mentioned the famously turbulent relationship between brothers Ray and Dave Davies. He then described the situation in his own band, The Bacon Brothers, as “all good,” and said he and older sibling Michael hoped to one day make the second edition of the titular tabulation. (Yes, I have a bizarre memory.)

Although I don’t think that VH1 has updated their list, which theoretically means there’s still hope for Kevin and Michael, The Bacon Brothers have remained active. Their most recent album, “The Way We Love,” was released in 2020, 23 years after their debut, “Forosoco.”

According to their website, the latter album’s title “is derived from the first two letters of each musical genre the Bacon Brothers tackle – in other words, folk, rock, soul and country.” The odd cover – including songs originally sung by The Temptations, Tom Waits, Paul Weller, and Alanis Morissette – notwithstanding, all of The Bacon Brothers’ recorded material was written by one, the other, or both.

Everyone knows 63-year-old Kevin for his decades of work in front of movie and TV cameras. Although Michael’s name is not a household one, the 72-year-old has been preternaturally prolific as a composer for countless films and television programs that have run on network, cable, and PBS stations. He is also an associate professor of music at CUNY’s Lehman College, where he was once a student of composition and orchestration.

The brothers’ current seven-date trek of the Eastern Seaboard, which they’ve dubbed the “Out of Memory Tour,” includes a stop at Beverly’s Cabot Theatre – where they performed in 2017 – on April 16.