The Bacon Brothers - Live: No Food Jokes Tour (2003)

World renowned actor Kevin Bacon and his Emmy Award winning brother, Michael, who writes scores for TV and movies, released their first of five studio albums in 1997, three years after they formed their band, The Bacon Brothers.

Don't laugh. The brothers are not a novelty act. While Kevin's fame almost certainly earned them attention that other fledgling bands would die for they've managed to show the world they're mostly worthy of the publicity. Both brothers are music lovers who know their way around the stage and the studio. I saw them live in 2009 and they proved they have the goods to succeed. The same can be said about their double set live CD, Live: No Food Jokes Tour, released in 2003.

Kevin plays acoustic guitar and percussion and Michael plays guitar as well as cello. Both siblings sing lead.

While there is nothing remotely alternative or anything that would be considered high art about The Bacon Brothers' work, they're totally serious about what they do and that's playing a fine mix of middle-of-the-road folk-rock that is totally accessible without pandering to the lowest common denominator. Kevin and Michael keep it light and lively on stage, relate to their audience well, know their musical boundaries and, because they do, they succeed.

The nineteen songs from Food Jokes are mostly self-written with the exception of the rocking theme from Kevin's movie Footloose and an Everly Brothers medley that highlights how nicely the brothers can harmonize together.

This concert CD was recorded on February 18, 2003 at Englewood, New Jersey's John Harms Center for the Arts.

Disc two closes with an illuminating thirteen minute interview with both brothers. In it Kevin notes that they wanted to be a band of singer-songwriters and that he was aware that people would be skeptical of them because he was an actor trying to do something he wasn't known for.

If you prefer rock and roll that doesn't go too far afield as well as the more upbeat side of singer-songwriters then you may find a lot to like in The Bacon Brothers.

The concert is also available on DVD.

Follow the band at their website.