The Bacon Brothers

“White Knuckles”

Forosoco Records

Like all good working bands, The Bacon Brothers seem to have fallen into a pattern of putting out a new CD every other year. “White Knuckles” is their fourth studio release and the follow-up to their 2003 live recording. There are thirteen songs on this record, twelve originals and a Beatles cover. Their previous studio CD called “Can’t Complain” was different because it featured a string section on several of the tracks. Here the difference is the addition of a keyboardist named Charlie Giordano. Of course he is joined by the usual suspects – Frank Vilardi on drums and percussion, Ira Siegel on electric guitar and other assorted stringed instruments, Paul Guzzone on bass, guitar, and back up vocals, Kevin Bacon on acoustic guitars, percussion, harmonica and vocals, and Michael Bacon on acoustic guitars, cello, and vocals.

The Bacon Brothers are a band that I’ve really come to know and enjoy over these past several years. They play in a variety of smaller venues throughout the northeast and it’s been a pleasure seeing them with the different women in my life. Obviously I’m referring to either my wife, one of my sisters, or one of my daughters. Here’s a tip for all you guys out there – women love the Bacon Brothers! I wonder why?

I was already familiar with some of the songs because the band has been playing them live for a couple of years now. Kevin’s song “Unhappy Birthday” was written on September 11th 2002. I once heard Kevin talk about how he had to pick up his kids from their school in Manhattan on the morning of 9/11/01 and he was thinking about how his father once picked him up from his kindergarten class on 11/22/63. Another song called “Hasn’t Got A Heart” is a tune Michael wrote about a friend of his who left his wife and children for a younger woman only to be dumped by her a short time later. When Michael tells this story, there is always a noticeable lack of sympathy from the audience even though the person at the center of the song comes across as a tragic figure.

Then there’s the song “Good News.” I think there’s a bit of an inside joke here on this new Kevin tune. The chorus features the line “when we gonna get the good news.” Well we get it with the Michael song called “Coffins and Cradles.” Good News was the name of Michael’s band before his days with the Bacon Brothers and “Coffins and Cradles” is a song that comes from that time of his life. Then again, I could be reading too much into this!

Two other songs, the best two songs on the record in my opinion, were first introduced on the 2003 Bacon Brothers Live DVD as bonus songs. The songs are “Peace Dance” and “John’s Song” and the DVD footage shows the brothers alone and acoustic in a small room singing these songs. On the “White Knuckles,” album “Peace Dance” is a very electric and very exciting song. It may very well be the best song Kevin has ever done and I’m surprised that it isn’t the title track. The sound of the song, the mood, and the lyrics will remind fans of “Footloose.” I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Michael’s tune “John’s Song” is an acoustic masterpiece. It is a richly detailed song and Michael sings it beautifully. It’s amazing just how different these two songs are from each other yet they are both quintessential Bacon Brother songs.

- Bill Harriman

****1/2