Showbiz Sessions

Bacons' brotherly love of music

Kevin Bacon, of the Bacon Brothers, sings "Woman's Got a Mind to Change" at the Bottom Line in New York

(CNN) -- Any movie buff has probably heard of the game "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon." If you haven't played, the object is to connect Kevin Bacon to just about any other celebrity by referencing his films. With diverse roles such as "Footloose," "Sleepers" and "Apollo 13," Kevin Bacon has worked with so many actors over his career that he can easily be connected to just about anyone.

"Showbiz Today Reports's" Michael Okwu made a two-degree connection when he caught up with the Bacon Brothers -- Kevin and Michael -- at a recent performance in New York, where they were promoting their new album "Can't Complain."

CNN: So, did you guys grow up making beautiful music together in the house?

Kevin: We grew up making music. Beautiful? I don't know.

Michael: We're still working on that

CNN: So, who's the real musician? Are you both musicians?

Michael, left, and Kevin Bacon

Michael: I guess you would say I was. But, to me, I'm a trained musician, let's put it that way ... music is something that you're born with and my brother has a lot of innate talent.

CNN: When did you pick up the musical part?

Kevin: Well, I actually started writing songs before I even started taking acting classes or doing any acting. I didn't have to play an instrument back then. I used to write just kind of melodies and words and I would sing them to Michael, and he would hammer them out on the keyboard and guitar. When I was a kid, my heroes were all guys with guitars and that's what I grew up loving and dreaming of doing. My life took a different turn, and thankfully -- because I've had a great career as an actor. But, it's amazing late in life to get a chance to actually do this.

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Watch the Bacon Brothers perform 'Woman's Got A Mind To Change' Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

CNN: How would you guys actually describe or characterize your music -- it's got a touch of folk music to it, but at the same time it's sort of rock and experimental?

Michael: Yeah our first record we called "Forosoco" which is a little name we made up for it. Forosoco meaning folk, rock, soul and country, so ... our ... philosophy is that we let the song generate the arrangement of the music. I mean, we don't try to sound any particular way. We bring, we write, we get the song going between the two of us and bring it into the band and they put their mark on it in whatever way makes the song communicate the best way.

CNN: Do you guys write a lot of the music together?

Kevin: Well, we used to write more together. Generally what happens is that we don't write that much when we're on the road because we're sort of on the road and we don't really have time to write and when we're not on the road we tend to be off making a movie or Michael's working on his scoring stuff. We started writing a lot more separately then we bring it to the other guy and just kind of bounce it off and we have ideas about arrangements and harmonies.

CNN: Honest answer: Does the sibling stuff ever get in the way when you're trying to collaborate with music?

Michael: I think it helps. I mean there's a common ground and even though we are very, very different as people and as musicians there is something that ties us together that you can't get any other way.

CNN: Kevin, do you find sometimes that as an actor everyone knows you as an actor and does that ever get in the way with the public's perception of you as a musician?

Kevin: Yeah, it's an uphill battle, I mean to certainly be accepted as a musician, and it's a struggle that I knew would be there and that I have gladly accepted for a long time. I think that most people believe that being an actor is pretty easy and most people think they could probably do it and I think most people believe that being a musician is really hard, so when you see an actor trying to play music, I think there's a lot of eye rolling. You know, I have to say I do the same thing.

For this week's Showbiz Sessions, the Bacon Brothers performed "Woman's Got a Mind to Change" at the Bottom Line in New York.