The Bacon Brothers sizzle... and that's no joke!

Caveat: Should you ever get the chance to talk to the Bacon Brothers, Michael and Kevin, try to avoid bacon puns, jokes and one-liners. Or at least make them funny.

For example, should you say, "So, there's been an explosion in quirky bacon products lately; there are bacon Band-Aids, and now there's bacon vodka. Are you excited at all about the sudden hipness of bacon?" you can pretty much expect them not to laugh. You can also expect Kevin Bacon, an actor with a resume going back to 1978's "Animal House," to say something like, "I'm going to have to trust your expertise on that" in a deadpan manner that lets you know he's not exactly, as the kids say, LOL.

Indeed, such an encounter would convince you that the Bacon Brothers do not leap at cheap, poorly constructed puns, and, well, they shouldn't. These guys are serious musicians. Despite their - or should we say Kevin's - fame, they intend to be treated as such. Given that they're both successful in their predominant careers (Michael is a composer), it's clear the brothers Bacon make music freed from the pressures and constraints and ambitions an ordinary musician might have.

"We do it because we enjoy singing and songwriting," says Michael Bacon, on the phone with his brother from New Jersey. They grew up in Philadelphia soaking up soul and rock and say New York and New Jersey are their favorite places to perform. "We do it for the sake of doing it. It's a labor of love. We don't have to do it."

Making music requires agents and publicists and tour managers and a cornucopia of other people and details - proof that if this were a one-off vanity project, they'd have given it up a long time ago.

Their music career has been a lifetime in the making. Growing up, Michael, who is nine years older than Kevin, influenced his brother by playing guitar and bringing home intriguing records.

And Kevin inspired Michael, too. Michael is proud of his brother, who he says has blossomed into a strong musician and songwriter. "I can't remember a time when he didn't want to play. He was probably in diapers when he was banging on a pot with a spoon."

All that, of course, gave way to the creation of music people would pay to hear. They played rock and soul informally for years before officially forming The Bacon Brothers in 1995.

Their first album, 1997's "Forosoco," was named for its blend of folk, rock, soul and country. Burdened with the heavy dose of skepticism people heave upon actors who take up music, the album was greeted by critics and record buyers with a congratulatory "not bad."

Five more albums soaked in rootsy, slightly twangy Americana rock followed, including a live album called "The Bacon Brothers Live - No Food Jokes Tour," which pretty much reinforces that you should skip the swine jokes when you meet Michael and Kevin.

They're not entirely sure they'll ever shake the preconceptions attached to Kevin's celebrity, or figure out whether the people who come to shows are there for him or the music, but it doesn't matter.

"There's no way to tell," Michael says. "The only way we'd be able to know that was if there was a band exactly like us without a movie star. All we can do is try to put on the best possible show and enjoy playing for people; having a movie star is just icing on the cake." Besides, "if people came to see him and we were lousy, that would last 10 minutes."

That's clearly not the case, since their tour includes three performances in Baltimore. "We feel like we're making headway," Michael says.

Malcolm Venable, (757) 446-2662, malcolm.venable@pilotonline.com