It’s not uncommon for those involved in the music business to view a rock band fronted by a celebrity with a certain air of skepticism. The Bacon Brothers are one of the exceptions, however, as they prove their musical prowess nightly to sold-out crowds on a summer tour in support of their latest self-titled CD. Along for the ride is veteran FOH mixer Jimmy Ace, and a full complement of Heil Sound microphones.
The brothers, Michael and Kevin Bacon, each accomplished in their own right, have contributed decades of work to the entertainment industry. Michael is an accomplished composer for film and television – he won an Emmy with his original score for the TV show, “The Kennedys,” – and most recently scored the documentary “That Way Madness Lies” currently on the festival circuit. Kevin is an award-winning actor with 80 films and dozens of television and stage credits to his name, including “Diner,” “Apollo 13,” “Footloose” plus he was recently nominated for a Golden Globe award for “I Love Dick.”
With a slew of acoustic guitars, ukuleles, a cello, and percussion instruments, not to mention your standard rock band bass, drums, electric guitars, and keyboard gear on stage, Jimmy was very happy when the change to Heil mics came about. “When I signed on to this tour the band had been using other brands which sounded OK but not great. I’ve used Heil mics for years and love them. We played the Delmar Hall in St Louis which is a Heil Sound sponsored room and were able to try the PR35 on Kevin and Michael at soundcheck. They immediately heard the difference and from there, with the help of Bob Heil and the factory team, we outfitted the entire stage with Heil mics.”
In the show, Michael plays guitar and Kevin switches between guitar and percussion. Both share lead vocal duties. The band is rounded out with Paul Guzzone (bass), Joe Mennonna (keys), Tim Quick (lead guitar), and Frank Vilardi (drums). PR35s are used on all of the vocalists – lead and background singers. PR31s are used on the guitar cabinets and PR28s are used on various percussion instruments. The drum kit also utilizes PR31s as well as PR28s and a PR48 for the kick drum. Jimmy is using a unique set-up on the drums, with what amounts to three overhead PR31s. The third mic hovers near the piccolo snare and high-hat and thus eliminates the need for those microphones.
Jimmy gives a final thought, “We play in theaters where the ‘stage size to gear’ ratio can cause problems were it not for the Heil mics. The rear rejection is incredible and they give my mix the clarity that the band and the audience deserve.”
