Singing so they can strut

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Kevin Bacon never envisioned a song he penned about the Mummers’ Parade a year ago would one day include the actual Strutters backing the Bacon Brothers on the track. Yet, in June of this year, the two-man band, the Mummers and Philadelphia songwriter/producer Walter "Bunny" Sigler headed into the studio to record a fresh version of "New Year’s Day."

"What’s really cool is that you have two kinds of music that are very, very different," Bacon, the star of "Mystic River" and "Apollo 13, " said at a Nov. 12 press conference. "What they play I guess you wouldn’t really categorize as rock music, but when it’s laid on to the track, it just really works great and it feels very organic."

Proceeds from that track, along with a DVD of the recording session and Saturday’s 8 p.m. benefit concert at the Electric Factory, 421 N. Seventh St., will go towards the 2010 Mummers’ Parade, Kevin and Michael Bacon said last month at Paradiso, 1627 E. Passyunk Ave., where they were accompanied by the Woodland String Band, based at 2041-45 S. Third St.

"We’re very excited about the Dec. 5 concert," Emmy Award-winning composer Michael Bacon said. "The Bacon Brothers will be playing our set, but the Mummers are behind [us] the entire evening — 100 percent — and I don’t know exactly what all the plans are, but what I’ve been seeing and hearing about, it should be one of the most spectacular evenings that I’ve ever been involved in."

Michael and Kevin grew up in Center City and frequented the "freezing cold" Mummers’ Parade, as Michael remembered it, with their father, Edmund, a city planner who helped design city staples such as the Penn Center, Market East, Independence Mall and Penn’s Landing.

"I can remember we went down every New Year’s Day," Michael, 60, said. "Our father would take us. We come from a family of six kids and he would take us all down there and we’d get up on his shoulders. He was a very tall man …"

"Not at the same time," Kevin, 51, added.

"And it’s almost a thing that’s like breathing," Michael continued. "It’s just part of Philly. You don’t think about it too much.

"When we go around the country and play the song, we find out that most people don’t know what a Mummer is. They say, ‘What’s a Mummer?’ ‘Well do you have 45 minutes? I can fill you in. It’s a very complicated thing what the whole thing is about.’"

The song is about a man from Philadelphia who relocates to Los Angeles to make it big as an entertainer, but is waiting tables. He reassesses his values and wants to come back home for the New Year’s Day Parade, Michael said.

"In a lot of ways, I think that the older I get, the more I reassess my values and remember what a fantastic city this is and what amazing cultural institutions exist here and the Mummers are certainly one of the finest and needs to be supported," he said.

"There’s so much of that song [that] is not true," Kevin added. "I didn’t escape Philadelphia to go to L.A. I never lived in L.A. My father wasn’t a Mummer. It’s strange how feelings just come — that’s poetic license. You have certain connections and I think basically the song is about you grow up somewhere — no matter where you go in the world, there’s always kind of a magnet that pulls you back."

Producer "Bunny" Sigler, left, joined Michael, center, and Kevin Bacon at Paradiso to talk about supporting the Mummers tradition (Staff Photo by Greg Bezanis).

The relationship between the Bacons and the Mummers began last winter. Each year, the brothers host a Christmas party in New York and Michael books a surprise musical guest. In honor of the duo’s sixth LP "New Year’s Day" being released in November 2008, the invitation was extended to the Quaker City String Band, based at 1943 S. Third St.

"I was really struck by the musicianship that these guys had, so then I thought, why don’t we put them on our song?" Michael said.

Originally, his idea was to market Philadelphia and the Mummers through a video, but it was scratched during the credit crunch. The concept resurfaced with a new objective.

"But let’s make it some way to help the Mummers raise some money for the parade because, at that time, the parade was basically off," Michael said.

The brothers met in Philly with Sigler’s manager, Lloyd Remick, and the Blue Bell public relations firm Dunleavy & Associates, where sister Hilda works, to iron out the details. The outcome sealed the deal, as the track turned out just right, Michael said.

"Everything in our lives is … music drives it," he said. "If we had gone down there and had the recording session and it hadn’t been good, that would have been it, but I think that the energy is a musical energy that we’re sharing with these Mummers."

In Nov. ’08, Mayor Michael Nutter had to close a $1 billion deficit, which included cuts to City services such as police and post-event cleanup that were previously provided by the City. Since the cuts were made weeks prior to the ’09 parade, the Mummers and the City compromised on a $300,000 price tag if the Mummers marched in six hours — several hours less than in the past.

No money has been offered from the City this year, but the two parties are working on finding a fair price George J. Badey III, chairman for Save the Mummers, said, noting last year’s numbers were whittled down from $760,000 to $308,000 and funded by last-minute donations.

"I would just like to thank Michael, and Kevin and Bunny for coming to the rescue this year," Badey said. "Last year was a very trying time for the Mummers and we were able to pull it together at the 11th hour. This year, we got a little bit of a head start and I can’t thank you guys enough because it really means so much to us that you are stepping forward to help us."

The Bacons are hoping their efforts are only the beginning and will start a trend to keep the Mummers afloat.

"I’m hoping that in years gone forward that every year that some kind of major fundraising event happens and that the parade goes on without relying on the City because you can’t," Michael said. "Obviously, the City of Philadelphia does not have the money. And it would be very rewarding to me if we can feel like we started something that will roll and unfold in the future and not only raise money but also raise awareness."

Jan. 1, the Mummers will strut down Broad Street for its 110th year thanks to an estimated $500,000 the Bacons hope to raise.

"The Mummers Parade will go on, we will have it and it’s going to always be in Philadelphia," Badey said.

To contribute to the Save the Mummers Fund, visit http://www.savethemummers.com/donate/ or mail a check or money order to Save the Mummers Fund, c/o The Mummers Museum, 1100 S. Second St., Philadelphia, PA 19147.