Band of brothers

Bound by blood and a mutual love of American roots music, the Bacon Brothers have spent the past quarter-century in a creative whirl, funneling their shared DNA into their unique sound that crosses genres. They call that sound “Forosoco” — a blend of folk, rock, soul and country influences, delivered by two songwriters who were born to collaborate — and it’s taken the siblings across the world.

For Kevin Bacon, the A-list actor, his brother Michael is a musical extension of himself.

As the Bacon Brothers Band, they’ve performed on many stages since their 1995 start at a small club in Philadelphia. Now they return to Long Island on Friday, where they’ll appear at The Space in Westbury.

“Long Island is a special, unique place,” Michael says. “We’ve got tons of friends on Long Island, and really enjoy playing there.” Michael, an Emmy-winning composer, is involved with Long Island High School for the Arts and teaches at Lehman College in the Bronx, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in music.

“Unlike my brother, I’ve never done anything but music,” he says. After some time in the Nashville music scene, he found success scoring television and films. All the while he and his brother kept at their songwriting and their band.

The older of the two, by nine years, it became apparent to Michael in childhood — in their hometown of Philadelphia — that Kevin had the makings of a musician.

“We sort of started very low key just by writing songs together, I realized at a very early age the talent he had for music, even though he’s completely untrained,” Michael says. “And after we put the band together, Kevin wasn’t expecting to play guitar.”

Yet it all unfolded quite naturally, it seems.

“I grew up always listening to music as a kid,” the younger Bacon says. “My brother was writing music and a lot of my heroes were guys with guitars. That’s what I was looking up to. I chose acting, in part, because it turned out to be easy. Rather than practicing all the time, which is not.”

Clearly the talent was undeniable, and Michael brought him along. “I saw early that Kevin had a gift for lyrics and melody.”

That led them to become a songwriting duo. Now, both occupied with their demanding careers, they’re very much still at it, albeit separately.

“It’s a process,” Kevin explains. “I keep voice notes for when an idea pops. I’ll do a chord pattern or melody and go from there.”

Their band’s success is a continuation of a story that began long ago when the two siblings were raised on a soundtrack of 1970s singer-songwriters, Philly soul singers, and classic rock bands.

“We’re still exploring the sound we began making 25 years ago; we’ve just gotten a lot better at it,” says Michael, whose success mirrors his brother’s own accolades as an actor. “Music is a life’s work. It’s a universe of things yet to know. It’s exciting to be doing stuff we couldn’t have done 20 years ago — to know that we’ve come so far, yet still have so much left in the tank.”

And it will be on full display at The Space. With their longtime bandmates — including bassist Paul Guzzone, drummer Frank Vilardi and guitarist Tim Quick — the Bacon Brothers will perform a lively set that includes their latest EP “Erato,” along with their recent single “Philly Thing,” released in November.

“We’re always trying to break out of our specific habits and try something new,” Kevin says. “We’re two songwriters who have a lot of different influences, and we’ve learned to embrace that reality. As long as it comes from us, it sounds like us.”

Most of all, the goal is to have fun.

“From the super quiet kind of stuff to rockin’, we’re all about making it an enjoyable experience,” he says. “We want people to enjoy their night out. Everyone plays a lot different things and we switch off a whole lot.”

And, of course, there’s that star factor. As Michael puts it: “My brother’s been a movie star a long time. Many people come out to see a movie star in the band. We look at that as a challenge.”

By the end of the evening, those unfamiliar with the actor-as-musician come to realize he is just that. And, as a treat for their audiences, it all comes to a close with one unforgettable moment: the band’s rendition of “Footloose.”

“It’s a song that makes people joyous,” Michael says. Certainly an apt description of their creative partnership.