Kevin Bacon says 'Philly Thing' seeks to explain his hometown
The music video, shot at Miner Street Recording Studios in Fishtown, stars some familiar faces, including 6abc's own Jim Gardner.
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The Bacon Brothers' latest single is simply overflowing with local pride.
The music video for Philly Thing is a love letter to our hometown.
I spoke with Kevin Bacon about the moment that inspired the song.
Kevin and his brother Michael are Philly through and through, born and raised and educated here. But they know that there's something about this city that they always kind of have to explain or defend somehow.
So they did just that, and they set it to music.
"I remember I was talking to somebody that wasn't from Philadelphia and they said something like, 'Oh really? That's what you do? That's weird, or that's interesting,'" Bacon laughs. "And my response was, 'Well, it's a Philly thing!'"
He says he wanted to cram as many local references into the song as possible, "so that people who weren't from Philadelphia, maybe would go, 'Huh, what's that?' Starting with jawn and ending with Scrapple.'"
The music video, shot at Miner Street Recording Studios in Fishtown, also stars some familiar faces, including 6abc's own Jim Gardner.
"Jim was nice enough to join the join the group," Jim says.
Beyond the celebration of the city, the Bacon Brothers also wanted this video to give back to local kids.
"My brother and I grew up in the public school system," Kevin explains. "Back in those days, if you wanted to play an instrument, they would give you one. So we found this Rock to the Future group."
The local nonprofit provides students free access to music. Some of the students jam out in the video.
"That was just the highlight," Kevin says of him time performing with the kids. "Not to mention, this young man came in with some freestyle lines. It was really fun."
Kevin says he hopes everyone will watch this and feel the musical energy of Philadelphia.
"There is something about those streets and walking those streets that brings 17 years of memories flooding back," he says. "I just don't ever lose it somehow. I hope I don't ever lose it."
