The Flat Five is Chicago’s beloved band of in-demand music biz touring and recording ringers - Kelly Hogan and Nora O’Connor (Neko Case, Mavis Staples, The Decemberists, The New Pornographers) Scott Ligon and Casey McDonough (NRBQ, Brian Wilson) and Alex Hall (J.D. McPherson, The Cactus Blossoms.)
For over 16 years, these shameless harmony junkies have come together in their limited off-time to make their own kind of twisted sunshine pop. Their 2016 debut album It’s a World of Love and Hope scored big with critics and fans alike (including high-profile Flat Five fanatics like Nick Lowe and Wilco) and their 2020 follow-up Another World has kept the flame burning bright.
From the laid-back simple to the oddly romantic to the slightly subversive, there is a spirit of wide-eyed sweetness at the heart of The Flat Five’s music. The charms of this band are manifest — in-the-pocket harmonies, a vastly diverse genre-hopping repertoire, the infectious energy of their sold-out live shows, and their undeniable love for the music and each other.
“Their disparate songs coalesce around a tone that is unapologetically uplifting. It's impossible to listen to the Flat Five and not smile.” – Chicago Tribune
“Though never nostalgic, the harmony-laden, crisply-arranged results recall the era when popular music was making the switch from AM to FM, and singles to albums. Imagine the Fifth Dimension scoring Twin Peaks… The Flat Five are a song’s best friend.” – No Depression