The Flat Five’s Scott Ligon & Alex Hall On The New “Another World” Album, The Beach Boys & More
The Flat Five, Chicago’s beloved band of in-demand music biz ringers — Kelly Hogan and Nora O’Connor (Neko Case, The Decemberists), Scott Ligon and Casey McDonough (NRBQ) and Alex Hall (J.D. McPherson) — are releasing their second album of twisted sunshine vocal-pop. Another World is being issued by Pravda Records/Augiedisc Records on CD, 12” vinyl LP, digital download and via streaming platforms. All the new album’s songs were written by Scott Ligon’s older brother, the impossible-to-pigeonhole mad musical genius Chris Ligonm whose songs have been featured on the hit Showtime series Weeds and The Dr. Demento Show. This follows the precedent of the group’s acclaimed 2016 debut, It’s A World Of Love & Hope, an album that scored big with critics and fans alike, including high-profile Flat Five aficionados like Nick Lowe and Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy.
Scott Ligon was a wunderkind from Peoria who cut his teeth on blues and jazz and was hand-picked by Terry Adams to front the latest version of NRBQ. Kelly Hogan was a punk-rock torch singer with Atlanta’s The Jody Grind, who made a name for herself in Chicago as a solo performer and versatile session singer with bands such as The Mekons and Tortoise. Nora O’Connor was famous for her laser beam harmonies with Andrew Bird and Iron & Wine and her fearless ability to master any new instrument she’s handed. Casey McDonough was tapped to share lead vocal duties with The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson on the 2017 Pet Sounds tour — with no prior rehearsals, mind you. The final addition to The Flat Five was ace drummer Alex Hall, a fixture at Chicago’s fabled Green Mill jazz club with The Fat Babies, The Modern Sounds, and Hammond whiz Chris Foreman’s combo.
On November 18, 2020, I had the pleasure of interviewing The Flat Five’s Scott Ligon and Alex Hall via Zoom, as embedded below. More on The Flat Five can be found online via theflatfivechicago.com, facebook.com/TheFlatFiveChicago and twitter.com/TheFlatFiveCHI.
