Trail Mix Concert Series is returning to Senior Hall at Homewood’s Izaak Walton Nature Preserve on Friday, May 12.
The event will feature a performance from Nora O’Connor and Casey McDonough, two members of the Flat Five, a Chicago based pop vocal band with millions of plays on Spotify. Six of Spades, a group of Homewood-Flossmoor High School juniors who sing and play guitar, bass, flute, keyboard, ukulele, various percussions and other instruments, will open for them.
Event organizer Steve Ploum said of the Flat Five: “They’re definitely into singing harmonies. They do a type of music that is kind of jazzy. It’s got some swing to it.”
Ploum said that within the first 72 hours of tickets going on sale, about 20% were sold. He said this is probably the fastest he’s ever seen for ticket sales.
Trail Mix Productions recently received its designation as a nonprofit organization. Ploum said Trail Mix having nonprofit status allows it to have the funds to book acts much farther in advance. Board members are volunteers who have day jobs, Ploum said.
This will be its first show where Trail Mix has partnered with the Homewood Arts Council. Ploum said that Chris Castaneda, the director of HAC, was able to get Trail Mix in touch with the two members of the Flat Five.
“We (HAC) have a similar want to bring music and cultural events to the area. We’re glad to be partnering with them and we’ll probably be partnering with them again on and off a few times moving forward,” Ploum said, adding that he believes HAC will help Trail Mix “get the word out” about the concert series and “reach more people.”
Before the HAC, Castaneda was a board member with the Beverly Area Arts Alliance in Chicago. He booked musical acts in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago, including, O’Connor and McDonough. He often used connections he made over 10 years as a freelance music journalist.
While O’Connor and McDonough are most known for being in the Flat Five, Castaneda said that they’ve played as a pair “over the years” as well.
He hopes this is a “first step” in a partnership between Trail Mix and HAC, and that he can help bring music fans from the north side of Chicago to Homewood who will in turn check out the neighborhood.
Six of Spades members said they’re excited to perform at Trail Mix. This will be the first time they’ve opened for a non-local band.
“It’s also always really fun to see artists we haven’t seen before. So, I’m personally really excited to see what members of the Flat Five will do,” said Ave Van Til of Six of Spades.
Many previous Trail Mix concerts have been outside at the Izaak Walton Nature Preserve with a backdrop of trees. Ploum said Trail Mix plans to continue that tradition at upcoming Trail Mix shows in the summer and early fall.
Tickets for the May 12 concert are available for purchase on Trail Mix’s homepage.