It’s hard to believe that this harmonious Chicago quintet used to only perform once a year for a holiday show. Or even quarterly quarterly after that. What’s also hard to believe is that you’ll be able to listen to just this new song and not want to immediately order their upcoming album It’s a World of Love and Hope (don’t worry, it will be released on the 14th, so the wait won’t be terrible).

There’s a lot of love in this group and it’s easy to hear as they cover plenty of ground with jazzy, bubbly, and incredibly smooth vocals. Their voices pop, blend, bebop and sway all through your speakers. The Flat Five is irresistible and catchy…and you’ll hear why in a minute when you listen to “Buglight” below.

Member Scott Ligon says “Buglight” was a gift for them:

“Kelly [Hogan] had driven down from Wisconsin the night before we were to record (in a snowstorm) and was flopping at a friend’s apartment for a few days. During her drive down the snow started to get really, really bad and luckily she made it into town safely. The following morning I woke up, looked outside, and immediately knew that there was no way we were getting together that day. It was impossible.”

Ligon started making the dreaded phone calls to everyone “admitting that we were screwed”. Though, when he called Hogan (and woke her up), she told Ligon she was dreaming that they we were singing “Buglight” like the Mills Brothers!

Ligon was immediately on board with that idea. The unexpected day off gave him the ability to work on the new arrangement. “The next day I still had to shovel snow for two hours before I could get out of my alley. We finally all made it to Alex’s studio and I showed everyone the arrangement. We set up three microphones- Alex on one, me on one, and Kelly, Casey and Nora on one. We played the song one time through just to check our levels and make sure we were blending well. That’s the take that’s on the record!”

The Flat Five tours a lot now, so keep an eye on their dates and go have a great time when they roll into your town.

-Brenda Hillegas