The Bogarts during their March 14 performance at the Wine Cellar in downtown Jamestown. Pictured from left to right are: Billy Piazza, Chris Passamonte, Chris Rammacher, Warren Sischo and Michelle Merwin. Drummer Shawn McKane is out of view. (Photo by Jason Sample)

For the past two years, the Bogarts have been making a mark on the local music scene in Southern Chautauqua County. The six member alt. country outfit has defined itself with intelligently written songs, highlighted by the distinct sound of steel guitar and a cover catalogue that includes everything from Neil Young to Wilco. In 2008 the band released “Redemption and Retribution,” an 11-song album recorded at Chadakoin Audio in Jamestown. Now, the band is back in the studio working on a second CD while also preparing to play several gigs this summer, including the 18th Annual Blue Heron Music Festival in July.

The Bogarts current line up consists of original members Chris Passamonte on vocals and guitar; Shawn McKane on drums, harmonica, vocals; Chris Rammacher on bass; and Billy Piazza on guitar. In early 2008, Warren Sischo was added for his ability on pedal steel, lap steel, and guitar. Earlier this year, the group departed ways with keyboardist Pat Post, who can be heard on Redemption and Retribution. Since then, Michelle Merwin has come in to take over keyboard duties and vocals.

Despite the fact the band has only been playing for the past couple years, its roots can actually be traced all the way back to the late 70s.

“Chris Rammacher and I have known each other since elementary school in Mayville,” McKane explains. “We would take his sister’s vinyl–albums from Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin–and play them on the hi-fi stereo.”

“We have always been into all kinds of music and attempted to play music back in the day,” Rammacher recalls, “but it fizzled out without any guidance.”

While the initial attempt to play music didn’t pan out, the two remained friends over the ensuing years. By the mid 90s, they had settled into adulthood. It was then that McKane and Rammacher met Passamonte.

“We knew each other were all going to the Blue Heron and made a plan to hang out there,” McKane says. “At the festival we talked about jamming. We all liked the same music and had

Chris Passamonte and the Bogarts will perform on May 29 at the Kennedy Grill and July 4 weekend at the Blue Heron Music Festival. (Photo by Jason Sample)

very similar social and political views so we got together after the festival and just played guitars, 3- or 4-chord stuff.”

A short time later, McKane says Rammacher gave him and his wife a drum set he had recently received, since she had some experience playing it in high school. But McKane is the one who actually got more use out of it and he slowly trained himself to play. “We basically taught ourselves to play as a group through trial and error,” Passamonte explains. “Eventually we moved to Rammacher's basement, and invited Bill over around 2006. Bill suggested Pat Post sit in, and we immediately gelled.”

Once the band members were in place, the group began focusing on building a set list that contained mostly original music. From the beginning, Passamonte has been the band’s primary songwriter. He says much of the music he writes stems from what he was exposed to while growing up. “I grew up on country music, and Shawn's drumming style lends itself to that sort of thing, so when we'd touch upon something in that vein, it always worked,” he says. “We also all loved Son Volt, Wilco, Ryan Adams, Jayhawks etc. So we started with that kind of root rock/country sensibility. The first song that I wrote for this band was ‘Country Song,’ which is on our new CD. It had this sort of loping country rhythm that reminded me of some of the old bands that my dad played in the 70s and 80s. It was the first time I thought, ‘maybe I can do this.’ As I progressed, and this band made the songs real and beautiful, my confidence increased.”

Over the past three years, Passamonte and his bandmates have written more than two dozen original songs. But that’s not the only thing you’ll hear when you attend a live performance from the Bogarts. “Covers have always been a necessity,” Passamonte says. “When we started playing out, we needed three sets, and we only had ten originals, so we said, ‘If we need covers, let's do some stuff that you don’t really hear a lot.’" Passamonte says an example is "Cortez the Killer" by Neil Young. “It's a simple tune with a lot of room for exploration, and lyrically it says something intelligent. We knew that we had to do this tune. We also do a lot of covers from other alt country bands. I think we've chosen songs that suit us, and fit what we are trying to accomplish. Now that we have thirty or more originals, going back to these covers feels great, because they are a part of our past.”

Since February 2007, The Bogarts have played dozens of shows throughout the area, including stops in Jamestown, Kennedy, Mayville, Sherman and even Buffalo. “We were really well received the couple of times that we played Buffalo,” Passamonte says, but he and his band are hoping to secure more gigs outside of the south county. “I think we really need to spread the awareness of this band, because we really don’t play out a lot, and have been pretty localized. Even so, we get new adds on our MySpace page all the time from bands around the country that dig us, so that's really affirming.”

The Bogarts are hoping to book more shows this summer, but for now they want to focus on finishing the new CD, which is yet to be named. “I have several ideas for a title but they all elicit blank stares from the rest the band when I present them, so I guess it's still untitled,” Passamonte says.

As for the content, Passamonte says the new album delivers some oldies and several new tracks. “I think it'll be 10 or 11 songs, and runs the gamut from weepy pedal steel to neo-alternative. It's very organic sounding, and I feel like it represents our second chapter well. There are some rockers and some haunting stuff. Lyrically, this CD is a bit less topical in a social/political sense. With ‘Redemption & Retribution,’ we were in the midst of the housing crisis, and money was tight for my family, so the focus was on those things. Also, those songs from the first CD are still on our set list, and more relevant than ever with the state of the economy, and the endless war and what not.”

The band is hoping to have the CD finished before this year’s Blue Heron Festival, taking place July 3-5 in Sherman. “We were able to release our CD there last year and hopefully again this year it will happen,” Rammacher says. “The Blue Heron is home for us and it feels great to open the fest again.”

The Bogarts will also play later this month at the Kennedy Grill in Kennedy, on Friday, May 29. As mentioned earlier, they are also hoping to do additional shows both around and outside of the south county during July and August. “It would be great to get out into Rochester, Buffalo and Erie,” Rammacher says. 

“Our work schedules make it difficult to play out other than weekends.”

To learn more about the Bogarts, go online to www.myspace.com/thebogartsband. Booking requests can also be made by calling Chris Rammacher at 386-4675.