Chris Ramos and Ben Chism of BoomTown Saints
Courtesy of BoomTown Saints
It’s been quite a summer for Chris Ramos and Ben Chism, the two men who make up BoomTown Saints. After years of hard work, their music has started connecting with country fans in a big way with songs like “Heart Breaks You, “Blacktop Don’t,” and their latest No. 1 charting hit “This Side of the Dirt.”
“This year has been good for us. We’ve kind of reached a point where crowds finally know who we are,” Ramos says with a laugh. He goes on to explain, “We were in South Dakota a few weeks with 8000 people there and half the audience was singing our song back to us.”
With a deep appreciation for 90s country and a knack for writing songs that resonate, the duo has found a combination that works.
“When we’re writing a song, we’re trying to write lyrics that make us feel something,” Chism says, “because if it makes you feel something, hopefully it makes everybody else feel something, as well.”
“Also,” Ramos adds, “having Ben’s voice on almost any song, especially with his accent and drawl, takes it and gives it a down-home, warm feel. So, we have that in our favor.”
Their songs often tap into their own personal experiences and while some of the life lessons they share may have been painful at the time, the two look for the silver lining.
“There’s enough bad stuff and negativity in the world, so our objective is to have a positive spin on everything – even the heartbreak songs,” Ramos says. “Both of our heartbreak songs have positive messages. The concept behind our song “How to Lose a Lady,” is – I lost somebody, let me tell you what not to do because here’s how I did it. And then “Heart Breaks You,” is a man realizing all of the things he should have been, could be, and should be – because he finally got his heart broken.”
Their latest single “A Good Woman” also draws from their own lives. (The two wrote the song with co-writers Phillip White and James LeBlanc.)
“This song is one of our favorites because Chris and I have both been through relationships that have broken us and beaten us down,” Chism says. “And it takes a special woman to turn everything around. That’s what this song is about.”
BoomTown Saints country partnership came together in sort of an unplanned, unconventional way. Chism had already launched his music career while Ramos still only dreamed of it. Ramos worked in the corporate world as a consultant in the healthcare field and one day mentioned his interest in music.
“I’d known Ben through the gym because his wife was a trainer at the gym where I worked out. And I told him one day, man, if you ever need somebody to get onstage and play acoustic guitar or anything I’ll do it for free.”
A couple months later, Chism found himself in need of a fill-in bass player for a gig in Georgia and Ramos helped him out. The performance went so well, the two were immediately invited back. They played a few shows at other venues in the weeks that followed and were again, asked to return every single time.
“As that kept happening,” Ramos says, “we thought maybe we should start a duo and try this thing.”
When it comes to their name, they wanted to choose something people would remember. BoomTown came from an article mentioned on the cover of a magazine sitting on the table in the recording studio. There is symbolism here with boomtown meaning unexpected prosperity or rapid growth. And Saints is tied to Ramos and Chism’s strong faith.
The two are grateful for their growing success and are looking ahead to what happens next. They plan to continue writing songs, playing dynamic shows for live audiences, and connecting with as many new fans as possible.
“We have a number of songs scheduled to be released throughout the fall and into the spring,” says Chism. “And we’re just trying to get as many shows on the books as we can and allow more people to hear our music.”