Artist Information
Biography
THE ELMS: Selected Accomplishments.
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2007/2008 ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
--September 20, 2008 performance at Farm Aid 2008, Comcast Center, Boston (alongside Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young, Dave Matthews, The Pretenders, and more).
--September 14, 2008 performance at Monolith Festival, Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Denver (alongside Vampire Weekend, Silversun Pickups, Band Of Horses, TV On The Radio, many more.)
--Major 2008 Olympic promotional campaign with NBC affiliate WTHR 13 Indianapolis, using THE ELMS' new track, "This Is How The World Will End."
--Appearance on the Bob & Tom Radio Show, October 6, 2008. Interview and live performance of "This Is How The World Will End."
--Universal South album "The Chess Hotel" released in Europe, April 2008.
--Inaugural European tour performed in August, 2008, to an estimated audience of 15,000 at various festivals.
--New track, "The Shake" used on EA Sports' "NHL '08" video game, all major gaming platforms, and in promotion for release.
--New digital maxi-single, "This Is How The World Will End", released September 16, 2008 exclusively at TheElms.net, with B-side track "The Shake."
--Brand new interactive and informational website design at TheElms.net launched May 2, 2008.
--Featured artist for new MSN/Fox Sports Online website launch, 2007.
--One of NUVO magazine's "Breakout Acts Of 2007" in Indianapolis.
GENERAL INFORMATION:
--Over 700 concerts performed to date since 2001 in 45 continental U.S. states, Canada, and Europe to a combined audience of over one million people.
--Touring and/or exclusive support sets performed with Goo Goo Dolls, Band Of Horses, Shooter Jennings, Switchfoot, Cracker, Will Hoge, Peter Frampton, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Gin Blossoms, Jars Of Clay, Johnny Lang, Buddy Guy, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and many others.
--Music used at major NBA, NFL, MLB, and USTA sporting events, including the U.S. Open, MLB Playoffs, and in numerous stadiums and arenas nationwide.
--Music used on national network and cable television shows, on stations including NBC, CBS, ABC, MTV, VH1, ESPN, WB, FOX, and others.
--Music videos aired on MTV2, FUSE, and MuchMusic Canada.
--Universal Records South debut album, "The Chess Hotel," released May 2, 2006.
--Successful online presence at TheElms.net and MySpace.com. MySpace profile now boasts 20,000 friends and over 430,000 plays.
--Music used in national retail in-store and ad campaigns for American Eagle, Martin & Osa, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch, Hollister, Anchor Blue, Old Navy, and others.
--Press coverage in Billboard, Newsweek, Guitar Player, People, HARP, Amplifier, and hundreds of other weeklies and prominent daily newspapers.
--Publishing arrangement with Warner/Chappell Music Nashville.
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THE ELMS: Selected Press Coverage, 2008.
"A stellar group." --The Tennessean
"Stunning." --The San Antonio Express-News
"Fabulous." --The Chicago Sun-Times
"Clever and brooding..." --Dayton Daily News
"Terrifically entertaining." --Billboard
"Rare power and guts." --Amplifier Magazine
"Incendiary, anthemic, inspired." --South Florida Sun
"Stomping roadhouse rock." --HARP
"Spine-tingling." --The Indianapolis Star
"Energetic, unadorned rock & roll." --Ft. Worth Star-Telegram
"Stirring, visceral observations of blue-collar life." --Hybrid Magazine
"Bold, swaggering rock anthems." --Courier Press
"Buzz-saw, straight-ahead rock & roll." --Lafayette Journal & Courier
Visit & Listen:
www.theelms.net
www.myspace.com/theelms
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THE ELMS: A self-penned biography by Owen Thomas, Summer 2008.
Well, I suppose that somewhere in the rock and roll biography, accomplishments must be lauded. A band's critical mass, if it exists, must be made evident. Suitors must be impressed, critics appeased, supporters emboldened.
But I think, should you happen to meet one of the members of THE ELMS, we'll be less inclined to tell you what you might expect to hear.
Before we would ever tell you about any accomplishments we've been able to accrue in the last five years, we would inform you that the relationships in our band run thicker than blood, and that our brotherhood began in grade school, far before music ever came calling. We'd let you know how proud we are to have each other, and how important it has been for us to endeavor together in a noble way, the only way we've known how: making music that first inspires us before it ever leaves our care for the scrutiny and criticism of others. It has been important to us to remain firmly united to the convictions about music that we were born with. If it gets us off, it passes the test.
But, this is a rock & roll bio. I suppose it's my responsibility to tell a bit about what our band has been up to, and where we came from. All four members of THE ELMS were born in blue-collar, rustbuckle towns, and have lived in towns like these our whole lives. The music we make together is sparse, dense, and a bit gruff -- sonic comparisons have ranged from Crazy Horse to The Kinks. We like the philosophies of pop music structure in the purest sense. We like how it feels when a verse takes you to a big chorus. We also like the inherent feeling of risk that comes with rock & roll music, and like to keep things simple and raw musically. So, if you're doing the math and coming to some conclusions as to how we sound, you're probably not far off.
At times on our musical journey, we've tried to embrace the delicate, the dainty, and the ambient. But our experiments kept reminding us that we're just a loud, hearty American rock band... and we've got the battle scars to prove it. Right now, we all live in Indiana, within an hour's drive of each other.
We've released three records. They're called "The Big Surprise", "Truth, Soul, Rock & Roll", and "The Chess Hotel". All three of these records were released on major label imprints. We've sat in the atriums, drank the wine, shook the hands, and had a good laugh afterwards. It's an unbelievable place for a few buddies from Indiana to find themselves, for many reasons.
These records have allowed us to tour with some incredible people, from pop stars like Goo Goo Dolls to blues icons like Buddy Guy. We've done over seven hundred shows, and played to nearly a million people. This suits us fine. Some bands exist for the production of records, the process of deep creative exploration. We exist, primarily, to ramble out onto the stage together and try to lift people's feet up off the ground. We've been incredibly fortunate to play some of the finest rooms in the USA, and incidentally, we'll tour Europe for the first time in Summer 2008. We've connected with a lot of people from the stage, and a surprisingly large number of them have bought our records and taken the music into their hearts, for which we're grateful. The road is what we know, why we do this, and a place we feel we were born to live.
Our music has been used in film and television mediums around the world, including uses or video plays on NBC, CBS, ABC, ESPN, WB, FOX, MTV, MTV2, FUSE, and MuchMusic. The NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, NASCAR, and USTA have used our tunes in their events. EA Sports is using one of our new tunes called "The Shake" in their NHL 2009 game.
The press has been kind to THE ELMS, from gigantic dailies to influential magazines and sites. Words are nothing to hang your hat on, but it's nice when people respond generously.
At the moment, we're making the best music of our lives, and are working on a new record as we speak. The music we're creating is for the people who we love and are closest to, who understand the culture we live in and the personalities and spirit that make it tick. The goal here isn't, and was never, to sound like the scenester rock of coastal U.S. cities, or to use the music as a vehicle to brush elbows with 20-something Hollywood debutantes. But I'm sure they're nice girls.
We hope you like what we do, and understand that we're always trying harder, getting better, and digging deeper to craft our collective legacy. What happens with THE ELMS begins, and ends, with a camaraderie that far predates the love of making music. The band were friends and brothers first, and will remain so.
Instrumentation
Owen Thomas - Lead Vocals, Guitar.
Chris Thomas - Drums, BGV's.
Thomas Daugherty - Lead Guitar, BGV's.
Nathan Bennett - Bass Guitar, BGV's.
Discography
"THE CHESS HOTEL" - released May 2006 on Universal Records South, co-produced by The Elms and David Bianco (Tom Petty, The Posies, Black Crowes, Rage Against the Machine.)
Video
Setlist
45-75 minute original set.
