The Elms (band)

The Elms
The Elms performing in 2004.
Background information
Origin	Indiana, United States
Genres	Christian rock, rock, blues rock, garage rock
Years active	2000–2010
Labels	Sparrow/EMI, Universal South, TRUST Incorporated
Past members	Owen Thomas Christopher D. Thomas Thomas Daugherty Nathan W. Bennett Keith Miller

The Elms were an American rock and roll band known for their breed of rootsy, blues-based rock, with the essence of the music of the 60s and 70s. Although the band had been in existence since 2000, 2001 saw the release of their first full-length album, with the first musical contribution from Thomas Daugherty on guitar. Thus, 2001 is widely considered The Elms' first fully functional year in existence. Some members reside in the southern Indiana city of Seymour, Indiana. The Elms have drawn stylistic comparisons to The Black Crowes, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, The Kinks, and The Beatles.

The Elms released their major-label debut album, The Chess Hotel, on May 2, 2006. The band's final album, The Great American Midrange, was released on September 15, 2009. It peaked at #18 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and was The Elms' highest-charting album to date. The only officially released single from The Great American Midrange was the song "Back To Indiana," and the track's music video premiered online in November 2009. On June 1, 2010 the band announced via their web site that they would disband in July 2010.

Owen Thomas and Thomas Daugherty met while attending grade school together in Missouri. The two shared a passion for music, and often recorded original songs into handheld tape recorders as a hobby. Following grade school, Owen and Christopher Thomas relocated to Seymour, Indiana.

Following their departure from the band Just Visiting in 2000, the Thomas brothers signed a recording contract with EMI-owned Gospel music label Sparrow Records to launch their next endeavor, which they named The Elms after their relatives' coaching house in London, England. They solicited the involvement of Daugherty, who had been playing in various bands in his home-state of Missouri. Daugherty joined The Elms in mid-2000, and contributed guitar to the completion of The Elms' debut album, The Big Surprise. The band offered the role of bassist to Nathan Bennett, whom they had known for several years because of his involvement with Indiana-based rock band A.M. Drive. Bennett declined the initial offer, as his own band was in the midst of creating new material. Keith Miller joined the band on bass guitar after meeting the band at a concert on New Year's Eve 2000.