American Elm

American Elm is Chris Bousquet, a singer-songwriter from Connecticut. He is the former leader of the internationally acclaimed High Lonesome Plains, and as well as the widely regarded Alligator Farmhouse. He has performed with such luminaries as Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), Miracle Legion, John Sebastian, Asleep at the Wheel, The Nields, Mark Mulcahy, The Turtles, Dry the River, J. Geils, and Susan Cowsill. 

The High Lonesome Plains rose to critical acclaim between 1999 and 2006, receiving airplay and garnering critical acclaim on four continents, Americana-UK called their 2002 EP Songs For Young Lovers, “one of the year’s best.” Rolling Stone writer and Australian DJ Stuart Coupe called it "the best thang to arrive in the mail for ages." The lead track on the EP, "Brass Ring" was featured in the independent film The Box, the television show Witchblade and was included on 36,000 copies of a Magnet Magazine New Music Sampler.

In 2006 The High Lonesome Plains released a full length album entitled The River and the Sea which received glowing praise both domestically and abroad (including Belgium, The Netherlands, UK, Australia and Spain). Rootstime Belgium called the record “a classic!” Independisc.com selected “The River and the Sea” as their record of the year.

From 2004 to 2007 Chris toured the Northeast as part of the “Times Three Tour” with songwriters Frank Critelli and Mr. Ray Neal (Miracle Legion, Vic Chesnutt).

In 2010, his song “Alone on a Wire” was included on the “Not Before My Time” compilation. As  American Elm, he has released several E.P.s  (“Ulmus Americana” in 2008, “alonesomenoise” in 2014”) and a single “Empty Island Houses (2014). American Elm’s latest is an EP called “Into the Light Within,” released in July of 2015.

Press quotes:

"Memorable melodies and intoxicating hooks that are instantly appealing . . . well worth tracking down." - Del Day, Americana-UK

"Bousquet writes songs that grab at the throat, heart, and soul." - Rootstime Belgium

"Bousquet's melodies pour out with folksy ease, his memorable choruses invite singing along, and his lyrics are smart without being show-offy" - Brian LaRue, The New Haven Advocate

"Gentle songs of wistful longing and uncomfortable self- reflection, city lights as a metaphor for fading dreams and nature as symbolic of freedom or at least a change from modern despairs" -Christopher Arnott, The New Haven Advocate

"A well-crafted collection of Americana/alt-country songs with a road-worn vibe that calls to mind riding down a flat stretch of two-lane asphalt that stretches straight to the horizon. . . . these dozen songs dig in with gentle understatement. " - Eric Danton, The Hartford Courant