"JUNE 1, 2010: THE ELMS; c.2000-2010.

Dearest friends and family:

It is with equal parts gratitude and humility with which I write you today to say that this July, after ten extraordinary years of life lived closely together, the members of The Elms will very amicably part ways and end our tenure as a rock and roll band. There are no salacious discrepancies between band members to report to you, and no dramatic elements to run through the rumor mill! Simply stated, the time has come to move on.

As a band, our personal affections for one another are at an all-time high. I have respect beyond the capability of words for Christopher, Thomas, and Nathan -- and I'll maintain forever that there is not a better, tighter, smarter, and more intuitive musical unit than they are, both together and individually. For a full decade of my life, I got to be in my favorite band, and it was cracklin' the whole time. And the fact that our final and favorite album, "The Great American Midrange," was our highest-charting ever? Well, an outstanding note to end on.

I can say to you with assurance that our band rarely compromised what we felt were our purest commodities; for better or worse, everything we did musically or otherwise came straight from the guts, and we ultimately answered to our own honest ideals about our songs and identity. The heart of our commitment to you was to be authentic, and to always do the best that we could do. Every creative offering we gave you was meticulously cared for, and we're so proud of the music on our four albums. Thank you for following where we walked.

Today, we're enthusiastically releasing a fantastic digital box set called "STOPPIN' ON A DIME: LIVE & RARE 2000-2010." We've worked hard on this compilation, which contains 40 tracks chosen from countless hours that the boys and I spent recording and performing together over the last decade - including songs that many of you have been asking about for a long, long time. We've also created a particularly special retrospective digi-book that we'd love for you to flip through and see a few great moments in the life of this band, presented through the eyes of some wonderfully talented photographers. You know, memory lane and all that...

Lastly, we will conclude our performance career together with a very intimate final show at Radio Radio in Indianapolis on Friday July 30, 2010. Near or far, I hope you'll make the trip to come see us play together one last time. The evening will be a proper celebration of the music and camaraderie of The Elms, which certainly includes you as much as it includes us. That night, we'll play our songs for as long as you'll let us, then hang around and tell stories 'til they kick us out. Tickets are quite limited, so please get yours quickly.

Here's my new TUMBLR/TWITTERtarget=_blank. Thom's HEREtarget=_blank. Nathan's HERE. Chris's is... well, I'll let you know when Chris decides to get on the Internet! Follow closely, as our creative contributions to the world certainly won't end here. We will truly be interested in communicating with you, our friends, long into the future.

We're eternally grateful to all of you who discovered The Elms and our music; then so warmly carried us, loved us, supported us, and become our extended family through the years - you have brought us true joy on innumerable occasions. I thank God Almighty that we've gotten a chance to meet you all.

I hope that you'll still let The Elms' music keep you company from time to time. It has been my life's great honor to share ten life-changing, world-traveling, destiny-pursuing years with my brother, my best friends, and with you.

With deep respect, and love. Owen M. Thomas"

For more info on The Elms, visit the JFH Artists Database.