Chris Bousquet and Frank Critelli

Frank Critelli and Chris Bousquet are  singer-songwriters from Connecticut. Bousquet is the former leader of the internationally acclaimed High Lonesome Plains. He has performed with such luminaries as Roger McGuinn (The Byrds), Mercury Rev, Howe Gelb, Miracle Legion, John Sebastian, Asleep at the Wheel, Rhett Miller, Mark Mulcahy, The Turtles, Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, 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). 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).  Between 2008 and 2015, American Elm released three studio E.P.s: “Ulmus Americana” ( 2008), “alonesomenoise” (2014), and “Into the Light Within” (2015), and a single "Empty Island Houses" (2014).

Frank Critelli writes songs and often performs live, sometimes solo, and sometimes accompanied by one or more musical co-conspirators. For over 30 years, he's played in streets and subways, clubs and coffeehouses, barrooms and classrooms, colleges, festivals, theaters, and in his kitchen. Frank Critelli co-hosts The Local Bands Show on 99.1fm WPLR-New Haven and  CygnusRadio.com w/ Rick Allison.