Artist

The Connells

Raleigh, United States • Formed 1984

The Connells is a music group from Raleigh, United States, active since 1984. Their discography on Gatefold includes 11 records.

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Albums tracked

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1984

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Biography

The Connells is an American band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They play a guitar-oriented, melodic, power pop style of rock music, with introspective lyrics that reflect the American South. Guitarist Mike Connell formed the band in 1984, along with his brother David Connell on bass, Doug MacMillan on vocals, and future filmmaker John Schultz on drums. This initial four-person line-up was quickly supplemented by the addition of George Huntley on second guitar, keyboards, and vocals.

The Arc of The Connells

The pivots — what forced The Connells to reinvent.

The Mitch Easter Drive-In Years
When they pulled into Easter's studio to cut their early material, they were defined by the Rickenbacker chime and Mike Connell’s clean, melodic sensibilities. Easter brought the same DIY atmospheric polish he’d given to Murmur, focusing on George Huntley’s backing vocals and that specific North Carolina jangle. Boylan Heights remains the gold standard of this run, a record that smells like damp leaves and campus radio stations. It’s the sound of a band perfecting a regional dialect before the major labels tried to universalize it.
The One Little Indian Overseas Peak
Ring was the moment the production finally caught up to the songwriting, largely because Lou Giordano came in to tighten the screws. Giordano had worked with Bob Mould and The Lemonheads, and he gave the band a heavier, more muscular low end that helped '74–'75' become a massive European fluke. They spent years chasing that ghost across the Atlantic while the US market was moving toward post-grunge sludge. It turned them into a working-class touring machine that was somehow more famous in Berlin than in Raleigh.
The Huntley Departure and Resilience
When George Huntley finally checked out after 2001’s Old School MTV, the band lost its primary counterpoint to Mike Connell’s songwriting and Doug’s vocal delivery. It took them twenty years to put out another full-length, but Steadman’s Wake showed they hadn't lost the ability to write a hook that feels like a bruise. They leaned into the elder-statesmen vibe, swapping out the frantic jangle for a more seasoned, Americana-inflected rock sound. It’s the sound of a band that realized they don't need to be the next big thing anymore because they survived the first one.

Influences

The Byrds — The 12-string Rickenbacker chime is the foundational DNA of the Mike Connell guitar sound. You hear it most clearly on 'Seven,' where the jangle isn't just a texture but the entire structural framework. They’ve covered 'Feel a Whole Lot Better' live for decades to prove the lineage.
The Beatles — Mike Connell has repeatedly cited the McCartney/Lennon bridge structures as his blueprint for pop songwriting. That knack for the 'sad-but-upbeat' melody on tracks like 'Scotty's Lament' comes straight from the Rubber Soul era. It’s about the craft of the middle-eight.
Big Star — Alex Chilton’s power-pop blueprint and the vulnerable, stripped-back production of #1 Record is all over Boylan Heights. The band even tapped Chris Stamey, a massive Big Star disciple, to produce that record. You hear it in the way the acoustic guitars sit right on top of the electric leads.
R.E.M. — They shared a producer in Mitch Easter and a regional circuit in the early 80s that prioritized melody over aggression. While the comparisons annoyed them, the murky, atmospheric layering on Darker Days is an undeniable nod to the Chronic Town EP. It’s the sound of the New South's first wave.
The Records — The power-pop precision and harmony-heavy choruses of late-70s pub rock gave The Connells their bite. You can hear that punchy, radio-ready structure in George Huntley’s contributions like 'Sal.' They took the British invasion obsession and filtered it through a Raleigh lens.