The Connells is an American band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They play a … Read Full Bio ↴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. Around the same time, former Johnny Quest drummer Peele Wimberley replaced Schultz, finalizing the "classic" line-up of the band.
From the beginning of the group, Mike Connell wrote both the music and the lyrics of the majority of the band’s songs, although he was not the band's primary lead singer. Connell’s influences included the 1960's guitar pop of his childhood, including The Byrds and The Beatles; in an early interview, he stated that the first song he wrote as a teenager was titled “Psychedelic Butterfly."
Like Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Johnny Marr of The Smiths, Connell and Huntley played Rickenbacker guitars for the first several years of the band’s career, creating a jangly, folk-rock sound reminiscent of The Byrds and other Southern U.S. and North Carolina bands of the era, such as the dB's and Let's Active.
A re-recorded version of “Darker Days” provided the title track to the band’s debut album, which was produced by fellow North Carolinian Don Dixon and released in 1985 on Elvis Costello's Demon Records in the UK and the band’s own Black Park Records label in the U.S.
After touring heavily behind Darker Days, the Connells re-entered the studio in 1986 with Dixon and R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter to record their second album, Boylan Heights. The decision to work with Easter continued to perpetuate the comparisons to R.E.M.
Although the band shopped Boylan Heights to various labels, the major record companies, including Columbia Records, which expressed some mild interest, passed on it; the record was ultimately released in 1987 on mid-major TVT Records, which had made its name releasing a series of "Tee Vee Toons" television theme song compilation CDs. TVT would prove to be no commercial match for R.E.M.'s own mid-major label, I.R.S. Records, and over the next decade, The Connells would engage in a series of disputes with the label, on at least one occasion suing, unsuccessfully, to break their recording contract.
Despite the problems with TVT, Boylan Heights was a substantial college radio hit, and The Connells continued to tour relentlessly. During this period, both Connell and Huntley began to move away from their twelve-string Rickenbackers towards six-string Fender and Gibson guitars, leading to a heavier, less folky sound on Fun and Games, the 1989 follow-up album.
Fun and Games was quickly followed in 1990 by One Simple Word, which was recorded in Wales with U.K. producer Hugh Jones.
After a three-year recording hiatus, which included more legal jousting with TVT Records, a rejuvenated Connells released Ring in 1993. While European music fans made Ring a platinum record outside the United States, such high level success in America remained elusive. 1996's Weird Food and Devastation failed to build on the momentum established by its predecessor.
In 1998, the band released Still Life, which marked their final album for TVT. The band released Old School Dropouts on the revived Black Park Records label in 2000. The band recorded the record themselves and promoted it sparingly in the American South.
Peele Wimberley and George Huntley have since left the band. Wimberley briefly played with another band called Parklife, and then moved to Los Angeles to pursue interests in Hollywood and in electronic music. He is currently a member of the Los Angeles band, The Lamps.
Huntley is now selling real estate and working part time at the University of North Carolina music department.
Peele Wimberley was replaced on drums by Steve Ritter; after several years Ritter was soon replaced by Chris Stevenson on drums, and Mike Ayers took George's place on lead guitar. The new lineup recorded the album Old School Dropouts.
In 1993, they released "''74-'75" which remains their most popular song. It is based on experiences of the Class of 1975 in a high school in Raleigh, North Carolina. The video juxtaposed original yearbook pictures with the class members as they appeared at the time. And then in 2015, the producers tracked down the original members once again, and produced a remixed video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6l3Lh2cb_g
The last official release of the band was in 2001. They still occasionally perform together, including a reunion concert in 2020.
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. Around the same time, former Johnny Quest drummer Peele Wimberley replaced Schultz, finalizing the "classic" line-up of the band.
From the beginning of the group, Mike Connell wrote both the music and the lyrics of the majority of the band’s songs, although he was not the band's primary lead singer. Connell’s influences included the 1960's guitar pop of his childhood, including The Byrds and The Beatles; in an early interview, he stated that the first song he wrote as a teenager was titled “Psychedelic Butterfly."
Like Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Johnny Marr of The Smiths, Connell and Huntley played Rickenbacker guitars for the first several years of the band’s career, creating a jangly, folk-rock sound reminiscent of The Byrds and other Southern U.S. and North Carolina bands of the era, such as the dB's and Let's Active.
A re-recorded version of “Darker Days” provided the title track to the band’s debut album, which was produced by fellow North Carolinian Don Dixon and released in 1985 on Elvis Costello's Demon Records in the UK and the band’s own Black Park Records label in the U.S.
After touring heavily behind Darker Days, the Connells re-entered the studio in 1986 with Dixon and R.E.M. producer Mitch Easter to record their second album, Boylan Heights. The decision to work with Easter continued to perpetuate the comparisons to R.E.M.
Although the band shopped Boylan Heights to various labels, the major record companies, including Columbia Records, which expressed some mild interest, passed on it; the record was ultimately released in 1987 on mid-major TVT Records, which had made its name releasing a series of "Tee Vee Toons" television theme song compilation CDs. TVT would prove to be no commercial match for R.E.M.'s own mid-major label, I.R.S. Records, and over the next decade, The Connells would engage in a series of disputes with the label, on at least one occasion suing, unsuccessfully, to break their recording contract.
Despite the problems with TVT, Boylan Heights was a substantial college radio hit, and The Connells continued to tour relentlessly. During this period, both Connell and Huntley began to move away from their twelve-string Rickenbackers towards six-string Fender and Gibson guitars, leading to a heavier, less folky sound on Fun and Games, the 1989 follow-up album.
Fun and Games was quickly followed in 1990 by One Simple Word, which was recorded in Wales with U.K. producer Hugh Jones.
After a three-year recording hiatus, which included more legal jousting with TVT Records, a rejuvenated Connells released Ring in 1993. While European music fans made Ring a platinum record outside the United States, such high level success in America remained elusive. 1996's Weird Food and Devastation failed to build on the momentum established by its predecessor.
In 1998, the band released Still Life, which marked their final album for TVT. The band released Old School Dropouts on the revived Black Park Records label in 2000. The band recorded the record themselves and promoted it sparingly in the American South.
Peele Wimberley and George Huntley have since left the band. Wimberley briefly played with another band called Parklife, and then moved to Los Angeles to pursue interests in Hollywood and in electronic music. He is currently a member of the Los Angeles band, The Lamps.
Huntley is now selling real estate and working part time at the University of North Carolina music department.
Peele Wimberley was replaced on drums by Steve Ritter; after several years Ritter was soon replaced by Chris Stevenson on drums, and Mike Ayers took George's place on lead guitar. The new lineup recorded the album Old School Dropouts.
In 1993, they released "''74-'75" which remains their most popular song. It is based on experiences of the Class of 1975 in a high school in Raleigh, North Carolina. The video juxtaposed original yearbook pictures with the class members as they appeared at the time. And then in 2015, the producers tracked down the original members once again, and produced a remixed video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6l3Lh2cb_g
The last official release of the band was in 2001. They still occasionally perform together, including a reunion concert in 2020.
Another Souvenir
The Connells Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
I see you down in the back of the bar.
Accompanied and comforted, by what you are.
And there's a place in the back of your mind
And you'd give anything to leave it behind
'Cause it's where you reside.
And i watch you stir around 'cause it keeps me busy.
Always willing to take the time so it won't just waste away.
And it's tearing you apart, i watch the pieces scatter
Pick one up and look around for another souvenir.
I've been trying to pin you down
Your bound to spot something that i shouldn't see.
I've got a private view of this, and this i've seen before
And wouldn't miss, 'cause it's something to do
And i watch you stir around 'cause it keeps me busy.
Always willing to take the time 'cause it tends to waste away.
And it's tearing you apart, let's watch the pieces scatter.
I'll pick one up and look around, maybe i'll meet you down...
Yeah we watch you stir around and it keeps us busy.
Always willing to take the time so it won't just waste away.
And it's tearing you apart, we'll watch the peices scatter.
Pick one up and poke around for another souvenir.
Yeah we watch you stir around and it keeps us busy.
Always willing to take the time 'cause it tends to waste away.
And it's tearing you apart, watch the peices scatter.
Pick one up and look around for another souvenir.
I see you down in the back of the bar, accompanied and comforted.
Accompanied and comforted, by what you are.
And there's a place in the back of your mind
And you'd give anything to leave it behind
'Cause it's where you reside.
And i watch you stir around 'cause it keeps me busy.
Always willing to take the time so it won't just waste away.
Pick one up and look around for another souvenir.
I've been trying to pin you down
Your bound to spot something that i shouldn't see.
I've got a private view of this, and this i've seen before
And wouldn't miss, 'cause it's something to do
And i watch you stir around 'cause it keeps me busy.
Always willing to take the time 'cause it tends to waste away.
And it's tearing you apart, let's watch the pieces scatter.
I'll pick one up and look around, maybe i'll meet you down...
Yeah we watch you stir around and it keeps us busy.
Always willing to take the time so it won't just waste away.
And it's tearing you apart, we'll watch the peices scatter.
Pick one up and poke around for another souvenir.
Yeah we watch you stir around and it keeps us busy.
Always willing to take the time 'cause it tends to waste away.
And it's tearing you apart, watch the peices scatter.
Pick one up and look around for another souvenir.
I see you down in the back of the bar, accompanied and comforted.
The song "Another Souvenir" by The Connells is a poignant exploration of the turmoil and restlessness that often accompanies personal demons. The opening lines paint a picture of a lonely individual, drowning their sorrows at the back of a bar, seeking solace in a familiar vice. The second stanza suggests that the singer is being observed by someone, who takes comfort in the distraction that watching them provides. The lyricist examines the singer's internal struggle, painting a vivid picture of their mind as a place they are desperate to escape from, but where they remain trapped. The concluding stanza switches to a first-person perspective, suggesting that the singer and the singer are connected, perhaps even co-dependent, but still unable to help each other break free from their respective demons.
The song explores themes of addiction, loneliness, and personal struggle, all through powerful and evocative lyrics that are brought to life by the soulful voice of the lead vocalist. The imagery is vivid and haunting, from the picture of the character at the back of the bar, to the scattered pieces of their shattered psyche. Ultimately, the song is a poignant reminder of the complexity of the human condition, and the fact that we all carry our own pain and personal struggles, even when we appear to be happy and carefree on the surface.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DOUGLAS MACMILLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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B Bloem
on In my Head
I always thought this was being sung to an aborted baby.