Like so many children of his generation, Mike Connell fell in love with rock and roll the moment that he saw The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. Growing up in Raleigh, NC and Georgia during the 1960s and 70s, Mike was obsessed with the jangling cacophony of the British Invasion. In addition to the Beatles, Mike and his brother David, tore through the catalogs of The Rolling Stones, The Who, and The Kinks absorbing a new sonic vocabulary littered with ringing choruses, chiming guitars, and an unshakable sing along power.
Unwilling to just sit by the sidelines, Mike and David formed The Connells in 1984 and began playing gigs almost immediately. Their debut album, Darker Days - produced by the legendary Don Dixon - arrived in 1985 on Black Park Records to critical acclaim, and immediate comparisons to another southeast band on the rise; R.E.M.
1987 saw the band release their sophomore effort, Boylan Heights with Mitch Easter at the controls. At this point, The Connells became a full time touring outfit and rode the college circuit for well more than a decade. The band would eventually release 9 studio albums in their first 17 years, all while maintaining an ambitious road schedule.
To celebrate more than four decades as a band, The Connells are set to release a 40th anniversary edition of Darker Days, which arrives on October 26th of this year. The new release features a complete remaster of the album as well as a couple of bonus tracks not featured on the initial release. I sat down to talk with Mike Connell for an in-depth conversation on the history of the band, the anniversary release of Darker Days, and so much more.
Let’s get into it.
Cheers,Matty C
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End Credits
Thanks so much to Mike for joining me. You can find out all about The Connells, the 40th anniversary edition of Darker Days and so much more at https://theconnells.bandcamp.com/
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