A review found on the web site, "Scene Online" (whatever that is).
Sorry about the hacked up format.  To see the original, go to
http://www.clevescene.com:80/980910/live0910.htm.  It's nice to see that
"Hey You" is on Still Life now.




THE CONNELLS,
           1-800-COLETTE
           Odeon
           September 2


                For the past 14 years, the Connells have been trying
desperately to break through into
           music's mainstream. A remnant from the mid-'80s underground
scene, this North Carolina sextet
           continues to tour at the grassroots level.

                Oddly enough, it doesn't appear their music is the
problem. It's their name. For the most part,
           no one has heard of them. Yet they tour regularly, hoping
that someday they'll be rescued from
           obscurity.

                With the Odeon less than half-filled last Wednesday
evening, the Connells gave their faithful
           fans in attendance a 20-plus song retrospective of their
career. If you combined the early work of
           R.E.M. with the voice of the Gin Blossoms' Robin Wilson, you
would have a good understanding of
           what the Connells sounded like live.

                They started their set off with "Hey You," a track from
their most recent release, Still Life.
           The song featured warm, inviting lyrics backed by a concise
guitar which was playing a sound
           reminiscent of the early alternative scene. The band is led
by laid-back singer Doug MacMillan, who
           looks more like a computer junkie than a vocalist in a rock
band. Although he often appeared
           awkward on stage, his sensitive voice complemented the music
well.

                While its style may have been outdated, the band did put
on a rocking performance. This was
           quite evident with the attitude-filled "Maybe," from their
'96 release Weird Food & Devastation. A
           straight-ahead rocking tune, the small crowd appeared to be
quite happy at seeing their band in
           such an intimate setting. Despite the organ not having the
spotlight nearly enough, this tune allowed it
           to slowly build up steam before finally letting loose.

                The upbeat "Running Mary" was next. With heavy guitar
effects blazing away, MacMillan's
           story-like vocals fit in perfectly with the tight rhythm
section and well-polished delivery.

                While the diehard fans in attendance were pleased with
anything the Connells played, the
           truth of the matter is that a lot of their songs ran
together, among them "Leper," "Gauntlet" and "Hey
           Wow." Not that they didn't have any sparkle, but the longer
you hear the same sound, the less
           impressed you are.

                The Connells did show off their talents with "74-75" and
"New Boy." The latter, which
           featured poppy vocals and energetic guitars, was definitely
the highlight of the show.

                After their 14 years in the business, you have to tip
your hat to the Connells' perseverance.
           Although with the current Southern rock trend beginning to
fade, one has to wonder if the Connells
           didn't miss the same train twice.

                Opening the show were 1-800-Colette. Aside from the cute
name, which grows old the
           second time you hear it, this rocking trio did a satisfactory
job warming up the sparse crowd with
           their Sheryl Crow-lite material. The female lead singer and
guitarist - Colette Gschwind - left the
           imprint of her strong voice all over their set. Even though
the original material showed promise, it
           was their mystic cover of Fleetwood Mac's "Gold Dust Woman"
that acted as the true measuring
           stick of their talents. Overall, this threesome showed enough
promise to warrant another look.


John Benson