After a February performance at Chloe’s Cup, the band England in 1819, based out of New Orleans, La., will be coming back to Tuscaloosa for a second time.
England in 1819 began as a collaborative project between two brothers, Dan and Andrew Callaway, and their father, Liam Callaway.
Growing up in a musically talented family lead to the initial creation of the band.
“My brother and I have always been close,” Dan Callaway, who plays the electric organ and French horn for the band, said. “We’ve always been friends; it’s really natural. It’s kind of interesting to get to know my dad a lot better. We’ve gotten closer through the band.”
The name, England in 1819, is coined from a sonnet of the same name originally written by Percy Shelley. The work portrays the poet’s denouncement of political power as well as his advocacy for liberty.
The band decided to use the name of the poem more so for the imagery of a distant time period than the literal content of the work.
“We were just flipping through a poetry book,” Andrew Callaway, singer and pianist for the band, said. “We didn’t like it as much for the content of the poem as much as the name. It’s kind of a faraway place in a faraway time. At that time we were making this spacious atmospheric indie rock, so it fit what we were going for.”
England in 1819 writes and composes their own original music with a chamber rock and indie-style sound. The band incorporates non-traditional instruments into their music such as an electric organ, as well as instruments such as the French horn.
“I usually describe it as electro-ambient indie music,” Dan Callaway said. “We used to call it something called chamber rock, because it had several instruments. Now it’s a little more electronic. It still has some ambient elements and some post-rock elements. It’s a lot more upbeat than it used to be.”
England in 1819 has produced two albums: “Three Cheers for Bertie,” and “Alma.” The band is currently working on its third album, which will feature a different type of sound and mood in comparison to its previous songs.
“Our music kind of shifted,” Andrew Callaway said. “It’s really hard to compare the new song with the old stuff. I love our song ‘Alma’ for how it represents everything that was that sound, but I really connect with our new song now. It has the energy and emotions that I feel now.”
The band members said they hope to create a connection with their audiences, as well as to inspire happiness and an appreciation for life within the contents of their music and performances.
“I think the things I’m singing about are really overarching about happiness and perspective on life and how we all deal with all of this stuff,” Andrew Callaway said. “I hope people are inspired to be happy in life, and maybe appreciate everything in [the] world and what it is. I hope people feel appreciative with whatever their world is.”
England in 1819 will be performing at The Jemison Mansion on Sunday, April 21, at 5:00 p.m. There will be a $5 cover fee for the performance.
