England in 1819 creates electric-orchestral sounds influenced by books and travel

The Percy Shelley sonnet "England in 1819" inspired the name for electro-wave group England in 1819. "Our expansive songs are reminiscent of a faraway place and time. It's not so much about the meaning of the poem as just the title and what it means to us," says the band's Dan Callaway.

England is closer to heart than just the group's name for Dan and his brother, Andrew. It's home. Growing up in Northampton, England, Dan gained an admiration for horns and orchestral music. "They used to have brass bands in the park at the gazebos," says French horn player and songwriter Dan. After attending these performances, the Callaways both pursued school band when they moved to the States Dan picked up violin and clarinet while Andrew learned piano. They both played trombone. The brothers' bevy of instrumental knowledge can be attributed to their father's role as band director.

When the Callaways moved to the States, they settled in Baltimore, Md., the birthplace of synth-pop and indie-rock inspirations Beach House, Future Islands, and Wye Oak. "Andy and I have different influences, but that's a set group that we both agree on," says Dan. However, while his brother has always been into electronic music like acid house Squarepusher, Dan was testing out the classical waters, later joining the New Orleans symphony. He occasionally rebelled with punk simply because it was the opposite of what was expected. The two eventually parted ways and reconvened in Baton Rouge, La.

The brothers don't just differ in music tastes but personalities as well. While Dan prefers the hustle and bustle of touring and meeting new people, Andrew is content with spending a summer in a remote cabin in the woods. And that's exactly what the band did when they recorded Fireball Electric Tomorrow in the mountains outside of Asheville, N.C. "We made friends with a girl whose parents had a cabin, and she gave us a key and said we could stay there if we wanted to get away and write music," says Dan. "I mean, it wasn't like The Shining or anything. We went to town if we wanted to, and it was a good time. Anytime you're isolated with something and the more distractions you can cut out, the better. I'm not dying to get back or anything though. If it was longer than a summer, it may have been detrimental."

Though they began in 2012 with seven additional musicians, England in 1819 has toned their set down quite a bit since then. "For touring, we had to strip it down a lot," says Dan. "One time, we took everyone to Austin, and that was a lot. Recently, it's been a two-piece thing Andy and I do with electronic drums." However, the duo has added live drummer Brian Bell to amp up the live set. "We've only done four shows with him, so it's super new and way more fun. He has an awesome band called Gardens, and we met him in a bar one night while we were playing a set. He liked our band and knew the songs already, so it clicked," he says.

From England in 1819's first album to the most recent EP Summer Lightning, which is set to be released on Oct. 21, the sound has transformed from an overwhelming cosmic soundtrack feel to a more intimately involved and dance-able ambiance. The inspiration for the new project comes in part from Dan's summer reading list. The track "Himmel" is influenced by the book of the same name he re-read last summer, while the "Lights" was written after reading a newer novel, The Golem and the Jinni. But the projects don't stop this year with Summer Lightning.

After England in 1819's current tour ends at the Red River Revel festival in Louisiana, Dan is off for an orchestral trip to China where he'll be playing film music in various cities.

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England in 1819 creates electric-orchestral sounds influenced by books and travel