Biography
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Years Active
2010 – present (15 years)
There are at least two groups using this name:
1) Annabel Lee, the punk/ska band, was conceived in early 2004 in Ocala, Florida. The original line-up consisted of Ashley Callahan on guitar and vocals, and Harold Chick on drums. Their sound was a high energy blend of punk and ska, falling somewhere between The Misfits and Catch 22. The following year included plenty of shows and a revolving door line-up of bassists. In January of 2005, Ashley brought Spook E. Tim on board playing stand-up bass after becoming reacquainted with him on the side of the street at a Seventh Star show. Soon after, they turned guitar duties over to friend Jonathan Williams, finally freeing Ashley up to just do vocals. While all of this was happening, Harold's interest in the band was slowly deteriorating, and he was eventually dropped. With a show already booked and no drummer, Ashley called up old friend Calder to fill the spot temporarily. Temporarily soon became permanent, and the new four-piece Annabel Lee was born.
Their music began to evolve into a spooky blend of punk, psychobilly, and hardcore, each member contributing his own musical style to the shifting sound. With powerfully delivered, poignant lyrics and a high energy stage show, Annabel Lee won the hearts of a town and breathed life back into a dead scene. Their fame outgrew them, stretching overseas to listeners in The Netherlands and Japan. Annabel Lee fever was quickly catching on.
Sadly, at the pinnacle of their game, inner-band drama and politics began eating away at the quartet, not to mention the anti-Annabel Lee campaign headed by other bands and a bigger, conservative music scene filled with waspy hardcore kids and blubbering scene girls. The tension grew to be too much, and Annabel Lee played their final show as a collective in June of 2005. Ashley went on to spearhead a new band, Vincent Valentine, who led the charge of a new era of punk in Ocala which Annabel Lee helped start. The rest of the band dabbled in other projects that never officially got off the ground. Tim went off to college. Things were quiet in the land of the undead, until…
St. Patrick's Day, 2006. Vincent Valentine was playing a show at the K&K in Ocala. Tim was on spring break from college. Calder was out having a merry Irish time with his brother. It was a full moon - a spooky trademark of the late Annabel Lee. All the conditions were perfect for the three ex-bandmates to be in the right place at the right time. Talks sprang up about the good old days, and from this chance meeting spawned a reawakening of Ocala's premiere gravewave band. It was agreed to move on without the aid of Jonathan on guitars, and the position was eagerly filled by an old fan and brother to Calder, Carty.
Now with Annabel Lee's third arrangement set in stone, they've begun their ascent to supremacy. The music has taken a slight turn in direction, blending the ferocity of psychobilly with driving anthemic punk and hard-hitting metal. Coupled with a high-energy and highly theatrical stage show, Annabel Lee is winning over fans old and new alike. The autumn moon has risen once again over central Florida.
2) Annabel Lee, a female folk-trio, is based out of Seattle, Washington
Sisters Caroline and Karina met Lena while attending Cornish College of
the Arts. The three quickly found friendship, collaboration, and a
strikingly natural vocal blend.
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