Appearing:
October 27, 2007
Taste, Orlando

October 28, 2007
New World Brewery, Ybor City

Celebration’s newest release, The Modern Tribe, is a stunningly beautiful work of art with just enough of the right ingredients to bring out our inner hopes that the world really isn’t as shitty as we sometimes think. REAX chatted with lead singer Katrina Ford to find out how their second foray into the world of Celebration came together.

REAX:  “The Modern Tribe” is a beautiful and logical progression of Celebration’s musical style. What were your expectations for this album when you entered the studio?
Katrina Ford:  I just wanted us to grow, reach our potential at the moment, and have a good time.  We weren’t even sure how it was going to sound, or if we would even like it. We just had this thing to do, and so we did it. You can’t judge things when they’re coming out of you. You just have to let them be, so that’s what we did.

REAX:  David Sitek of TV on the Radio, returns in his role as your producer on this album. What do you think his musical prowess brings to the table in the creative process?
KF:  He’s a really great coach. He’s one of those people who can look at the way you perform, see your strengths and weaknesses, and he points them out. And he’s like, “Let’s find out what you need to learn here, and let’s hone it on it, and let’s fight it.” He pushes us to try different things, but with a playful attitude. It’s cool that, for a song, he’ll say, “Just lay back a minute, try to see what it feels like to lay back a little.” And I’ll say, “Ok, I’ll try that, but I don’t know if I can.” And he’ll say, “Sure you can.” So you just learn more about yourself and your abilities, but at the same time you grow. He’s got such a good sense of mixing. I really love how he mixes. He takes what we do in raw form, and polishes and shines it up a bit. Or he’ll add a little bit more reverb than maybe I’d heard in it. He makes it expand.

REAX:  There is an overarching theme of magical realism and hope on “The Modern Tribe” that juxtaposes itself against a kind of grim reality. What influences brought this about?
KF:  Just that: modern living. I really think artists and musicians are here to balance forces. What’s going on in the world seems so dark and hopeless. So many people are talking about Armageddon and feeling like there’s no hope left, or that innocence is lost. I guess we’re just trying to pull in some of the balancing energy to bring harmony. It wasn’t really a conscious effort on our part, but it’s in our personal philosophy, so it came out in our music. It wasn’t us trying to do something, or sound a certain way—it just is us.  We’re trying to balance all the bullshit. It’s between doing this, or living in a fucking cave. I mean, both options sound great at this point, but I can always go live in a cave… so I’m just going take advantage of this time now.

REAX:  In comparison to Celebration’s earlier work, your vocals have remained surprisingly consistent, yet edgy. What have you done as a vocalist to prevent stagnation?
KF:  This record was really different for me because I was singing more. The songs that we wrote were calling for more singing and less animal emotion. It’s still animal in a way, but I’ve started trying to sing more, take it more seriously, and feel more responsible for what was happening, less like I was just a part of it and more of being a creator. Every record is different, and when we went into the studio, I had an idea of how I wanted it to sound, and wasn’t sure if I was physically capable of doing it. And so I worked really hard, and I made it happen. I wasn’t quite sure that I liked it when I was finished. I thought it was too real, too much, too me. I was scared of it. Luckily everyone was really encouraging. And I thought, this is what nature wanted to come out, this is what happened, it’s meant to be. And if it means that, in the end, people who’ve liked us in the past don’t understand where I’m coming from, or don’t like it, there’s nothing I can do about it. But honestly, people have been really receiving much more with this than anything I’ve done in the past.  In that way I feel blessed that it was natural.

REAX:  Celebration is known for your live performances. With the addition of new instruments to the already complex layers of your songs, how does this change the dynamic of your shows?
KF:  We’ve had to add another person on stage with us. It was kind of a slow progression that started on the last record when we toured with TV on the Radio. Dave Sitek would play guitar, percussion, or whatever else. He knew we all wanted more than we could create with just three members. We like the balance of the three of us in control, but with this record, we’ve just put a lot more on it than we could physically play. Sean ended up playing three times more instruments than he did before…he just went keyboard crazy. We felt like we wanted to make this other music, and so we’ve had to add someone else in order to make it happen live. The record has a lot of horns on it, and that’s something we can only do live with the Antibalas guys. So it is a little different live, but it’s organic, so the heart’s still there.

REAX:  There is a danceable aura to “The Modern Tribe.” Songs like “Pressure” and “Hands off My Gold” seem to cater to my inner desire to dance. What do you think makes a song dance-worthy?
KF:  When it resonates with your heart. When your own internal rhythm feels kindred. Sometimes it’s your butt, sometimes it’s your mind, and sometimes it’s your heart. But if it’s in your heart, it’s more than just shaking your ass.

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