Celebration

Celebration
Celebration is a Baltimore-based band performing music in the tradition of The Birthday Party and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and utilizing a fair amount of influence derived from the members' interest in cabaret culture. Celebration rose from the ashes of Love Life, which consisted of all current members and the bassist Anthony Malat, who is currently of Bellmer Dolls.

The band, with much help from producer/friend Dave Sitek, attracted the attention of 4AD Records who agreed to release their records. Shortly after, the band decided to add Bergander back into the lineup on drums. Various name changes occurred before the band settled on Celebration.

They released a self-titled LP in late 2005 and spent much of 2006 and early 2007 touring. Standout dates include Austin's annual South By Southwest Festival, the Coachella festival, and supporting the Blood Brothers. The band has just completed their 2nd record for 4AD entitled The Modern Tribe, again produced by Sitek.

Celebration, a musical and visual band, encompasses the working ideals of a TOP-40 / DANCE act with the added emphasis of a variety format to handle the musical expectations of any room on any given night. Celebration?s formation yields from experience, talent, good work ethics, and a professional business attitude whose end-result delivers a desire to do what it takes to succeed. From this type of musical association, there comes a wealth of material to draw from and a song list that is tastefully varied with songs from the 50?s to the present covering the areas of classic rock current rock, top-40 dance, and funk.

With all of this talent, experience, and equipment, Celebration has enough knowledge and skill to be professional enough to never overpower any room or underestimate its audience, meeting club management?s guidelines, and fulfilling audience expectations wherever they go.

Celebration vocalist Katrina Ford wishes a violent death upon the era of glum audience members motionlessly watching glum bands with glum arms crossed. ?I want the line between the people on stage and the people watching to be blurred,? she says. ?When people on both sides cross the lines and forget their assigned roles, they forget who they are ? you?ve forgotten your problems, you?ve forgotten the world, and abandoned yourself to the music and the moment.

The Celebration?s aggressive assault on conventional show-going protocol has gone a long way towards granting Katrina?s own wish. Over a year?s worth of thrilling performances of ever-escalating quality, they?ve delivered a cavalcade of inspired, sincere, mysterious moments which has justifiably earned the band a rep as one of the best live shows in the country ? the kind of band about which word of mouth travels from person to person in hushed, reverent tones. The songs become tarmac from which the band takes flight, transforming the clubs, galleries, and warehouses in which they play into aural temples where musicians and audience break bread together. ?I hope that going to one of our shows is a way for people to release themselves from all the darkness of their day,? says drummer David Bergander. ?That?s what we?re doing.?

For the Celebration, their record represents the fruition of what they?ve been working towards their entire musical careers. Sean and Katrina have now played together for nearly fifteen years. It?s all come together on The Celebration. While the record has hues that recall certain vibrations of classic 4AD bands, more than anything it captures a band shedding all preconceived notions about post-punk songwriting and performance like so much dead skin. Witness the gorgeous melody lines of ?China? giving way to swellings of frenzied vocal force channeling the band?s shared love affair with the African beats they?ve soaked up from ?70s Nigerian Afrobeat and Ethiopian R B.

In conclusion, Celebration prides itself in establishing a professional and entertaining rapport with its audience, wherever that audience may be. Being based in Central Florida has its distinct and geographical advantages, which enables the band to cover the state of Florida and Georgia with ease. Celebration?s state-of-the-art P.A. system, colorful light show, and never-ending song list, can be adapted to meet the needs of any room.