Hurray for the Riff Raff

Biography

Hurray for the Riff Raff is an American band formed in New Orleans in 2007 by Alynda Segarra, a singer-songwriter from the Bronx, New York. Born and raised in the Bronx by their aunt and uncle, Segarra is of Puerto Rican heritage and developed an early appreciation for doo-wop and Motown music. They became radicalized before their teenage years, immersed in the anti-war movement and galvanized by New York's hardcore punk scene at venues like ABC No Rio. At age 17, Segarra left home and spent years crisscrossing North America by hitchhiking and hopping freight trains, eventually becoming part of the Dead Man Street Orchestra, a hobo band documented by Time magazine in 2007.

Segarra found their spiritual and physical home in New Orleans around 2007, where they joined a community of street musicians and formed Hurray for the Riff Raff. Starting with washboard, then banjo, and finally guitar, Segarra released their first self-titled album "It Don't Mean I Don't Love You" in 2008, followed by "Young Blood Blues" in 2010. The band gained early recognition when their track "Daniella" was featured on HBO's "Treme" in 2011. Their sound evolved from folk and blues roots to include more diverse influences, with albums like "Look Out Mama" (2012) produced by Andrija Tokic and "The Navigator" (2017) on ATO Records, which addressed themes of Puerto Rican identity and displacement.

In recent years, Segarra has continued to push creative boundaries. Their 2022 album "Life on Earth" on Nonesuch Records introduced a "nature punk" sound focused on themes of survival and thriving amid environmental crisis, earning critical acclaim from outlets like Stereogum. Their eighth studio album "The Past Is Still Alive" was released in February 2024 and was praised by the Associated Press as a "beautiful portrayal of the U.S.," drawing on Segarra's experiences as a hitchhiker, train hopper, and outsider artist. Throughout their career, Segarra has remained a fixture of the modern folk movement while expanding the scope of American storytelling to encompass outsiders and marginalized communities.

Fun Facts

• Segarra was featured in a 2007 Time magazine photo essay about the Dead Man Street Orchestra while living as part of a hobo band traveling by freight train across America.
• In late 2018, Segarra joined Newport Folk Festival organizers to travel to Puerto Rico and deliver instruments to various public schools, playing their first concert in Puerto Rico at La Respuesta in Santurce.
• The music video for 'Pa'lante' won Best Music Video at the SXSW Film Festival Jury and Specials Awards in 2019.
• Segarra challenges the misogyny of traditional American murder ballads in their song 'The Body Electric' from Small Town Heroes, directly confronting classics like 'Delia's Gone' and 'Knoxville Girl' with the lyrics 'Delia's gone, but I'm settling the score.'

Members

• Alynda Mariposa Segarra - banjo, guitar, lead vocals, original

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Jesse Fuller - Musical influence whose work Segarra reinterpreted (Rewrote Fuller's classic as 'The New SF Bay Blues' on Small Town Heroes album) [2014]
• The Band - Stylistic influence on early folk sound (Look Out Mama compared to Music From Big Pink era) [2012]

Key Collaborators

• Andrija Tokic - Producer at The Bomb Shelter Studios in Nashville (Produced Look Out Mama album, also known for work with Alabama Shakes) [2012]
• Dead Man Street Orchestra - Early hobo band that Segarra traveled and performed with (Released two independent albums, freight train tours) [2007-2009]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Alibi (The Past Is Still Alive)
2. Jealous Guy (My Dearest Darkest Neighbor)
3. Pyramid Scheme
4. Thirteen
5. Hawkmoon (The Past Is Still Alive)
6. Buffalo (The Past Is Still Alive)
7. Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive) (The Past Is Still Alive)
8. Colossus of Roads (The Past Is Still Alive)
9. Black Jack Davey (My Dearest Darkest Neighbor)
10. Blue Ridge Mountain (Small Town Heroes)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #americana, #country, #folk