Hurray for the Riff Raff

Alynda Segarra

Segarra was raised by her aunt Nereida in the Bronx where she developed an early appreciation for doo-wop and Motown. She is of Puerto Rican descent.

Segarra became a regular attendee of hardcore punk shows at ABC No Rio when she was young. She left her home in the Bronx at age 17, spending time crossing North America, hopping freight trains.

Dead Man Street Orchestra

During this time, around 2007, Segarra became a part of the Dead Man Street Orchestra, a band that was documented in a photo essay by Time Magazine in 2007.

Musical career

After two self-released albums, 2008's It Don't Mean I Don't Love You and 2010's Young Blood Blues, Hurray for the Riff Raff released a self-titled CD composed of Segarra's favorite songs from those records on Loose Music in Europe on March 21, 2011. Tracks from the band's debut release received airplay on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music.

In February 2011, the band were featured in an article in The Times, based around the HBO TV series, Treme, with their track "Daniella" being listed in their selection of New Orleans' essential songs.

In May 2012, Hurray for the Riff Raff released Look Out Mama on their own label, Born to Win Records. No Depression said it "sounds like something The Band would’ve had playing on a Victorola while making Music From Big Pink in Woodstock."

Loose Music released Look Out Mama in Europe on August 20, 2012. The album was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee at The Bomb Shelter Studios and produced by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes). The record features “End of the Line,” a song about a house where Segarra and her friends would meet in the Holy Cross, New Orleans neighborhood.

Hurray for the Riff Raff released a covers album called My Dearest Darkest Neighbor on July 1, 2013 through Mod Mobilian Records and This Is American Music. The album was previously available only as a Kickstarter reward and in limited local release and featured handmade covers. Tracks on the record include songs by Townes Van Zandt, Billie Holiday, Gillian Welch, Leadbelly, John Lennon, Lucinda Williams, Joni Mitchell, Hank Williams, and George Harrison—and features Segarra's interpretation of Gillian Welch's "Ruination Day."

Wall Street Journal describes Segarra's singing: "She has a subtle, expressive voice that she wraps around songs that draw on the sounds and styles of the American South, and her lyrics often takes unconventional tack on traditional subjects."

Spin previewed a video of their song "St. Roch Blues".

In February 2014, Hurray for the Riff Raff had their ATO Records debut, Small Town Heroes. The record features original songs written or co-written by Segarra, and features fiddler Yosi Perlstein, keyboard player Casey McAllister, and two members of The Deslondes: Sam Doores on guitar and Dan Cutler on bass.

Describing the Segarra's music, NPR says "Segarra's morning-after alto might be the least showy great voice to hit the national scene this year."

In early July 2016 the band played the Danish festival of Roskilde, to an enthusiastic audience.

In December 2016 they announced a new record, 'The Navigator' on Pitchfork with the first single "Rican Beach." The album was released on March 10, 2017 on ATO Records, and was favourably reviewed by the the New York Times as a concept album regarding her return to her personal roots.

Notable performances