Hurray For The Riff Raff stop by NPR’s Tiny Desk for powerful performance

Hurray for the Riff Raff | courtesy of the artist

Hurray For The Riff Raff, main project of the once train-hopping Alynda Segarra, recently stopped by NPR to perform cuts from their 2017 record, The Navigator. Announcing that they’re glad to start the day with some resistance music in D.C, Segarra and company did just that.

Opening with “Rican Beach” where Segarra soulfully croons “Well you can take my life / But don’t take my home,” Segarra denounces urban gentrification and cultural displacement. The Afro-Caribbean influence is evident on this track in the bouncing bass line and winding guitar riffs.

Notions of togetherness and inclusiveness permeate on the piano-led track “Pa’lante,” which translates to “forward” or “onward.” In a separate piece, Segarra notes, “I feel like my generation, through groups like Black Lives Matter, is really focusing on that type of intersectionality—if one of us is not free, then none of us are free.” Musically, “Pa’lante” is an epic, opening quietly before picking up the pace and transitioning into a hopeful light. Here, Segarra proclaims “ Oh, any day now / I will come along.”

Hurray For The Riff Raff hits town April 16th, performing at Union Transfer with Waxahatchee and Bedouine on the bill. For information and tickets, head over to XPN’s Concert Calendar. View the three-song set below, thanks to NPR.