In my opinion, American folk group Hurray for the Riff Raff has no definition. It is you; it is me; it is the strong, yet soothing, vocals of front-woman Alynda Lee Segarra. It is a powerful sense of community, spread through music by a group of people who thought they didn’t belong, for people who think they don’t belong. A clear message that can be taken from their latest album, Small Town Heroes.
Segarra spent her time traveling and exploring after setting out from New York at the age of 17, performing songs on the street with a group of performers for money, until she found her place in New Orleans. There, she realized music is her passion and her home, developed in the tightly-knit community that Louisiana had to offer.
Hurray for the Riff Raff channels this sense of community through beautifully-strummed melodies and timeless lyrics. The band is often completed with the use of an accordion, organ, and other pieces to fulfill that bluesy-folk and Southern gothic sound, and what I can hear to be a hint of doo-wop (audible in one of my favorite songs of theirs, “No One Else”).
This group graced my heart (and the rest of Seattle) with their presence at the Paramount Theater back in October when they opened up for the beloved City and Colour. Just from their set, they nearly brought the audience to tears (speaking for myself here) with the spirit and soul they left on the stage.
This time around, the band will be headlining at the Crocodile on Tuesday August 2nd at 8:00 p.m. Joining them will be Nashville’s folk-rock (with a touch of psychedelic) band, Promise Land Sound.
In a venue and setting as intimate as the Crocodile, and considering I tend to be an emotional show go-er, expect the show review to consist of how many times I cried tears of joy, along with every detail of the beautiful set that Hurray For the Riff Raff will have performed on that stage.
PRISCILLA GAMIT | General Manager