Hurray for the Riff Raff at the Raccoon Motel -- July 25.
Tuesday, July 25, 7 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
With singer/songwriter Alynda Segarra's 2022 recording Life on Earth lauded by Pitchfork as a "powerful" album that "exudes a glorious irreverence," the New Orleans artist's alternative-folk project Hurray for the Riff Raff headlines a July 25 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, Pitchfork adding that their latest release boasts songs that "are both intimate and immense, and they’ve never sounded more honest or self-possessed."
A native of the Bronx who moved to New Orleans in 2007, Segarra became a part of the Dead Man Street Orchestra, a hobo band that was documented in a photo essay by Time magazine the year of their arrival. Segarra traveled with the group for two years, releasing two independent albums and embarking on freight-train tours across the country, and self-released Hurray for the Riff Raff's first studio album It Don't Mean I Don't Love You in 2008, followed by another self-released album, Young Blood Blues, in 2010. In February of 2011, Hurray for the Riff Raff were featured in an article in London's The Times about the HBO TV series Treme, their track "Daniella" having been included in the show's selection of New Orleans' essential songs. One month later, Hurray for the Riff Raff released their self-titled CD on Loose Music in Europe, composed of Segarra's favorite songs from the band's two previous records. Tracks from this indie-label debut release by the band consequently received airplay on BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music.
In May of 2012, Hurray for the Riff Raff released Look Out Mama on their own label, Born to Win Records, as well as on Loose Music in Europe, and No Depression raved that it "sounds like something The Band would’ve had playing on a Victorola while making Music From Big Pink in Woodstock." My Dearest Darkest Neighbor was released in July of the following year, having previously been available only as a Kickstarter reward and in limited local release, and featuring covers of songs by artists including Townes Van Zandt, Billie Holiday, John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, Hank Williams, and George Harrison. The artist's output at the time led the Wall Street Journal to laud Segarra's "subtle, expressive voice that ... wraps around songs that draw on the sounds and styles of the American South." With subsequent albums including 2014's Small Town Heroes and 2017's The Navigator, Stereogum listed last year's Life on Earth as their album of the week, noting that its "sonic backdrop is fluid yet unmistakable no matter what form it takes. Even at their most synthetic, these tracks come across as earthy and alive – an extension of their environment. Even at their smallest and quietest, they feel huge."
Hurray for the Riff Raff headlines their Davenport engagement on July 25, admission to the 7 p.m. concert is $25, and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
