Hurray for the Riff Raff share powerful songs, powerful messages
by Mary Lucia
May 01, 2017
On Hurray for the Riff Raff's latest album, The Navigator, frontperson and songwriter Alynda Segarra looked back to look forward. "On the last records, I was writing from the past a lot, and this record, it's [past, present and future]," Segarra says. "That's so much of what The Navigator is about: this idea of going back into my family's history, into my personal history, in order to go forward. Throughout the album, I feel like you're going from the past to the present to the future."
Segarra says she just turned 30, and it has affected the way she approaches the meaning of her music. "I'm like, 'I'm inheriting the Earth and the way it is right now, and what do I want to do with what I've learned from my experience to make it better?'" she asks.
Segarra and the rest of Hurray for the Riff Raff — keyboardist J.B. Flatt, bassist Caitlin Gray, guitarist Jordan Hyde and drummer Charles Ferguson — are taking that message on the road as they tour in support of The Navigator. In town for a recent show at the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis, Hurray for the Riff Raff stopped by The Current studio for a session hosted by Mary Lucia.
Interview Highlights
Alynda Segarra on the response to the song, "Rican Beach":
"I think we've gotten a lot of love from the Latinx community in general. Although Puerto Ricans are American citizens — we're not considered immigrants — I do think there's a lot of unity that's going on right now with people who have made a voyage to this land and who are working really heard to make a better life for themselves. I think Latinx people at our shows have really been loving the message of it, and immigrant people in general, which has been very fulfilling to me."
Segarra on some of her personal inspirations on The Navigator:
"There was a lot of honoring those that passed, that was very big in my family. A lot of paying respect to the dead, a lot of paying respect to our ancestors, which has definitely come back into my life with the making of this album. That was a big inspiration. All of my grandparents are now passed, so a lot of this album was making it for them and talking about what's going on in the island of Puerto Rico and here in the [contiguous United] States, feeling like a lot of that work was for them for all of the work that they did for me."
Segarra on what "rebellion" means to her:
"Right now, I think 'rebellion' means unity. We've been traveling around the country with a big banner that says, 'We're all in this together', and just last night I was like, 'This sign does not mean that everything's OK and we can all sit back and watch Netflix' — although I love doing that. But it really means that it's resistance, and it's people refusing to be divided, and it's people not falling into these ideas of, 'Oh, I can feel superior to this other person, someone's offering me that and offering me hatred as a way to feel superior.' And also people not buying into this idea that they are 'less than'; I think it's people creating their own media, people getting together and interacting at music events in person. So I would really say it means unity right now because there's such a force to divide us. Unity is the biggest rebellion we could have right now."
Use the audio player above to listen to the complete session with Hurray for the Riff Raff.
Songs Performed
"Hungry Ghost"
"Rican Beach"
"Living in the City"
All songs from Hurray for the Riff Raff's 2017 album, The Navigator, available on ATO Records.
Hosted by Mary Lucia
Produced by Anna Reed
Engineered by Michael DeMark
Visuals by Nate Ryan
Web feature by Luke Taylor
Resources
Hurray for the Riff Raff - official site
