If you were asked to picture the adult version of a rebellious girl who was raised in the Bronx, ran away to hop freight trains at 17, and spent a lot of time watching hardcore bands in squats, it might be difficult to get past the image of a crust-punk Golden Gate Park dweller, with dirty fingernails, traveler's backpack, and a stray cat on her shoulder.
Now 28 years old, the ever charismatic — and always outspoken — Alynda Lee Segarra is defying those stereotypes, fronting her collective, Hurray For The Riff Raff, from its home base of New Orleans. The band creates a warm and distinctly Louisiana combination of blues, old country, and folk, drawn together by Segarra's rich and soulful vocals and gift for telling stories, Americana style.
The collective's latest album, 2014's Small Town Heroes, tells tales of living on the road and the magnificent relationships made there, but HFTRR doesn't shy away from moments of trouble and woe, personal and otherwise. "The Body Electric," a stark look at the bare bones of male on female violence, and "St. Roch Blues," a glance at the consequences of gun violence in New Orleans, manage to make political statements without clubbing the listener over the head with rhetoric. Ultimately though, each track feels like another Polaroid snapped on the most life-affirming, summertime, cross-country adventure you could ever imagine.
On Saturday, make an effort to get to the Sutro stage in time for The Riff Raff's starting time of 12:20 p.m. — you won't want to miss "The New SF Bay Blues," a tale of splitting from a traveling buddy and sobbing it out with only the bay for company. We're guessing San Francisco will be a little kinder to Alynda Lee Segarra this weekend.
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