Alynda Segarra was raised in the Bronx, of Puerto Rican descent. They left home at 17, hopped freight trains, and ended up in post-Katrina New Orleans, which became their spiritual home and their base — Tape Op describes them as now based in New Orleans. After a stint playing washboard with the Dead Man's Street Orchestra, Segarra picked up the banjo, started writing songs, and the project became Hurray for the Riff Raff, an Americana and indie folk-rock group they have spearheaded for more than 15 years.
They founded Born to Win Records in 2012 and have self-released much of their catalog. The 2014 album Small Town Heroes came out on ATO Records, Life on Earth arrived in 2022, and The Past Is Still Alive followed on February 23, 2024 on Nonesuch Records, produced by Brad Cook. The Bluegrass Situation calls the band an indie Americana act rooted in American roots music, and Segarra's songs — love letters to the Ninth Ward, St. Roch, and the wandering life — keep New Orleans in the music wherever they play.
