New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Hurray for the Riff Raff, aka Alynda Segarra, was joined by guitarist Johnny Wilson to perform a Track Star Presents set of songs from Segarra's new album, The Past Is Still Alive—"Alibi," "Buffalo," Colossus of Roads," and "Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive) - as well as a cover of the Marcy Playground hit "Sex & Candy." Segarra also talks with host Jack Coyne about the new album, traveling the country, and first learning to play music.
Segarra created The Past Is Still Alive during a period of personal grief, when they found inspiration in radical poetry, railroad culture, outsider art, the work of writer Eileen Myles, and activist groups like ACT UP and Gran Fury. Segarra uses their lyrics as a way to immortalize and say goodbye to those they have loved and lost, and to honor both the heartbroken and the hopeful parts of themselves. "Segarra has created an epic tale of life on the road, a nearly mythic version of their own life story that stands alongside other great American musical travelogues," exclaims NPR Music. "Career-defining." Rolling Stone says: "Segarra has honed their craft into a cohesive, astonishingly realized singer-songwriter record ... the best batch of songs Segarra's ever written." Paste calls it "a celebratory measure of love, sanctuary, and defiance ... In their hands, the trauma of the present day is a prelude to the possibilities of a better tomorrow."
You can watch the complete session here: