Hurray for the Riff Raff
Live Forever
***and1/2 out of *****
Touring on the back of their strongest album to date, 2024's The Past Is Still Alive, Hurray for the Riff Raff (Alynda Segarra) decided to record a two night stand in their new hometown Chicago, IL. The resulting Live Forever finds the artist sacrificing some nuance for more folk-rocking power.
Supporting Segarra on these two nights (July 17 & 18, 2025) at Old Town School of Folk Music (Chicago, IL) are Parker Grogan – electric guitar, vocals, Nnamdi Ogbonnaya – bass, backing vocals, Marcus Drake – drums, Sen Morimoto – saxophone, keyboards. The band are tight from a long tour and give an upbeat energy to Segarra's songs, as their vocals are breathy in front of the revved up sound.
The group are wound tight as "Alibi" sounds strong, "Hawkmoon" increases the thudding bass and "Rhododendron" motors with light noise guitar from Grogan vibrating throughout. The low end leads the way via deep bass and excellent drums/percussion on "Dynamo" while "Buffalo" let's Segarra's understated warbling vocals wander. The production places the vocals on top of the sounds, giving Segarra's excellent singing a personal touch.
Heavy bass and kick drum support the twinkling guitar and synths of "Colossus of Rhodes" while the swirling, synth laden, immigration/ICE tale "Precious Cargo" is less successful. A new song "Pyramid Scheme" works better with, bright acoustic strums, excellent backing vocals and floating electric guitar lines.
The dynamite centerpiece of Live Forever is "Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive)" as Segarra's triumphant tale of vagabondism swells with glorious power as sax, cymbals and percussion build to peaks around passionate vocals as they proclaim vigorously that "Nothing will stop me now".
"Vetiver" marches with energy and confidence, "The World Is Dangerous" sways with ease and fuzzy guitar riffs, "Hourglass" unfortunately drags, but the closing album pair are both successes. "Ogallala" builds to a cathartic climax with pounding drums, sax and floating vocals while album closer "Pa’lante" is a dramatic, poetic, Broadway-ready showstopper.
Overall these aren't versions of songs that will make you forget the originals, but the added force and drive make the live tunes on Hurray for the Riff Raff's Live Forever a cool addition to Alynda Segarra's catalog.
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