Alynda Segarra is 36, or a little less than halfway through the average American lifespan. In that comparatively brief time, though, the Hurray for the Riff Raff founder has been something of a modern Huck Finn, an itinerant traveler whose adventures prompt art that reminds us there are always other ways to live.
Born in the Bronx and of Puerto Rican heritage, Segarra was raised there by a blue-collar aunt and uncle, as their father navigated Vietnam trauma and their mother neglected them to work for the likes of Rudy Giuliani. They were radicalized before they were a teenager, baptized in the anti-war movement and galvanized in New York’s punk haunts and queer
spaces. At 17, Segarra split, becoming the kid in a communal squat before shuttling to California, where they began crisscrossing the country by hopping trains. They eventually found home—spiritual, emotional, physical—in New Orleans, forming a hobo band and realizing that music was not only a way to share what they’d learned and seen but to learn and
see more. Hurray for the Riff Raff steadily rose from house shows to a major label, where Segarra became a pan-everything fixture of the modern folk movement. But that yoke became a burden, prompting Segarra to make the probing and poignant
electronic opus, 2022’s Life on Earth, their Nonesuch debut. Catch your breath, OK? We’re back to 36, back to now.
During the last dozen years, these manifold tales of Segarra’s voyages have shaped an oral folklore of sorts, with the teenage vagabonding or subsequent trainhopping becoming what some may hear about Hurray for the Riff Raff before hearing the music itself. Segarra has dropped tidbits in songs, too, but they always worried that their experiences were too
radical, that memories of dumpster diving or riding through New Orleans with a dildo dangling on an antenna were too much. But on The Past Is Still Alive, Segarra finally tells the story themselves, speckling stirring reflections on love, loss, and the end or evolution of the United States with foundational scenes from their own life. “It felt like a trust fall, or a letting go of this idea of proving something to the music industry—how I can be more digestible, modifiable, sellable,” Segarra says. “I feel like I’m closer to what I actually have to share.”

Whitney Johnson, Lia Kohl, and Macie Stewart are a trio who utilize string instruments, voices, and manual tape effect processing to craft compositions from alternately tranquil and disquieting improvised music. The three musicians are individually rooted in deep sound exploration, multi-disciplinary composition, and all manner of cross-genre collaboration. The musical ground covered by their solo practices is correspondingly expansive, and their individual recording and performance credits read as a veritable who’s who, ranging from DIY darlings to household names of experimental avant-garde, electronic, indie rock, and more. 

BODY SOUND, their debut album, will be released by International Anthem on March 20, 2026. 

Nour Harkati is a Tunisian New York–based desert blues musician and singer-songwriter, forging a powerful bridge between ancestral North African traditions and the raw pulse of contemporary urban sound. Deeply rooted in spiritual Gnawa rhythms and the trance-driven spirit of desert blues, he blends the ancient resonance of the Guembri with gritty NYC drums, electronic textures, and modern songcraft. The result is a sound that is both meditative and electrifying-philosophical in depth, yet irresistibly groove-driven.

His latest album, Moulena (December 11, 2024), premiered worldwide on Live on KEXP and stands as a vibrant homage to his North African roots and a tribute to those who journey far from home. With poetic lyricism and infectious rhythms, Moulena marks a bold new chapter—where the soul of the desert meets the relentless energy of New York City.

After eight transformative years living in NYC, Harkati has performed on major international stages, including GlobalFEST at Lincoln Center, Celebrate Brooklyn Festival, and Habibi Festival, and will take up a month-long residency at Pioneer Works. Across continents and communities, Nour Harkati continues to redefine desert blues for a global audience—honoring lineage while fearlessly pushing it forward.