On Hurray for the Riff Raff’s Live Forever, the Past Is Very Much Alive There’s something tricky about live albums by artists as emotionally direct as Hurray for the Riff Raff, the long-running musical project of songwriter Alynda Segarra. The studio records already feel lived-in, intimate, almost conversational. So a live set has to do […]
Hurray For The Riff Raff at Central Park SummerStage in NY, NY, September 16, 2025 I’ve been following Hurray for the Riff Raff since the days when Alynda Segarra first carved out a sound on the streets of New Orleans, blending folk, punk, and poetry into something distinctly their own. Over the years, I’ve seen […]
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New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival 2025 Jazz Fest Proves Year After Year Why It’s America’s Ultimate Festival The 2025 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, commonly known as Jazz Fest, in my opinion , stands out as the top music festival in the United States. The festival’s setting, in one of America’s most vibrant […]
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Americana Highways 45 RPM 2025 (Reasons to Purchase Music) 2024 was a fantastic year for music and a shit year for pretty much everything else (November 5 still stings). Music, as it so dependably does, helped explain how we were feeling during the darkest of days, and knowing that you’ll be going to a show […]
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AmericanaFest 2024 “Must See” It’s time for AmericanaFest 2024! I’m highlighting some must-sees for anyone else who’s making the trek to Nashville, as well as sharing my choices for the Americana Awards (to be held Wednesday evening at the Ryman Auditorium). My ground rules for the musts – they have to be folks I haven’t […]
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Top 25 Albums for AMA’s 25th Anniversary Year 25 years ago, spurred by conversations that took place at South by Southwest in Austin, the Americana Music Association became a reality. In September 2000, the nascent organization held its first conference in Nashville. Two years later, the Americana Honors and Awards came into being. As the […]
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