As Hurray for the Riff Raff proved with their excellent album Small Town Heroes, the New Orleans-based Americana outfit is one of the most progressive in the genre, revitalizing folk music’s steep tradition of socially-minded protest songs. The band’s latest offering, “Everybody Knows (for Trayvon Martin)”, finds frontwoman Alynda Lee Segarra examining her own moral compass as she navigates through the fallout of Trayvon Martin’s tragic and controversial death.
Speaking to TIME, Segarra said of the song, “I wrote this song last year, on February 26th, one year after Trayvon Martin was shot to death in a Florida suburb. A young black man barely 17 years old brought to his end for no reason other than suspicion. It also happened to be my birthday.” She continued, “As I celebrated another year on Earth, I was haunted by the fact that his life ended so soon. After a visit to the Civil Rights museum in Memphis, I wrote this song. This song is a reminder that we must not forget him. We must not forget about the work that lies ahead of us.”
Listen in below.
In related news, Hurray for the Riff Raff has launched an IndieGogo campaign to raise money for The Trayvon Martin Foundation and the gender justice charity Third Wave Fund. The campaign also doubles as a way to help fund a music video for Small Town Heroes highlight “The Body Electric”. For more information, head here.
