Leyla McCalla is tired of a world that tells its inhabitants to be more while simultaneously undermining its own messages of peace and equality, but where others may have despaired, McCalla channelled that angst into her latest album, The Capitalist Blues, which released on Jan. 25, 2019.

On Friday, Oct. 25, McCalla will perform The Capitalist Blues at Music Box Village. Jimmy Horn, the album’s producer and member of King James & the Special Men, will accompany McCalla for the performance, along with other artists featured on the album, including Topsy Chapman & Solid Harmony, Fan Fan and the rest of King James & the Special Men.

Born to Haitian immigrant parents and raised in New York City–where she trained as a classical cellist–McCalla moved to New Orleans in 2010. As she’s been exploring the sounds and themes of New Orleans music for nearly a decade now, her New Orleans influences, such as zydeco, jazz and calypso, shine through on the The Capitalist Blues tracks. 

“The inspiration came from this feeling of swimming upstream,” said McCalla, in an interview with OffBeat about the album’s release. “And we’re all swimming upstream together. The system isn’t working for everyone in the same way. For a small number of people, it’s working great. For the vast majority, it’s not.”

Located at 4557 N. Rampart St., Music Box Village is a collection of artist-made interactive “musical houses,” curated by New Orleans Airlift, a non-profit organization with the intent of bringing community together through experimental public art. For The Capitalist Blues show, doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 6:30 p.m. Tickets start at $20. To find out more information about the venue, the show or ticket prices, visit the Music Box Village website, here.