Is whacked-out cabaret/folk music going to be the next big thing in New Orleans? It might be, if the one-man band Lonesome Leash has anything to do with it. Leash is the alter-ego of multi-instrumentalist  Walt McClements, who’s previously been in Hurray for the Riff Raff and Why Are We Building Such a Big Ship? As you may expect from a former member of those bands, Lonesome Leash has a vision of Americana that’s a bit deep and twisted, yet full of haunted appeal.

Lonesome Leash

Onstage McClements plays horns, accordion and sings, all from behind the drums. “I’ve always been interested in affecting the accordion to make it sound more like a synthesizer, and more than a synthesizer, as well as including drum machines and electronics into what normally would — or could be — very traditional sounding textures,” he explains. A new EP One Foot in Front of the Other was released last week; the track “Dead” can be previewed here.

Lonesome Leash hits the AllWays Lounge this week in the middle of a tour that took him to Georgia and North Carolina, and will continue onto Texas and New Mexico. the show is 10pm on Friday, the 27th at the AllWays Lounge, 2240 St. Claude Avenue, 504-218-5778.