Leslie Jordan Performing at Masonic Hall April 19

Join Leslie Jordan for an evening of music and storytelling as she shares The Agonist, her debut solo Americana album at the Masonic Cornerstone Grand Hall and Event Center on April 19 at 7 p.m.

The Agonist is the story of Jordan’s grandfather Robert S. Gott — whom she never knew — and the characters he personified. Gott fancied himself ‘The Agonist,’ a hapless wanderer chasing fulfillment and redemption through a peripatetic existence, which never quite led to the understanding he so desperately craved.

All families have mysteries, or at least forgotten stories. When a box of writing showed up on Jordan’s mother’s doorstep a few months after Gott died, she didn’t know what to expect. Inside, she found a trove of writing from her father (Jordan’s grandfather): poetry, short stories, and journals comprising some 30 years of his life.

Up until that point, her father, who left when she was little, had been the villain of many family stories, and she barely knew him. But digging into the box and his writing, a far more interesting and complex story unfolded. When she shared the writing with her daughter years later, Jordan knew she wanted to write an album about her grandfather’s story.

Working with producer Kenneth Pattengale of The Milk Carton kids, was surreal and gratifying for Jordan, who’s admired his work for a long time. “He kept pushing me into being that best version of myself,” she says.

After years of working in Nashville, Jordan said that recording an album so connected to California in Far Cry Studios in Los Angeles felt right.