Aimee Mann books guests for holiday variety shows

Aimee Mann has announced the special guests she'll be bringing out on the road with her for the second edition of her traveling holiday variety tour.

The singer/songwriter, whose Christmas pageant played to sold-out crowds on both coasts last year, will welcome Nellie McKay, Ben Lee, Ben Gibbard, Patrick Park, Sean Hayes, Chuck Prophet, Josh Ritter, Joe Henry, Grant-Lee Phillips, Morgan Murphy and members of The Decemberists onstage during the 13-city trek, which kicks off Nov. 29 in Solana Beach, CA.

Comedian Paul F. Tompkins will host the holiday shows, which conclude Dec. 17-18 with a pair of shows in Alexandria, VA. All dates are shown below, along with guest performers for each stop.

Mann's most recent studio release is last year's holiday collection "One More Drifter in the Snow." The set features originals and seasonal classics, including a version of Dr. Seuss' "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" narrated by singer/songwriter Grant-Lee Phillips, who joined Mann on her first Christmas tour last December.

"I wanted to do a Christmas record that reflected the whole range of emotions that people have around Christmas." Mann said in a press statement, "I thought a lot about the feeling I had about Christmas as a kid, the almost spooky beauty and mystery that the holiday has, and wanted to do something that echoed that musically."

"The CD definitely harkens back to the classic albums of the '40s & '50s but it's not retro at all, it's a soulful album influenced by the bar-setting albums of Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis and Peggy Lee," said the album's producer, Paul Bryan. "We aimed for an album that would be just as beautiful and thoughtful as those still are."

The singer's most recent non-holiday effort was 2005's "The Forgotten Arm," her fifth solo album since splitting with '80s pop outfit 'Til Tuesday.