The tour will wrap up with a Los Angeles date, with Fountains of Wayne opening, at the Wiltern Theatre. Mann continues to tour in support of last year's critically acclaimed release @#%&! Smilers. Mojo hailed the album "a masterpiece," while People Magazine pronounced "trends may come and go, but real artists, like this singer-songwriter remain."
Never one to rest on the laurels of her past, Aimee has been busy releasing albums and touring for the better part of the last decade. Ending the millennium with a bang, Mann was nominated for an Oscar, a Golden Globe and three Grammys for the Magnolia Soundtrack which released simultaneously alongside her solo album Bachelor No. 2. Mann continued her solo career with the 2002's Lost in Space the second release on SuperEgo Records and then on to her first live CD and DVD Live at St. Ann's Warehouse. With her 5th solo album The Forgotten Arm, Mann delved head first into the realm of the concept album, following up the next year with a turn at a Christmas album One More Drifter In The Snow, an unexpected homage to the spooky beauty of the holiday season.
With thirteen new original songs, Mann's seventh solo CD Smilers has proven to be a return to form. Producer Paul Bryan describes the record as "deceptively powerful...very rich and grand-sounding". The songs range from the stripped-down-to-basics of "Columbus Avenue", to the almost Cars-esque synth-pop of "Freeway", along side the classic Jimmy Webb/Glen Campbell-era "Phoenix", and the hushed creepiness of "Little Tornado." The final song "Ballantines" is a duet with Sean Hayes complete with barroom piano and trombone section. All songs were penned by Mann with the exception of "True Believer" which was co-written with fellow singer-songwriter Grant Lee Phillips.
An amalgamation of sounds, Aimee explains "we tried not to echo any previous albums�for this one we wanted to use a different palate, thus replacing electric guitars with distorted Wurlitzers, Clavinets, and analog synthesizers. We made the low end and rhythm section full and organic-sounding, with Jay Bellrose's quirky approach to percussion and my acoustic guitar together. For this album the acoustic guitar is present in a new way, one that melds with Jay's rhythm section and acts as an adjunct to the high-hat. On top of that we layered detailed interwoven keyboards and on select songs added a lush string section; on others a full horn section."
With fans and critics hailing the new CD and the single "Freeway' garnering a solid amount of radio play across the country, Mann finished off a busy 2008 with a sold-out Summer, Fall and Christmas tour, along with a recent performance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, appearances on The View, The Tonight Show, and a concert filmed for the Ovation channel's Live from the Artist's Den performance series.
Tour Dates:
Oct 2 UC Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA
Oct 3 Rio Theatre Santa Cruz, CA
Oct 4 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass San Francisco, CA
@ Golden Gate Park
Oct 6 Aladdin Theater w/ Nick Lowe Portland, OR
Oct 7 Moore Theatre w/ Nick Lowe Seattle, WA
Oct 8 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, Canada
Oct 10 The Kroc Center Coeur D'Alene, ID
Oct 11 Egyptian Theatre Boise, ID
Oct 12 The State Room Salt Lake City, UT
Oct 14 Boulder Theater Boulder, CO
Oct 16 The Wiltern w/ Fountains of Wayne Los Angeles, CA
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