Pitchfork

For the second year in a row, songwriter Aimee Mann has gathered a few of her closest friends for a traveling Christmas variety show. Joining Mann on the musical side will be Ben Gibbard, several indeterminate Decemberists members, Nellie McKay, Josh Ritter, Grant Lee Phillips, Ben Lee, Joe Henry, Chuck Prophet, Patrick Park, Sean Hayes, and the Honeydogs' Adam Levy.

But not all at once. Comedians Paul F. Tompkins and Morgan Murphy will join Mann at every stop on the tour, but the musical lineup changes from night to night, so we've done that thing with all the symbols down there below the cut to help (that's our hope, anyway) sort through the confusion. More guests are expected to be added soon, but we're running dangerously low on punctuation over here.

Thanks to reader Ben Hasler for the tip.

Speaking of Nellie McKay, you gotta admit, gal's got a sense of humor. And now McKay, whose knack for snicker-worthy songwriting is ably demonstrated across her three collections of tunes thus far (including this year's Obligatory Villagers), is taking the laughs all the way to the bank.

McKay recently issued a "charity" Christmas single via her website, the charity in question being "The Nellie McKay Disaster Fund". Ha, say what? "All proceeds," writes the songstress, "will go directly into Nellie McKay's bank account." LOLz.

Before you cry foul, however, know that donations are purely voluntary, and you may download the one-song mp3 single for free if you so choose. The tune's subject matter, however, is no laughing matter. Titled "A Christmas Dirge", it addresses the dark underside of the Yuletide log, including cruelty to plants and animals during this season of supposed merriment.

McKay will also appear on the November 21 episode of NPR's "Fresh Air With Terry Gross" and make her feature film debut in the previously discussed P.S. I Love You, which hits theaters December 21. She's got a few dates sans Mann too, and those are below.

Christmas with the Manns:

11-29 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up *^
11-30 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey *^$
12-02 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's &@
12-03 San Francisco, CA - Bimbo's @&
12-05 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater #%
12-07 Aspen, CO - Opera House #+
12-08 Boulder, CO - Boulder Theater #+
12-10 Minneapolis, MN - Guthrie Theater #~
12-11 Chicago, IL - Vic Theatre #
12-12 Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theater #
12-14 New York, NY - Grand Ballroom =
12-15 Tarrytown, NY - Tarrytown Music Hall #¢
12-16 Boston, MA - Berklee Performance Center
12-17 Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere #
12-18 Alexandria, VA - The Birchmere #

* with Grant Lee Phillips
^ with Joe Henry
$ with Ben Gibbard
& with Chuck Prophet
@ with Sean Hayes
# with Nellie McKay
% with Decemberists members
+ with Patrick Park
~ with Adam Levy
= with Josh Ritter
¢ with Ben Lee

Additional Nellie McKay dates:

11-26 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
11-27 Indianapolis, IN - The Music Mill
12-15 New York, NY - The Concert Hall
12-20 Annapolis, MD - Ram's Head