Aimee Mann may not immediately strike you as the warm and fuzzy type. Her deliberate, melodic pop songs can exude endless yearning or icy resolve, as exemplified in the hauntingly gorgeous “Save Me” from the “Magnolia” soundtrack.
But Mann’s a holiday softie at heart, releasing the Christmas-themed “One More Drifter in the Snow” last year and touring a Christmas variety show.
Replete with music and stand-up comedy acts, the show is an “homage to the holiday variety shows of yore,” emphasizing relaxed banter and conviviality as much as taut performances.
Mann’s 2nd Annual Christmas Show will visit the Boulder Theater on Saturday with comedians Paul F. Tompkins and Morgan Murphy, and musicians Patrick Park and Nellie McKay.
We spoke with Mann from her studio in California about the simple pleasures of Christmas music and the joy of not having to carry an entire show by one’s self.
Question: Did you intend for last year’s Christmas Show to be an annual thing?
Answer: That was kind of the idea. It’s fun because playing a show like this really does get you in the Christmas spirit but then you don’t have any time to buy any presents.
Q: It must be a refreshing change of pace from the typical concert.
A: It’s nice to have a totally different kind of show to do, and with other people. The pressure’s not entirely on you to be entertaining. I really do like the ensemble approach. I love having comedians around, and I love having different musicians. I always like that sort of buffet approach to anything. It’s got that kind of fun, old-fashioned feel.
Q:Do you and your husband (musician Michael Penn) have any Christmas traditions?
A:We don’t really. I don’t think our lives are stable enough to have any traditions. Sometimes I’m on tour, and sometimes Michael’s working or scoring something, or his son is with him.
Q:You’d already been a solo artist for 13 years before releasing “One More Drifter in the Snow” last year. What prompted it?
A:I was in between records and wanted to do some kind of project. My manager suggested a Christmas record, which at first I thought was really stupid. Then I started talking to (producer) Paul Bryan about it. At first you’re like, “How corny.” Then we started thinking, “There really are some good songs out there.”
Q:I understand you used Vince Guaraldi’s music for the Peanuts Christmas special and the Johnny Mathis Christmas album as jumping-off points.
A:We just started thinking of all the Christmas songs that are legitimately great songs. We said, “You know, we could put a band together that would do some really nice, interesting versions of those.” We wanted to get that mellow, by-the-fireplace drinking-eggnog sort of feeling, but also a little of that “late at night and you’re excited about Christmas” feeling. There’s an excitement about Christmas and a mystery that always lingers from when you’re a kid.
Q: Did you consciously try to avoid Christmas album cliches?
A: The thing I really didn’t want to do was be like, “We’re modernizing Christmas songs.” They’re appropriate (to) a certain era in the 1940s and ’50s, and Christmas is not a time for modernization. I didn’t need it to be made groovy or something, because that’s even worse.
Q: Do you enjoy having comedians on stage with you for the Christmas show? I know you and Michael did comedy-music nights at the Largo in L.A. for a few years.
A: I have a whole lot of admiration for these people. I just think it’s an incredible skill that requires this ready wit and being fast on your feet. It’s the toughest gig ever.
Aimee Mann’s 2nd Annual Christmas Show
Music/ comedy. Boulder Theater, 2032 14th St., 8 p.m., Saturday. $26.50-$34.50. 303-786-7030 or
John Wenzel: 303-954-1642 or jwenzel@denverpost.com
