Grant-Lee Phillips [ tickets ], former Grant Lee Buffalo frontman, has been tapped to join singer/songwriter Aimee Mann [ tickets ] on her First Annual Christmas Variety Show tour.

Besides Phillips and Mann, the tour--which kicks off Dec. 4 in San Francisco--will feature appearances by comedians Fred Armisen and Paul Tompkins, plus a variety of special guests.

"There used to be a time when the belly dancers, balladeers and sharpshooters all rode in one caravan." Phillips said in a statement to the press. "I'd like to think this might be one of those occasions. Ya know, one big traveling holiday circus on ice. Step right this way."

Mann's first Christmas album, "One More Drifter in the Snow," was released last month on her own label, SuperEgo Records. It features originals and seasonal classics including a rendering of Dr. Seuss' "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" narrated by Phillips. It was that collaboration that spawned the idea for a joint tour. On the tour, Phillips will perform his own songs, including selections from his forthcoming studio release, "Strangelet."

Phillips' cameo appearance on Mann's tour comes on the heels of his album "nineteeneighties" (Zoë/Rounder), a tribute to the decade's rock underground and some of the artists and songs that influenced him.