Print-friendly Version
Aimee Mann beefs up 'Smilers' jaunt
Singer/songwriter Aimee Mann has nearly doubled her North American tour ahead of releasing her seventh studio album, "@#%&! Smilers."
The outing, which now spans two dozen dates across the US and Canada, is set to kick off June 2 with a few shows in and around Los Angeles. Mann is scheduled to stop by a variety of concert venues and several festivals--including Manchester, TN's Bonnaroo and Highland Park, IL's Ravinia Festival--through early September, though more dates are expected, according to her website.
Since last check, gigs have been added in major markets including Dallas, Vancouver, Toronto and Nashville. An updated itinerary is listed below.
On tour, Mann will showcase songs from her new record, "@#%&! Smilers," which is scheduled to drop June 3. The set is said to be a return to form following 2005's concept album, "The Forgotten Arm," and Mann's 2006 holiday collection, "One More Drifter in the Snow."
"After doing a concept album, I wanted to go back and just do a set of songs that were not linked quite so tightly," Mann said in her bio. "I didn't have a specific vision I was after so I kept writing and after a while, the album began to take on its own sound."
All of the set's 13 tracks were penned by Mann, with the exception of "True Believer," which was co-written with fellow singer/songwriter Grant Lee Phillips. A couple of songs from "@#%&! Smilers"--"Freeway" and "Ballantines," a duet with Sean Hayes--are streaming at Mann's MySpace page.
