Aimee Mann & Ted Leo Christmas Show feat. Paul F. Tompkins, Nellie McKay, & Josh Gondelman

Aimee Mann is one of the most distinguished singer-songwriters of her generation. Her successful solo career has spanned several decades with several Grammy nominations, two Grammy awards, and the release of nine critically acclaimed solo albums, including the profoundly popular soundtrack for the film Magnolia, which garnered an Academy Award and Golden Globe nomination for Best Song in 2000. Time magazine has said, “Mann has the same skill that great tunesmiths like McCartney and Neil Young have: the knack for writing simple, beautiful, instantly engaging songs, ” while NPR voted her one of the “TOP 10 Best Living Songwriters” along with Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen. Her latest release is called “Mental Illness” which won her a Grammy for Best Folk Album.

Aimee Mann and Ted Leo began collaborating, under the inconspicuous band name the Both, in 2013. The pairing revealed two artists with more in common than one might suspect. Mann, a generational singer-songwriter, was, in her formative years, a punk, before coming up playing in the New Wave favorites ’Til Tuesday, and eventually turning to the wry ballads for which she is revered. Leo, a New Jersey-bred punk hero, is a biting lyricist attuned to the nuances of pop songcraft. Both are fiercely independent artists, free to follow their muses where they travel—even if that happens to be a holiday variety show that mixes jovial Christmas classics with piquant original songs. A seasonal tradition for Mann since 2006, the concert includes sketches and guests from both musical and comedic realms. – New Yorker Magazine

“Delightful…a Santa-stupefying balance of naughty and nice…with the giddy warmth of an eggnog buzz. Hangover included, of course.” – New York Times

“Genuine, irony-free good cheer had been spread, making Mann’s Christmas extravaganza one of the season’s best gifts.” – Boston Herald