Aimee Mann in concert at Performing Arts Center - 27 East

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Aimee Mann in concert at Performing Arts Center

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author on Sep 8, 2008

Ever since she was the lead singer in the band ’Til Tuesday, Aimee Mann has been known as a writer who specializes in songs about relationships, most often ones that aren’t doing too well. So how can she still write strong songs about people and their difficult relationships after being in a positive one for a long time?

“I actually think having distance, especially from bad relationships, helps me today,” said Ms. Mann, who will bring her views on love and life to the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Sunday, September 14.

“I’m always a person who is thinking about what is going on with other people anyway. Some of them are friends. And I’ll remember what my experiences were in relationships. So I don’t think being in a long-term relationship means you lose the ability to write about relationships and to experience many of those emotions. And so much of what is in a relationship is universal anyway.”

Ms. Mann, who turned 48 on September 8, has been married for almost 11 years to Michael Penn, who had a hit in 1989 with the song “No Myth.” He is the brother of the actor and director Sean Penn, and it has been the movie business that brought the biggest success to her career. In 1999, working with her husband, she composed the soundtrack for the Paul Thomas Anderson film, “Magnolia,” which resulted in an Academy Award nomination. Still, even though she lives in Los Angeles, she has not been immersed in other big-screen projects.

“It’s not only up to me,” Ms. Mann explained. “Musicians have caught on to the advantages of putting their songs in movies, so there are plenty of people around here doing that. What happens is the music supervisor goes out to find songs and if they don’t have a big budget then he or she is looking for less-established musicians. If they do have a big budget they want to get very recognizable hit songs, and I’m not usually associated with that category. It’s kind of like a crap shoot if you get a worthwhile call. Sometimes, too, it’s simply a matter of I get asked to write songs for a movie and I can’t find a creative connection to it. I’ll try, and it’s just not working.”

What is working consistently is her solo career. The recently released “Smilers” is her seventh CD. Some music fans with a few more rings in their trees recall that Ms. Mann did not start out as a solo act. She was born and raised in Virginia, then attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston. She dropped out to write and perform music full-time, and it was in Boston in 1983 with Berklee classmate (and boyfriend) Michael Hausman that she founded the band ’Til Tuesday.

Ironically, the band’s first album, two years later, “Voices Carry,” was a hit thanks to the heartfelt songs Ms. Mann wrote about her breakup with Mr. Hausman. The two remained together in ’Til Tuesday, though, and made two more successful albums, “Welcome Home” and “Everything’s Different Now.” The band broke up in 1990 so Ms. Mann could embark on a solo path, with Mr. Hausman as her manager.

The solo career, with the exception of the “Magnolia” soundtrack, has not produced as many hits, but it does include a Grammy Award for Best Recording Package for the 2005 CD “The Forgotten Arm,” a concept album set in Virginia in the ’70s that involves boxing. Ms. Mann has developed a loyal following and when on tour—after Westhampton Beach, she and her band finish up on “Austin City Limits”—she is curious to see what audiences in which cities offer the best reception.

“It does happen that there is an especially good night, but it’s random,” she said. “For example, we played Tulsa and there was a small but really enthusiastic crowd. I can’t explain why. Sometimes it’s just the venue itself. Sometimes the time of the year is a factor and how I’m feeling.

“In a lot of ways I don’t relish going to Boston in December. But in some ways I do because I went to school there and was a young musician starting out there. If it snows it’s pretty. And I like that I can leave town and not have to shovel any of it.”

Does she still get requests for ’Til Tuesday favorites? “Yes,” the singer admitted. “But not frequently. It’s good to know there are some diehards out there.”

She has always enjoyed performing and sharing songs that can be emotionally intimate with audiences. But a drawback for her is that she is not one of those performers who can write anytime, anywhere.

“The road not a good time for writing,” she said. “What I used to do is come up with little melodies that I’d record on a tape recorder I took with me on tours, and also little exercises I’d do warming up for a show, and when I got back home I’d see if some of that could be developed into songs, if they sparked anything. I’ve sort of slacked off, though, because my tape recorder got so old it stopped working.

“Not only are there distractions on tour, but it’s a weird feeling because you spend a lot of time stopping and going and stopping and waiting. You would think all that waiting is a good time for writing, but mostly I don’t feel that way.”

Reviewers over the years have compared her songs to short stories—Raymond Carver is often cited—and to other singer-songwriters who dwell on individuals who are trying to figure out everyday life and the relationships they have in it. Listeners are reminded of the music of Harry Chapin, Tom Waits, and Ricki Lee Jones. But Ms. Mann can’t point to a particular author or performer who has had the most impact on her career.

“I’ve heard from interviewers that there is a short story aspect especially to the new CD, but I can’t point to any one writer who sort of looms over it, and me,” she said. “Certainly by this point in my life, after over 20 years of writing and recording, I’ve accumulated many diverse influences. But when I’m writing songs, it’s probably best not to think about that. Just write, and see what happens.”

Aimee Mann will play at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Sunday, September 14, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $50, $65, and $80, available by calling the Arts Center box office at 288-1500; stopping by the PAC at 76 Main Street in Westhampton Beach, or online at www.WHBPAC.org.

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