#ls underground

[juicefacekillah]

[thisisthepenaltybox]

Mike Knott - Strip Cycle TND#1025 Release Date: 1995

Michael Knott is probably the most prolific artist in the entire Christian music industry. I know that is a pretty big statement to make considering this includes musicians like Jason Martin, Ronnie Martin, Johnathan Ford, Shelby Cinca, Mark Salomon, and David Bazan. But this is nothing compared to the output that Mike Knott has. To date, Mike Knott has appeared on well over 100 albums, while some of these are just guest appearances or production credits, he has managed to release at least 35 of his own albums. If you aren't familiar with Mike Knott, then maybe you've heard of some of the bands he's been in; Lifesavers, L.S. Underground, Aunt Bettys, Cush, Bomb Bay Babies, Strung Gurus, or Struck Last May. He also released two other solo albums under the names Idle Lovell, and Michael Moret.

So why is it someone with such a massive catalog only release one album for Tooth & Nail. I'm not sure exactly. I do know that Mike ran his own label, Blonde Vinyl, for a long time so that makes up for those albums, and the Aunt Bettys were signed to Elektra Records. The rest of his work was released on random independent labels or self released. It very well could be that Mike just never felt the need to release anything on T&N again. Or maybe his one album didn't sell well enough. A third possibility is that Mike Knott is a very controversial person in the Christian market. On the Aunt Bettys debut they re-recorded an older Mike Knott song called "A Rocket & A Bomb" adding in a few expletives to the end of the song. The song "Rock Stars on H" gained some negative attention due to it's lyrical content about heroin. The original Aunt Bettys debut also had a drawing of Jesus as a bartender on the album cover. Mike Knott has been a very open person regarding his personal life, which includes divorce and alcoholism. All of these things are not subjects that the typical Christian audience enjoys to hear about.

So on to the album at hand. Strip Cycle is a mostly acoustic album, which is a bit different from the Goth Rock of LSU or the straight forward Rock of the Aunt Bettys. One of the first things about the album you will notice is how strange it sounds. BeforeStrip Cyclewas recorded, Mike Knott discovered one that day that his very young daughter had been playing with his guitar and taken it out of tune. But Mike liked how the guitar sounded and decided to record the entire album with this new "Twisted Toddler Tuning".

So right away, the album starts off with an interesting topic. "Sugar Mama" is a throbbing tune about a friend of his who found a woman who gives him money and lets him do what he wants. The song also features an excellent trumpet solo on the bridge. Up next Mike keeps the controversy going with "Tattoo", a song that actually managed to become a single for the album, even earning a music video. Pretty surprising considering the song is about domestic abuse. "Tattoo" is a very unsettling and certainly the darkest sounding song with it's nerve wracking cello playing and jerky guitar playing. Luckily "Rockstars on H" comes in to lighten the mood. It's a pretty funny song about how these rock stars can't play their instruments anymore. The next song to really grab your attention is "Bad Check", another humorous track about how many different bad checks he's written, including one to the cello player on this particular song. A few more songs down the line, "Am I Winnin' Something" has some of the best lines on the album. "I lost my license last year in Vegas/I haven't been pulled over since then" and "my accountant says if I file for bankruptcy/I won't have to pay back the lost money".

With all these negative song subjects, there is still an attitude of hope all over this album. Album closer "Denial" has the most heartfelt moments, even if it's about an alcoholic denying his problem.

One more drink and heaven could be calling And I won't care if the sky starts falling Cause I feel free with God and a bottle and me

Knott's warts and all approach to songwriting is incredibly refreshing for the Christian scene. While most musicians tend to shy away from such serious topics, Knott runs at them head on, while bringing in a sense of humor that one wouldn't expect in these particular scenarios.

Strip Cycle is an incredible album, and the fact that Mike Knott is not a more famous musician than he is just blows my mind. Truly an underrated talent.