Mike Knott’s Strip Cycle on Vinyl for First Time

Lost in Ohio is proud to announce the first-ever vinyl pressing of Mike Knott’s 1995 cult favorite Strip Cycle — available now in a limited edition of 300 copies, shipping this April.

In the early ’90s, Mike Knott was a creative whirlwind. His bands L.S. Underground and Bomb Bay Babies had become staples of the Southern California rock scene. Through his indie label Blonde Vinyl, he released more than 20 albums, helping define a generation of underground alternative music. His band Aunt Bettys was signed to Elektra Records after a label bidding war and poised for a breakout moment.

Amid all of this, Knott also released three solo albums, each one stylistically distinct—pulling influence from Bauhaus, Tom Petty, Dinosaur Jr., and beyond. But while preparing for Aunt Bettys’ major label debut, he quietly wrote a very different kind of record: Strip Cycle.

Strip Cycle is an album unlike anything Knott had released before—or since.

While some lyrics echo the deranged, confessional style of Rocket and a Bomb, Strip Cycle takes a sharply personal turn, diving into fatherhood, addiction, and raw self-reflection. Musically, it’s stripped-down and striking, with a vibe reminiscent of early Violent Femmes—entirely acoustic, yet full of rhythmic grit and emotional punch.

One of the record’s quirks became its defining feature: "Twisted Toddler Tuning." Knott’s daughter Stormie, a toddler at the time, messed with the tuning pegs of his acoustic guitar. Knott liked the warped sound and kept it. The loose strings slap against the fretboard throughout the album, adding a spontaneous, percussive texture that’s utterly unique.

The sessions were as raw as the songs. Knott collaborators Brian Doidge and Chuck Cummings (Aunt Bettys) and drummer Ed Benrock (Starflyer 59) contributed to the record, but Knott also took an unpolished DIY approach. He played drums—poorly—on “Super Girl,” and one track abruptly cuts off mid-chorus amidst screaming. The result is a spontaneous, unfiltered document of a man at a creative crossroads.

Released in 1995 by a young label called Tooth & Nail (which carried the torch after Blonde Vinyl folded), Strip Cycle was as visually gritty as it was sonically. Photographer and musician Matt Wignall provided the grainy, high-contrast images, paired with a scrawled, handwritten layout that matched the record’s raw intensity.

Lost in Ohio's limited vinyl reissue of Strip Cycle is a labor of love, built to preserve the original's DIY aesthetic, complete with:

• All black-and-white packaging, true to the original's design
• Freshly restored artwork, using Wignall's original photo negatives, including never-before-seen images from the original shoot
• Lacquers cut by hand at The Vinyl Room in the Netherlands, and plated in Italy by Pacri Group
• Vinyl pressed by Precision Record Pressing in Toronto, limited to just 300 copies

For longtime fans, it's an overdue tribute to one of Knott's most revealing works. For new listeners, it's a raw, honest snapshot of a true underground legend.