excerpt transcribed from the article:
O. C. Cruise:
Sugar Ray's Forgotten Roots and Knott's Family Attractions
by Jennifer Vineyard

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Before the Sugar Ray shindig took over the Rhino Room that fated Monday night, the Aunt Bettys were supposed to emerge from hiatus to play a show with Rubber. One small problem, though: The Aunt Bettys broke up.

We could go into the various difficulties the band's suffered since they parted ways with Elektra - like losing bassist Scott Tubbs to Concrete Blonde - but what it really boils down to is [that] lead singer Mike Knott is going solo. So, now all those A&R hounds have gotten their wish.

About seven different major labels have been eyeing Knott ever since the Aunt Bettys left Elektra, but all were wary of signing a band that didn't make much of themselves the first time out. Several suggested a name change would be in order. Others hinted that if Knott went solo, they could talk contracts. At that time, though, the Aunt Bettys were a solid unit and would hear no talk of dissolving.

Now that it's a moot point, the A&R folk get an opportunity to gush over Knott's 20 to 30 "tamer" new songs, which sound like early Beatles meets the Wallflowers meets Third Eye Blind. The lyrics, however, are just as biting as ever, full of tales of real life people Knott's met while living in Southern California. "OC, especially Costa Mesa, is thick with dirt," Knott says. "You can go out at night and have a full album's worth of material in the morning if you're observant enough."

As far as his solo status goes, Knott explains it like this: "You could say Mike Knott has sold out one thousand percent, and he's going to be the male Sheryl Crow. I would love it if you wrote that," he adds. "Cutting edge stuff just isn't the way to go when you have a wife and daughter to support."

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- Jennifer Vineyard

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