Aunt Bettys Release 1996 Debut

The Aunt Bettys was a brief glimpse of what could have been for Michael Knott. Knott formed the Aunt Bettys in the mid-’90s with ambitions for stardom. He quickly recruited long-time collaborators Brian Doidge and Chuck Cummings, and newcomer guitarist Andrew Carter, and after a handful of LA shows and a whirlwind demo, they had major labels like Island and Elektra fighting to sign them.

The band continued their rapid rise while simultaneously dissolving from inner turmoil. They delivered an album, were released from contract, and label EastWest provided only minimal publicity for the release. While the band was over as quickly as it began, they left behind some of Knott’s strongest tunes, recorded at the height of his creative output, and with a budget to match. The Aunt Bettys self-titled debut has become a celebrated favorite amongst fans, achieving almost legendary status.

Lost in Ohio had the pleasure of working on two of Knott’s recent reissues, and are excited to be taking on their most ambitious project yet: a deluxe reissue of Aunt Bettys. They have launched a Kickstarter to reissue the album on vinyl in two stunning color variants, as well as on CD and cassette. They are also producing a limited run of t-shirts and posters.

Here are some of the highlights of their plans:

  • Heavy-weight 180-gram vinyl in gatefold jacket with inserts;
  • Glass-mastered CDs in Digipak with booklet;
  • Cassettes with large J Card foldout;
  • Brand new artwork, inspired by the original, by celebrated painter Stephen Cefalo;
  • Remastered by Christopher Colbert, hopefully from the original master tapes (pending a search of the Warner Bros. vaults);
  • Never-before-seen photos and memorabilia included in the packaging.

Join the Kickstarter here.

Photo courtesy of Lost in Ohio.