Rough Cutt

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Rough Cutt
Origin	San Diego, California
Genre(s)	Heavy metal
Years active	1980–1987
Label(s)	Warner Bros.
Associated acts	Ratt, Orgy, Jailhouse, Quiet Riot, Dio
Former members
Paul Shortino Dave Alford Matt Thorr Chris Hager Amir Derakh Jake E. Lee Craig Goldy Joey Christofanilli Claude Schnell

Rough Cutt was a 1980s American heavy metal band based in Los Angeles, California. Despite talented musicians and solid support from its record company and management, Rough Cutt never made a big splash like so many other L.A. metal bands of that time. Today it is best known as a leaping off point for several former band members who found greater success after leaving the group.

Rough Cutt had its beginnings as a merge with a band called Sarge (Thorne and Hager). The first Rough Cutt lineup featured vocalist Paul Shortino, guitarist Jake E. Lee, keyboardist Claude Schnell, bassist Joey Cristofaneli, and drummer Dave Alford. Both Lee and Alford had also previously been in another San Diego band Ratt. Two other former Ratt members, bassist Matt Thorne aka Matt Thorr (who replaced Cristofanelli) and guitarist Chris Hager (who replaced Schnell), would also soon join Rough Cutt.

Lee left Rough Cutt in 1982, very briefly played in the band Dio, and then replaced the deceased Randy Rhoads as Ozzy Osbourne's lead guitarist. Lee in turn was replaced by Craig Goldy, formerly of the L.A. band Vengeance. Ronnie James Dio greatly influenced the development of the band. Dio’s wife Wendy Dio was the group’s manager, and Dio himself helped write one of the band’s songs. Rough Cutt contributed two tracks “A Little Kindness” and “Used & Abused,” both produced by Dio, to the compilation album “L.A's Hottest Unsigned Bands,” issued in 1983. Goldy soon left the band, and went onto play in Giuffria, and later in Dio’s band and Whitesnake. Goldy was replaced by Amir Derakh, another San Diego band alumnus.

With the lineup solidified with Shortino, Alford, Hager, Thorne and Derakh, Rough Cutt was signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1984 and recorded two albums "Rough Cutt" produced by Tom Allom and "Rough Cutt Wants You" produced by Jack Douglas. The band toured extensively in the United States, Europe and Japan as an opening act for Foreigner, Dio, Krokus and others.

Shortino left in the band in 1987 to replace Kevin DuBrow as singer of Quiet Riot. Derakh, Thorne and Alford regrouped with singer Danny Simon and guitarist Michael Raphael to form Jailhouse, which released a live EP “Alive in a Mad World” in 1988. Derakh was later guitarist for the nu-metal band Orgy.

Shortino reformed Rough Cutt in 2000 with an all new lineup that included former Aerosmith guitarist Jimmy Crespo, former House of Lords bassist Sean McNabb, and drummer John Homan, and recorded an EP “Sneak Peak.” The album was produced by former Rough Cutt bassist Matt Thorne(produced/engineered; The Eels, Trapt, Ratt, Warrant, Badlands, The Donnas, etc.) [1]. The band soon shortened its name to simply The Cutt.

The best known lineup of Rough Cutt reformed for a one-off reunion show in October 2002 at the Viper Room in Hollywood with Shortino, Alford, Hager, Thorne and Derakh performing together one last time.

[edit] Discography

• "Used And Abused" and "A Little Kindness" (1981)
• Rough Cutt (1985)
• Wants You! (1986)
• Rough Cutt Live (1996)