METALLIAN - Rough Cutt

Rough Cutt - 1985 - Warner
Wants You! - 1986 - Warner
Rough Cutt Live - 1996 - DeRock
3 - 2021 - DDR

Members

Vocals

Paul & JoJo>>Paul Shortino>>Quiet Riot, Badd Boyz, Solo, Paul Shortino & The Rhythm Junkies, Shortino/Northrup, Mountain Of Power, Great White, Paul Shortino's The Cutt, Heaven And Earth, Rough Riot, King Kobra, Michael Cosyn Group, Appice, Paul Shortino/Tracy G. - Paul & JoJo, Quiet Riot, Badd Boyz, Solo, Paul Shortino & The Rhythm Junkies, Shortino/Northrup, Mountain Of Power, Great White, Paul Shortino's The Cutt, Heaven And Earth, Rough Riot, King Kobra, Michael Cosyn Group, Appice, Paul Shortino/Tracy G.>>PAUL SHORTINO>>Shortino/Northrup, Paul Shortino's The Cutt, Heaven And Earth, Rough Riot, King Kobra, Michael Cosyn Group, Appice, Rough Riot

Guitar

Armed & Ready, Emerald>>Amir Derakh [Amir Davidson]>>Jailhouse, Orgy, Julien-K, Dead By Sunrise - Crystal Pystal, Mickey Ratt, Ratt, Sarge>>Chris Hager>>Woop & The Count, Stephen Pearcy, Buster Cherry, Rough Riot

Bass

Sarge>>Matt Thorr [Matt Thorne]>>Jailhouse, L.A. Rocks, Eyes, Tuff, Platinum Overdose, Stephen Pearcy

Drum

Max Havoc, Sexist, Ratt>>Dave Alford>>Jailhouse, Mod Ev, Kryme

History & Biography

Like many of its California-based contemporaries, hard rock/glam metal band Rough Cutt has a convoluted history that interweaves with names like Jake Williams/Jake E Lee, Thomas Goldy/Craig Goldy, Ronnie James Dio and Stephen Pearcy. Rough Cutt was founded in Los Angeles in 1981. The line-up featured singer Paul Shortino, guitarist Jake E. Lee, bass player Joey Cristofanilli, drummer Dave Alford and someone called Claude Schnell living out his Elton John fantasies. Alford, who was from Georgia, had moved to California based upon advice from one of his idols, Ronnie James Dio whom he'd met when the singer's band Rainbow was in town. Shortino was suggested by a friend and so Alford and Jake E. Lee had met Shortino at Starwood club for a jam and rehearsal. The bassist and keyboardist were from Magic. Guitarist Lee and the drummer were from Ratt. Former Sarge members guitarist Hager and new bassist Matt Thorr would join soon. Cristofanilli would move in the opposite direction and be in Ratt for a while before going more metal in Jag Wire. Thorr was suggested by Ronnie James Dio as a replacement. Thorr had then recommended Hager. Lee would go on to Dio and Ozzy Osbourne. Craig Goldy replaced him. Wendy Dio began managing the band and her husband, Ronnie, helped write a song and produce tracks (a set-up similar to Hellion) for the L.A's Hottest Unsigned Bands compilation for the band. Goldy would later feature in Dio. Amir Derakh ('Amir Derakh' get it?) made the line-up whole again.

The band signed to Warner Music (Dio was on Warner) in 1984. Several showcases were in Hollywood, London and Hamburg. Shortino had already been cast in the This Is Spinal Tap movie. The band was going to work with their A&R man Ted Templeman (Van Halen), but had Tom Allom (Judas Priest) produce its debut due to the former man's scheduling conflict. The group opened for Accept and Krokus and then Helix and Dio (on the Sacred Heart tour). The group was also booked at Super Rock '85 in Tokyo, Japan with Dio headlining. The group ended up playing after midnight. The band appeared in an episode of dance school serial Fame. The second record was produced by John Douglas and the band began touring, but Shortino departed citing musical differences. The second record was designed to be softer. This was the beginning of the end. Shortino went to Quiet Riot to replace the irreplaceable Kevin DuBrow and Parramore McCarty of Warrior came in for a bit in 1987. Warner dropped the act in 1987. Instead the members went on to break up the act and try on short-lived projects that disbanded due to a lack of commitment from all involved. Three members were in Jailhouse, but Derakh did better in the dance/industrial band Orgy. Shortino was not only in Quiet Riot, but also in Badd Boyz (yes, spelt with 2 'd's) as of 1990. Hagar and Jef Warner of Black 'N' Blue were jamming to form a new band in 1989. It did not happen. The upstart Canadian DeRock label issued a live Rough Cutt album that contained several unreleased studio, as well as ten-year-old live, tracks as well. The owner of the label Steve Fazio declared himself an old fan of Rough Cutt. Paul had moved to Germany at this point. Shortino cofounded an imprint called Rock Quarry Records with friend J.T. Garrett in 1997 and was producing music by his son. One of Shortino's many projects, Paul Shortino & The Rhythm Junkies, featured songwriting by his former Rough Cutt band-mates.

Shortino reformed Rough Cutt with only himself as a member from the previous line-ups. This avatar featured Aerosmith guitarist Jimmy Crespo, Quiet Riot bandmate bassist Sean McNabb, Magnitude 9 drummer John Homan and even a keyboardist called James 'J.T.' Garrett. Naturally, this didn't go anywhere and the now christened Paul Shortino's The Cutt managed a demo called Sacred Place (as opposed to Sacred Heart), which appeared in 2002. Aside from McNabb, a couple of other Quiet Riot members made guest appearances. Rough Cutt's albums' line-up gave a one-off concert in California in October 2002. Shortino was in a group called Heaven And Earth (as opposed to Heaven And Hell) next. Anthology was an album of live and demo material in 2008. Shortino found a gig with King Kobra as of 2010.

Predictably, Shortino, Alford, Derakh, Hager, and Thorne reunited in 2016. The band was at the Ride For Ronnie charity event of Wendy Dio in 2017. Wendy Dio was managing Rough Cutt again. The act played on the Monsters Of Rock cruise in 2016 and 2018. The band was supposed to play the same event in 2014, but the members could not come together. Shortino was in Las Vegas doing something called Raiding The Rock Vault. Shortino, Hager and Carlos Cavazo and Sean McNabb of Quiet Riot tried to find a path by calling the act Rough Riot next as Rough Cutt Mark II had disbanded in 2018.

Instead, just a couple of years later the guys drafted former Sarge singer Steven St. James. Guitarist Darren Housholder was added. They had a single called Black Rose. This didn't work out, but simultaneously the threesome of Paul Shortino, Amir Derakh and Matt Thorne reformed Rough Cutt in 2021. This version released a new record (which was actually due several years earlier). There was a song here called Bed Of Black Roses. Hager and Alford were credited with songwriting on Rough Cutt III. Both sides laid trademark claims to the Rough Cutt monicker.

The band's monicker was inspired by the 1980 film, Rough Cut. Derakh runs a studio and restaurants and has designed guitars in the past. Thorne also established his own studio. Following Rough Cutt's initial run Hager had cleaned up with help from rehabilitation, joined a studio set-up of Jeff Warner of Black 'N' Blue before setting up his own IT business. The two were also in Woop & The Count (Hager was the count).

Reviews

ROUGH CUTT - LIVE - DeROCK
Rough Cutt is a L.A. glam band which released two semi-successful albums entitled Rough Cutt and ...Wants You! in 1985 and 1986 respectively before disbanding. The band, however, has a complex history going as far back as the early bronze age. Suffice to say that names like Ratt (whatt’s with all these double T’s?), Dio, Jail House as well as Jake E Lee, Craig Goldy and Stephen Pearcy make an appearance in the storyline. Newly reorganized after a bout of unsuccessful projects, etc. the five-piece is back with this live recording to both remind the crowd of its existence and announce the arrival of a third baby. - Ali "The Metallian"

Interviews

Rough Cutt