Rough Cutt - History

History

The first Rough Cutt lineup featured vocalist Paul Shortino, drummer Dave Alford, guitarist Jake E. Lee, keyboardist Claude Schnell, and bassist Joey Cristofanilli. Both Lee and Alford had also previously been in another Los Angeles band, Ratt. Both Schnell and Cristofanilli had previously been in the band Magic.

Two other former Ratt members, guitarist Chris Hager and bassist Matt Thorne aka Matt Thorr (who replaced Cristofanilli) would also soon join Rough Cutt. After his departure, Cristofanilli temporarily joined Ratt himself, later joining forces with members of the band Sin who went on to release the album Made In Heaven under the name Jag Wire in 1985.

Lee left Rough Cutt in 1982, very briefly played in the band Dio, and then replaced the deceased Randy Rhoads as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist. Lee in turn was replaced by Craig Goldy, formerly of the San Diego 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 and featuring Jake E Lee on guitar, to the compilation album “L.A's Hottest Unsigned Bands,” issued in 1983. Another Dio-produced track, “Try A Little Harder”, with Goldy on guitar featured on the KLOS radio sponsored “Rock to Riches” compilation, released later on in 1983. Goldy soon left the band, and went on to play in Giuffria, and later in Dio’s band. Goldy was replaced by Amir Derakh, another San Diego band alumnus.

With the lineup solidified with Shortino, Alford, Derakh, Hager, and Thorne, Rough Cutt was signed to Warner Bros. Records in 1984 and recorded two albums Rough Cutt produced by Tom Allom and 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. He was briefly replaced by Parramore McCarty of Warrior before Rough Cutt called it quits. 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 1989. 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, keyboardist J.T Garrett, Shortino's former Quiet Riot bandmate bassist Sean McNabb, and Magnitude 9 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.) . The band planned on recording a studio album titled Rough Cutt III, but instead shortened its name to simply The Cutt.

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

In 2008, Deadline Records issued the double disc Anthology consisting of pre- and post- Warner Bros. era demos and a live set recorded in Syracuse, New York in 1985.