Rough Cutt burst upon the 80's L.A. Metal scene with a unique style of soaring, melodic heavy metal. They were a breath of fresh air from the typical "cookie cutter" style bands of that era. They released two albums, Rough Cutt (1985) and Wants You (1986) Featuring the killer guitar combo of Amir Derakh/Chris "The Count" Hager, The bluesy vocals of Paul Shortino, and the tight rhythm section of Matt Thorr (Bass) and David Alford (Drums).
Paul Shortino left in 87' to replace Kevin Dubrow in Quiet Riot. There were rumors of a replacement vocalist , but they proved false. Amir, Matt, and David left to form Jailhouse with lead singer Danny Simon, and guitarist Michael Raphael. They released an excellent EP on Restless Records in 1989.
Shortino recorded various projects over the following years (Badd Boyz, various solo albums), But not a lot of music was being heard from the other Rough Cutt members. But in 1996, like a bolt out of the blue came the release of Rough Cutt Live. The guys sorted through hundreds of recordings to find the tracks that best captured their live energy vibe. Three new studio tracks were also recorded, House Of Pain, Peyote, and Prowler. The CDs' liner notes promise that a new studio album, Rough Cutt III will be released in the near future.
Rough Cutt, Jailhouse, and high school Picz
