Post by Erik Rupp on Nov 21, 2009 12:09:55 GMT -5
These guys were a cutt above (most of) the rest in the 80's. Their original Ronnie James Dio produced demo (featuring future Giuffria and DIO guitarist Craig Goldy) was better than any equal number of songs from almost any major label Hard Rock album of the decade.
Their debut album was dark, melodic, almost poppy in places, but always heavy. There was a certain Alice In Chains quality to their California Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, despite some of the glam-ish trappings.
Lead singer Paul Shortino was a big fan of blues based Rock, and vocally could be referred to as the male version of Janis Joplin (who was one of his favorite singers).
It was that combination of styles that helped Rough Cutt to stand out in a very crowded field. Unfortunately, Warner Brothers did very little to promote the band, and dropped them after their 2nd album (Rough Cutt Wants You).
But for a 4 year span this was a fantastic group.
Their debut album was dark, melodic, almost poppy in places, but always heavy. There was a certain Alice In Chains quality to their California Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, despite some of the glam-ish trappings.
Lead singer Paul Shortino was a big fan of blues based Rock, and vocally could be referred to as the male version of Janis Joplin (who was one of his favorite singers).
It was that combination of styles that helped Rough Cutt to stand out in a very crowded field. Unfortunately, Warner Brothers did very little to promote the band, and dropped them after their 2nd album (Rough Cutt Wants You).
But for a 4 year span this was a fantastic group.