By: Steve Dool
Random acts have often left me speechless and that was the case when RNDM (pronounced random) played the Algonquin Commons Theatre as part of their tour supporting their debut album Acts.
RNDM is the latest project from singer/songwriter Joseph Arthur, drummer Ron Stuverud and bassist Jeff Ament.
Ament is best known for one of his other bands – Pearl Jam – and was also a member of Temple of the Dog.
In a phone interview with the Algonquin Times Ament said the band started to form when he asked Arthur if he would sing the lyrics to a song he wrote– When the fire comes.
“It just turned out really great … that was the birth of the chemistry we thought we might have,” said Ament.
After that Ament invited Joseph to Montana to record a couple of songs but after one day of recording they had six songs and at the end of four days they had 20.
Initially they had no intention of starting a new band; they just wanted to have fun.
“To be honest I don’t really like to tour that much but I love the creative process and I love writing, recording and collaborating,” said Ament.
Ament said the positive feedback he got from the recording made him want to do a proper tour.
“It’s been a blast. If this was my only band I would still be super stoked.”
Gull opened the show with a riveting performance that sounded haunting at times.
Gull is Nathan Rappole– a one man band featuring Rappole playing guitar with his left hand, while drumming with his right hand and singing with a skull mask mounted with a microphone.
Gull’s performance relied heavily on the use of a looping pedal that allowed Rappole to record himself live and re-play it to back himself up. At one point in the show he used the pedal to loop his voice at several different tones , which made it sound like monks humming at a monastery.
“He was really talented but kind of weird,” said concert goer Amanda Abbas.
After Gull’s set it took nearly an hour for RNDM to make it to the stage but when they did the crowd was on its feet.
The band managed to work through their entire debut album seamlessly and looked like they were having fun while doing it.
The sound in the Algonquin Theatre is nothing short of awesome and really did songs like Hollow Girl, Williamsberg and Cherries in the Snow justice.
Concert goer Sarah McRae drove to the show from Cornwall after working a 12-hour shift. She it had a very intimate feel because there were so few people in the crowd and “it was like they were in a garage.”
“They were amazing … they blew my mind,” said McRae.
“I really enjoyed the whole album and thought the songs were pulled off perfectly,” said professional writing student Mathew Thibeault.