Random Encounter (band)
Encyclopedia
Random Encounter is an energetic independent Russian-American video game music cover/inspired band from Orlando
, Florida
that features an accordion as the lead instrument. Dedicated to the creation and performance of high energy music, they are known for playing songs based on video games and for their covers of songs from popular
television shows and movies.
Random Encounter has gained a fanatical following through the Florida nerd-music scene and by becoming a part of the world's first video game themed band tour, Player Vs Performer . They have performed at venues like Nerdapalooza
, Gencon, Otakon
, The Hard Rock Live (Orlando), led a parade of zombies , and have played in every major city on the east coast. Random Encounter frequently performs throughout the Southeast United States and is currently listed on the MAGfest
website. Random Encounter was also recently selected as the Best Folk Act in Central Florida. Badassoftheweek.com described Random Encounter as being "like all the awesomeness of playing Castlevania on the NES in Port Royale in the 17th century without all the syphilis or cutlass wounds."
Random Encounter has also performed with guest musicians at their live shows:
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
that features an accordion as the lead instrument. Dedicated to the creation and performance of high energy music, they are known for playing songs based on video games and for their covers of songs from popular
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
television shows and movies.
History / About the band
Random Encounter was formed from a literal series of random encounters and lives up to their name by switching tempo, time signature, and even genre between songs. Initially formed by Careless, Helios, Vanek and Luck in 2005, Random Encounter was created because of a mutual interest in video game music. While a few incarnations of the band have existed over the years, the new Random Encounter (formed in September 2010, consisting of all new members) transformed the band into an energetic act with the goal of being as much fun to watch as they are to listen to. Drawing from its roots as a video game cover band, Random Encounter progressed to creating original music inspired by video game culture. The original works of Random Encounter are strongly inspired by songs and stories from video games, often pulling from video games like Metroid, Diablo, and The Legend of Zelda. The cover songs Random Encounter plays have generally been modified for a rock environment and during live performances songs are grouped together into melodies by series. In addition to being an eclectic musical group Random Encounter is also well known for their high-energy and visual antics at their live shows. They are also known for their frequent use of guest musicians.Random Encounter has gained a fanatical following through the Florida nerd-music scene and by becoming a part of the world's first video game themed band tour, Player Vs Performer . They have performed at venues like Nerdapalooza
Nerdapalooza
Nerdapalooza is an annual music festival, the first of its kind to invite all genres of the nerd music movement under one roof, including nerd rock, nerdcore hip hop, chiptunes, and video game music. The idea for Nerdapalooza was conceived by John "hex" Carter, who hosted a nerdy music themed radio...
, Gencon, Otakon
Otakon
Otakon is a fan convention in the United States focusing on East Asian popular culture and its fandom. The name is a portmanteau derived from convention and the Japanese word otaku...
, The Hard Rock Live (Orlando), led a parade of zombies , and have played in every major city on the east coast. Random Encounter frequently performs throughout the Southeast United States and is currently listed on the MAGfest
MAGFest
MAGFest is an annual convention held in Virginia that celebrates video games and video game music, as well as their surrounding culture...
website. Random Encounter was also recently selected as the Best Folk Act in Central Florida. Badassoftheweek.com described Random Encounter as being "like all the awesomeness of playing Castlevania on the NES in Port Royale in the 17th century without all the syphilis or cutlass wounds."
Current lineup
The band members of Random Encounter prefer not to go by their real names, and instead have adopted nicknames based on their online gamer tags.- Careless - accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, vocals, GlockenspielGlockenspielA glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone... - Rook - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Konami - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Moose - Drums
- Kit - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
Previous members
- Helios - keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- AdamOne - drums
- Luck - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Vanek - EuphoniumEuphoniumThe euphonium is a conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument. It derives its name from the Greek word euphonos, meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced"...
- Gigsley - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Niko - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Destiny - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Hiro - TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- DemonLord - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Rasputan - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Ven - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Legolas - drum machineDrum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
Random Encounter has also performed with guest musicians at their live shows:
- brentalfloss - vocals
- Juja - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Kofka - guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Select Start
- Mr. Lee - ViolinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
Discography
- Neo Symbiance EP - ShinRa Electric Records (2006)
- Random Encounter (Self Titled) (Demo LP) - ShinRa Electric Records (2010)
- Unavenged (LP) - ShinRa Electric Records (2011)