Random Encounter is an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

American

video game music Video game music (or VGM) is the soundtrack that accompanies video games. Early video game music was once limited to sounds of early sound chips, such as programmable sound generators (PSG) or FM synthesis chips. These limitations have led to ...

cover/inspired band from

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures rele ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

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 Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

television shows A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

and

movies A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

History

Random Encounter was formed from a literal series of random encounters in 2005 when two friends discovered a mutual interest in video game music. While a few incarnations of the band have existed over the years, the group most well known as Random Encounter formed in September 2010 (consisting of all new members) and 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 began to create original music inspired by video game culture. These originals are strongly inspired by songs and stories from video games, often pulling from video games like Metroid, Dead Space, and the Legend of Zelda, and aim to condense the experience of a video game into a 3-4 minute song. The cover songs Random Encounter plays are arranged for a rock environment and during live performances songs are often grouped together into melodies by series. Random Encounter is also well known for their high energy and visual antics at their live shows and for their frequent use of guest musicians. In a 2012 interview with Powet TV Random Encounter "admitted" that their musical endeavors were a cover for their affiliation with the occult-hunting branch of the Russian military. Interviews, stage banter, and their official website from 2009-2012 also suggested that the fictitious mission of the band, and the majority of the band's back story revolved around the elimination of paranormal creatures such as Werewolves, Vampires, Zombies, and Jerks, however the band ceased making this claim in mid-2012 after too many of their fans were confused and genuinely believed them to be from Russia. Random Encounter has gained a fanatical following throughout the Florida nerd-music scene and throughout the east coast 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 was an annual nerd music and arts festival in Orlando, Florida, United States, the first of its kind to invite all genres of the nerd music movement under one roof, including geek rock, nerdcore, chiptune, and video game music. The ...

MAGFest MAGFest (Music and Gaming Festival, originally the Mid-Atlantic Gaming Festival) is an annual festival held in the Washington metropolitan area that celebrates video games and video game music, as well as their surrounding culture. MAGFest's pri ...

, Gencon,

Otakon Otakon ( ) is an annual three-day anime convention held during July/August. It stands for Otaku Convention. From 1999 to 2016, it took place at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland's Inner Harbor district; in 2017, it moved to ...

, SXSW, the Hard Rock Live (Orlando), led a parade of zombies, and have played in practically every major city on the east coast. Random Encounter still frequently performs throughout the Southeast United States. Notably, Random Encounter was selected as the Best Rock Act in Central Florida for 2013, the Best Indie Act in Central Florida for 2012, and the Best Folk Act in Central Florida for 2011. 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." During the winter of 2014, Random Encounter went on a 10-day tour of Europe with Video Games Live, traveling through the UK, France, Finland, Sweden, and Spain. Later that same year Random Encounter composed music for the video game, Super Galaxy Squadron. In 2016 the band announced on their social media that it would be on an indefinite hiatus and in a 2017 radio interview they said they had no plans to perform again or release new albums after Lost Frequency. Random Encounter has performed with such acts as

They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a d ...

Nobuo Uematsu is a Japanese composer and keyboardist best known for his contributions to the ''Final Fantasy'' video game series by Square Enix. A self-taught musician, he began playing the piano at the age of twelve, with English singer-songwriter Elton Jo ...

's band the Earthbound Papas,

Less than Jake Less Than Jake is an American ska punk band from Gainesville, Florida, formed in 1992. The band consists of Chris DeMakes (guitars, vocals), Roger Lima (bass, vocals), Matt Yonker (drums), Buddy Schaub (trombone), and Peter "JR" Wasilewski (saxoph ...

, Andrew WK,

Voltaire (musician) Aurelio Voltaire Hernández (born January 25, 1967), professionally known as Aurelio Voltaire or simply as Voltaire, is a Cuban-American musician, singer, and composer. His professional name is Voltaire, his given middle-name. Name In the past, ...

Steam Powered Giraffe Steam Powered Giraffe is an American musical project formed in San Diego in 2008, self-described as "a musical act that combines robot pantomime, puppetry, ballet, comedy, projections, and music". Created and led by twins David Michael Bennett an ...

, Vivid, as a part of

Video Games Live Video Games Live (VGL) is a concert series created by Tommy Tallarico and originally founded by Tallarico and Jack Wall. The concerts consist of segments of video game music performed by a live orchestra with video footage and synchronized light ...

, and been a TEDxSarasota Speaker and Performer.

Band members

Most recent 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. *Rook -

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*Konami -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*Moose -

Drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

*Kit -

*Jackson -

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

Previous members

* Careless -

Glockenspiel The glockenspiel ( or , : bells and : set) or bells is a percussion instrument consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars arranged in a keyboard layout. This makes the glockenspiel a type of metallophone, similar to the vibraphone. The glo ...

*Helios -

*AdamOne -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

*Luck -

*Vanek -

Euphonium The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" ...

*Gigsley -

*Niko -

*Destiny -

*Hiro -

Trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

*DemonLord -

*Rasputan -

*Ven -

*Legolas - drum machine
Random Encounter has also performed with (live): *

brentalfloss Brent Black (born April 12, 1984), also known as brentalfloss, is a musician who adds lyrics to classic video game titles, such as ''Punch-Out!!'', ''Mega Man 2'', ''Super Mario 3D World'', and ''Donkey Kong Country''. He also has original songs ...

*Juja -

*Under Polaris -

*Select Start (the full band) *Lauren "The Flute" Liebowitz -

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

*The Descendants of Erdrick (the full band in 2012) *Dr. Wily of

The NESkimos The NESkimos is an independent American video game music cover band from St. Augustine, Florida. It is known for songs based on video game music, and covers of songs from popular television shows and movies. The name is a portmanteau combinin ...

*Steffeny "Steffo" Messinger -

*MC Wreckshin -

- (Orchestra) *

Tommy Tallarico Tommy Tallarico (born Thomas Andrew Tallarico; February 18, 1968) is an American video game music composer, musician, sound designer, television personality, live show creative director and producer. He and his company, Tommy Tallarico Studios ...

*Craig Turley Orchestra - (Orchestra) *Santaluces Choir - (Choir) *Stetson Orchestra - (Orchestra) *

Gerard Marino Gerard Kendrick Marino (born April 1, 1968) is a film and video game score composer, most notably contributing heavily to the ''God of War'' series.guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

*The Sexy Sax Man -

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

*Richard DeGrey -

*Professor Shyguy -

Stemage Grant Henry (born April 3, 1979), better known by his stage name Stemage, is an American guitarist and composer. He is known for his video game and television soundtracks, including Cartoon Network's animated series ''Steven Universe''. He is al ...

of Metroid Metal -

*Hungarian Virtuosi Orchestra - (Orchestra) *

Riva Taylor Rebecca Jane Grosvenor Taylor known professionally as Riva Taylor is an English singer, songwriter and performer. Career The Riva Taylor era began in 2014 when Taylor featured as a guest artist on the Video Games Live World Tour, performing h ...

Vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

*Vantaan Viihdeorkesteri Orchestra - (Orchestra) *Stockholm Concert Orchestra - (Orchestra) *

Orquesta Nacional de España The Orquesta Nacional de España (Spanish National Orchestra) is a symphonic orchestra that is based in Madrid, Spain. History Although the orchestra originated as of 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, it was legally founded in 1940, by the mergin ...

- (Orchestra)

Discography

*''Neo Symbiance (EP)'' - ShinRa Electric Records (2006) *''Random Encounter (Self Titled) (Demo LP)'' - ShinRa Electric Records (2010) *'' Unavenged'' - ShinRa Electric Records (2011) *''72 Hours in The Ocean with your Mother (Single)'' - ShinRa Electric Records (2012) *''Dead Labs (Single)'' - ShinRa Electric Records (2013) *''

Let Me Tell You a Story ''Let Me Tell You a Story'' is the second album by American band Random Encounter released September 21, 2013. The album consists of 18 songs, contemporary rock arrangements of the music from various video game soundtracks. This represents a fan- ...

'' - ShinRa Electric Records (2013) *''The Big Blue LP (LP)'' - ShinRa Electric Records (2014) *''Super Galaxy Squadron original Soundtrack'' - ShinRa Electric Records (2015) *''Lost Frequency'' - ShinRa Electric Records (2017)

References

2011 Electronic Press Kit
at Sonicbids

External links

Official Random Encounter WebsiteRandom Encounter facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Random Encounter Video game music cover bands Nintendocore musical groups Musical groups from Orlando, Florida Musical groups established in 2005 Musical groups disestablished in 2017 Indie rock musical groups from Florida