RNDM is Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam, Joseph Arthur and Richard Stuverud.
Read Full Bio ↴RNDM is Jeff Ament of Pearl Jam, Joseph Arthur and Richard Stuverud.

The chance encounters of everyday life shape us in more ways than we can imagine. From them spring unexpected opportunities, exciting new directions, burgeoning friendships and, quite often, great music.

Such as is the case with “Acts,” the debut album from RNDM, featuring Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, songwriter Joseph Arthur and drummer Richard Stuverud. As the project’s moniker alludes to, Ament and Arthur met randomly on a June evening in 1999, when Arthur opened a show at the late, great New York club Wetlands on a bill headlined by Ament and Stuverud’s side project Three Fish. At the time, Arthur was drawing acclaim for his solo performances, which employed a looping pedal that made the artist sound as if he was being backed by a full band.

“I’d seen people mess with a looper a little bit, but I’d never seen anybody do what Joe was doing at that time,” Ament recalls. “He made it all so seamless.” Says Arthur, “I remember meeting Jeff and being nervous to talk to him. It’s always nerve-wracking to meet someone in a band that big. But on the other hand, I met a girl there that night that I ended going out with for five years.”

The pair stayed in touch via email over the ensuing years, and reconnected in 2010 after Arthur played a KEXP-sponsored lunchtime gig in Seattle. Ament extended Arthur an invitation to come to his Montana home to jam, but before they could make plans, a song emerged unexpectedly.

“As I was finishing up my last little group of solo songs, there was one called ‘When the Fire Comes’ that just wasn’t working for me vocally,” Ament says. “I kept hearing his voice instead of mine. I sent Joe an email gauging his interest, and two days later, I got the track back from him. At that point, I knew there was something there — some sort of creative connection.”

Ament and Arthur performed “When the Fire Comes” together at Pearl Jam’s 20th anniversary blowout concert last summer at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. A studio version of the song was released as a CD single to commemorate the special event, as well as on Ament’s latest solo album, “While My Heart Beats.”

Which brings us to “Acts,” and the jam session that would eventually birth it. Says Ament, “After PJ 20, Joe told me he’d never really been able to write up-tempo songs, and I said, ‘I have a slew of them. Let’s get together and make an up-tempo record.’” Thus, in April of this year, Arthur finally joined Ament and Stuverud in Montana thinking he’d just be singing over the top of instrumental tracks that had already been completed.

Instead, “I’d told Richard, but not Joe, that I just wanted to be Joe’s band for the first day or two, to see how it went,” Ament says. After some initial jamming on the first night in the studio, Arthur volunteered a song of his called “What You Can’t Control” that the trio bashed into shape within an hour, and RNDM was off and running. Later, Ament delved into his work tapes to find riffs and instrumentals that would form the basis for other new songs.

Things clicked so easily that the trio were half-jokingly discussing touring, designing t-shirts and making costumes within hours of pressing the record button. “We had six tunes after that first night and day. Everybody was just buzzed,” Ament says. “Jeff and Richard have been playing together so long and they have such a great chemistry,” Arthur adds. “To hear the songs filtered through that rock and roll style was really awesome.”

After four days with longtime Pearl Jam engineer Brett Eliason behind the boards, the group had nearly 20 finished tracks, which have been whittled down to 12 for the album “Acts.” Throughout, the songs crackle with a plug-and-play spontaneity. Pearl Jam fans will surely note Ament’s distinctive bass work on concise blasts of rock’n’roll like “Letting Go Of Will,” “Throw You To The Pack” and “Look Out,” while the trio stretches its musical muscles on blissed-out jams like “Hollow Girl” and the soulful, wah-wah guitar-tinged “Williamsburg.”

Elsewhere, the acoustic, harmonica-tinged “Cherries in the Snow” highlights Arthur’s knack for simple, effective songwriting, while the rumbling mid-tempo rocker “Darkness” and the hard-charging opener “Modern Times,” driven by a power-pop Stuverud beat, showcase how the hybrid styles of the three musicians blend together so smoothly.

“Joe’s instincts, just based on the way he plays by himself, are to layer things, especially his voice,” Ament says. “And I kept saying, ‘No, man! We’re a power trio! It’s OK if all you hear during a guitar solo is bass and drums.’ I’ve always been in bands with two guitars, so I’ve always wanted to be in a power trio where you can hear that space behind the voice.”

“All of the songs I contributed to the album existed in some recorded form, but they were stuck in the ‘backlog,’” Arthur says. “To give them a fresh treatment and produce them in a way that almost veers into underproduction was very uplifting.”

With “Acts” now ready for release, RNDM is preparing to hit the road for its first tour, while still savoring the rush of creativity that birthed the album. “It felt like those first bands you’re in, where the first few weeks you ate and slept and breathed the music that you were working on,” Ament says. “All you did was hum those songs until you got to the next practice. I was completely open to whatever was going to happen, and I know Joseph was too.”

Darkness
RNDM Lyrics

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In this dark place where I'm born
Finally all I can do is pray
That everything you give to me
I will find the strength to give away
And if I'm being listened to
My mind is like a cat, born to stray
The skies that have abandoned you
Are falling on your head and turning gray

The body that imprisons you
Will be the dust of skin and bone
And blow across this holy land
As if you were always already gone
And as your spirit drifts away
With a new day coming on
The body that imprisons you
Will be the dust of skin and bone

In this dark place where I'm born (all alone) x3

In this dark place where I'm born
Finally all I can do is pray
That everyting you give to me
I will find the strength to give away
And if I'm being listened to
My mind is like a cat, born to stray
The skies that have abandoned you
Are falling on your head and turning gray
(I'm on my way) x6

In this dark place where I'm born (all alone) x2

And if I'm being and listened to as the night
Becomes the day
The day becomes the night again
And I'm still and always in the way.
My mind is like a rat
Across the floor
Needs a place to stay

In this dark place where I'm born (all alone) x3

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of RNDM's song Darkness depict a soul-searching and introspective journey into the deepest and darkest corners of the human mind. The singer starts by acknowledging that he was born in a dark place, but instead of being defeated by it, he turns to prayer to find the strength to overcome it. He reflects on the fleeting nature of the human body, which will eventually decompose and disappear into the earth, leaving only the spirit behind. This realization teaches him a valuable lesson: to appreciate everything that life has to offer and make the most of it before it's too late.

The lyrics also delve into the nature of the mind, which can be like a cat, born to stray, or like a rat, in need of a place to stay. The singer acknowledges that his thoughts and emotions can be erratic and unpredictable, but he must learn to find a balance between them and use them to his advantage. He also touches on the theme of abandonment, both by others and by the skies themselves, which can turn grey and gloomy. However, he refuses to give up and decides to take control of his destiny, even if it means facing his demons head-on.

Overall, the song Darkness is a powerful and evocative piece of music that asks the listener to confront their fears and doubts and find the strength to overcome them. It's a call to action to live life to the fullest and embrace the darkness, as it can lead to personal growth and self-discovery.

Line by Line Meaning

In this dark place where I'm born
I am feeling lost and in a place where life seems dark and hopeless.

Finally all I can do is pray
I am seeking hope and solace in faith, hoping that it guides me to something better.

That everything you give to me
I am grateful for anything good that comes my way, and I hope to share my fortune with others.

I will find the strength to give away
I hope to find the courage to give back to others and spread positivity in this world.

And if I'm being listened to
I seek comfort in knowing that someone is there listening to me, and that I am not alone.

My mind is like a cat, born to stray
My thoughts are wandering and hard to control, and it's a challenging endeavor to keep them focused and on track.

The skies that have abandoned you
The things that were once a beacon of hope and light in my life, have now disappeared, or lost their charm.

Are falling on your head and turning gray
Things are getting worse, and even the skies above seem to be bearing down on me and making the situation worse.

The body that imprisons you
The physical form that surrounds me, is a hindrance and restricts me from achieving my full potential.

Will be the dust of skin and bone
Eventually, this body will disintegrate and crumble, leaving nothing but skeletal remains.

As if you were always already gone
It seems like my existence is for a short while, after which I would disappear into the vastness of the universe.

And as your spirit drifts away
As I die and my soul departs, to a place where my physical form holds no sway.

With a new day coming on
As the dawn approaches, there's hope for a new beginning.

And if I'm being and listened to as the night Becomes the day The day becomes the night again
As time moves on, the listener is still there paying attention to me, and I hope to find comfort in this fact.

And I'm still and always in the way.
I am still in a dark and lonely place, hindering my progress towards something better.

My mind is like a rat Across the floor Needs a place to stay
My mind is constantly running and searching for a place to rest and find peace, and yet it continually fails to find refuge.

Contributed by Levi T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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