Russell Crowe jams with Great Big Sea

Fans of Canadian folk-rockers Great Big Sea got an unexpected treat during the band’s performance at Los Angeles’ House of Blues last week when Aussie actor Russell Crowe — himself a frontman for the somewhat inconsistent rock outfit Thirty Odd Foot of Grunts — took the stage. According to the band’s rep, Crowe met the guys four years ago in Toronto, and they’ve since become good friends — so much so that Crowe co-wrote a song (“Company of Fools”) on Great Big Sea’s most recent album, the gold-certified Fortune’s Favour. Barely recognizable with a beard and long, below-the-shoulder hair, Crowe joined his pals for “Folsom Prison Blues,” a Johnny Cash classic that he grew up on, Crowe told the crowd before strapping on an acoustic guitar and doing his best Eddie Vedder hair-flip. (Skip one minute ahead on the video below to see for yourself.)