Buoyancy » Events

Hard & Heavy

The story of how I became one of the members of the heavy metal - or rather rock - band "RumStoned". In fact what I want to tell is the story of a lovely, successful corporate event that was thematic, carefully planned, interactive - with almost everyone participating, including from all regional offices - and that generated a great deal of positive emotion.

It all started with a themed brief and the task for each regional office to assemble a music band, come up with a name, and choose a heavy metal track. This was followed by developing a visual identity, creating a logo and a fan page on social media, as well as a promotional campaign for one's own band. The next step - recording the song in a sound studio, so that on the big day one could take the stage and give a more or less professional performance.

We formed a band of 6 people from all three Baltic states - Latvia (Inga & Vladimirs), Lithuania (Loreta & Povilas), and Estonia (Laura & Martin). As for which heavy metal band to cover or parody, there was little debate - unequivocally my German pop-rock favourite, Rammstein. The choice of song, however, did spark some discussion. Initially the idea was to stage "Engel", but later the majority leaned towards "Moskau". The latter was obliging in its subject matter (Moscow - the city hosting the event), its alternating lyrics in German and Russian, and its mix of female and male voices.

Это песня о самом прекрасном городе в мире. Москва!

Diese Stadt ist eine Dirne
Hat rote Flecken auf der Stirn
Ihre Zähne sind aus Gold
Sie ist fett und doch so hold
Ihr Mund fällt mir zu Tale
Wenn ich sie dafür bezahle
Sie zieht sich aus doch nur für Geld
Die Stadt die mich in Atem hält

Moskau
Раз, два, три!
Moskau
Посмотри!
Пионеры там идут,
песни Ленину поют.

Sie ist alt und trotzdem schön
Ich kann ihr nicht widerstehen
не могу устоять

Pudert sich die alte Haut
Hat sich die Brüste neu gebaut
построила вновь

Sie macht mich geil ich leide Qualen
Sie tanzt für mich ich muss bezahlen
я должен платить

Sie schläft mit mir doch nur für Geld
Ist doch die schönste Stadt der Welt

Moskau
Раз, два, три!
Moskau
Посмотри!
Пионеры там идут,
песни Ленину поют.
Москва!
Поеxали Москва!
Раз, два, три!

Ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst
когда ты ночью крепко спишь
Ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst
когда ты предо мной лежишь
Ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst
когда со мною говоришь
Ich sehe was, das siehst du nie

Раз, два, три!
Moskau
Раз, два, три!
Moskau
Посмотри!
Пионеры там идут,
песни Ленину поют.

At the beginning of May, all the members of the newly founded band "RumStoned", after just one evening's rehearsal, took a confident step to the Krievkalns recording studio in Riga to each individually record their part of the lyrics. Once again, great thanks to Kristaps for the excellent vocal levelling, assembling, and mixing, after which a professional recording was ready. Everyone was more than satisfied, as we had initially been worried about our vocal abilities - none of us is a singer.

Then of course we had to agree on a stage image and costumes - specially ordered from online shops, bought, or borrowed. Everyone had to be dressed in black with possible white and devilishly red accents. For our band's fans we ordered T-shirts with the "RumStoned" logo, to identify our own people in a crowd of more than 300 event participants. In short, everyone involved prepared with complete seriousness for the event that was to take place on 3 June in Moscow at club "P!PL".

When the day arrived, at 13:00 we boarded a minibus that took us from hotel "Максима Заря" to the club. There, make-up application, dressing, and dress rehearsals on stage were already in full swing. Groups had gathered from Kyiv, Voronezh, Rostov, Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Yekaterinburg, and the Baltic states.

The changing rooms were filled with considerable bustle and noise, which initially caused some frustration, but later, as we settled in and looked around the club, I concluded that everything had been thought through here. From professional make-up artists who applied the appropriate make-up for each group's performance, right down to the pleasing little details the company had arranged for its employees - metal-themed accessories, scarves with themed prints, flags, and the like. Everything was created to foster a sense of belonging and pride in one's company. It should be added that all drinks, cocktails, and snacks were also on the company's tab.

The event was closed format - only company employees and a few invited artists, lighting and sound technicians, security, as well as professional music event host Mike Aisman participated. The equipment and sound were superb, as at a real rock festival. To maintain the atmosphere, motorbikes with bikers rode into the hall carrying the HH flag. On one of the bikes, wearing a metal helmet, sat HeadHunter's group president Yuri Virovets himself. A brief address, and the performances began. Between songs: arm-wrestling competitions, awards for the best, fan competitions in terms of cheering volume (there was even a special device - a decibel meter).

At the end of the event, band "RumStoned" took to the stage and, naturally, raised a wave of ovations in the hall. Since the official performance video recording is still in the works, in the meantime enjoy the mix I put together from photo moments and our band's recorded single!

For a week now, the majority of the event's participants have been living in an uplifted mood, commenting on social media and sharing their impressions. It must be said, on the whole a very positive, emotional event - one that fosters employee loyalty and unites the work collective.

RumStoned fan page - http://www.facebook.com/rumstoned

Authors of the photographs seen in the article: iinuu and Laura