Taking Care of Business
by Adam D’arpino
Corporate life and rock music seems like an unlikely combo. But these days, being part of office culture doesn’t always mean swapping in a guitar case for a briefcase. Increasingly, the office is a place where talented musicians come together and start rock bands. Many companies are even encouraging employees to form bands, aware that making music helps workers bond and stay motivated, 
creative, and focused.
Since 2001, the Fortune Battle of the Corporate Bands has celebrated rock ‘n’ rollers with nine-to-fives, and brought the best of the best together to compete at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, every October.
Breaking the Slump
One group fresh off an appearance at the 2009 Battle of the Corporate Bands is Slump, a sextet of Oceanside Glasstile employees from Carlsbad, California. "We started the band almost as a joke,” says Johnny Marckx, 39, bassist and executive vice president at Oceanside. Slump initially played tongue-in-cheek parodies of classic rock songs at customer seminars, with lyrics adapted to relate to their products. For example, instead of “My Sharona,” they sang “My Corona,” due to the numerous recycled Corona bottles used in their glass tile.
Since forming 10 years ago, Slump has expanded its repertoire and played gigs at trade shows and rock clubs around
the country. Marckx feels that the mixed musical tastes of group members help keep the set lists interesting. “The range of styles goes from fun rock ‘n’ roll to reggae to funk,” he says. “We really mix it up.”
Slump’s varied set at the Battle of the Corporate Bands, which included funky covers of The White Stripes and The Black Eyed Peas, helped the group land third place. But for Marckx, the event was more about camaraderie than competition. "Everyone was very supportive of each other,” he says. “I feel like it was everyone getting to live their brief fantasy of being in the spotlight.”
In addition to letting employees “get the yeah, yeahs out,” Marckx feels that the band is an important tool for building
friendship within the office. “Among bandmates there’s a respect and support that goes beyond what you find among
peers in a normal work setting. Playing in a band creates a certain human appreciation,” he says. “Plus, it’s just a
really fun hobby.”
The S.A.P.’s from Johnson & Johnson of Morristown, New Jersey
Slump from Oceanside Glasstile of Carlsbad, California.
Healthy Dose of Rock
Working suit-and-tie jobs is usually viewed as an obstacle for musicians trying to pull a band together. But for
employees of Healthways, a disease management company based in Franklin, Tennessee, the office has been a musical blessing. “They give us a place to play right here and the office assists with expenses to get us to events,” says Director of Finance David Lakey, 55, who sings and plays guitar in corporate band Strat 5. “One day a week we get together for a couple hours to jam, polish, and have fun,” he says.
Lakey notes that Strat 5 has been an important stress reliever for him and his bandmates. “It’s a great way to get together and blow off steam,” he says. Also, because his bandmates bring a wide range of musical tastes to the group, Strat 5 has helped Lakey improve his musical chops and become well-versed in new genres. “To learn how to play country licks was a bit of a stretch for me,” he says. "But it’s been great because I’m building
my skill set.”
For Healthways Reporting Manager Mark Paul, a guitarist and vocalist for the band who’s in his 50s, there are several
parallels between being successful in a band and being successful in the office. "It’s a team effort, and you can always
get better at working with a team,” says Paul. “You realize it’s not all about one person. That’s what makes music sound good, and that’s also what makes teams accomplish goals.”
Strat 5 formed in 2005 when the Healthways’ CEO commissioned the group’s first performance at a company party.
The gig was a success, and the band has since played at other corporate events and health summits, including the World Health Conference in Washington, D.C., and at the 2009 Battle of the Corporate Bands, where they took first place.
Lakey found performing at the Rock Hall for the competition both exhilarating and demanding. “I had to pull
off into a corner and really make sure I was focused,” he says. “But when we hit the stage, we opened up on that first
song and immediately felt comfortable, excited, and confident. There was a gelling
that happened for us.”
Roland’s Stones from Chevron of Pascagoula, Mississippi. (Above Left)
Aeroroot from Frontier Natural Products of Norway, Iowa. (Above Right)
Band on Campus
For corporate bands facing busy work schedules, getting everyone in the same room to rehearse can be a challenge.
This is the case for The S.A.P.’s, a Skillman, New Jersey, group comprised of self-described Johnson & Johnson “IT
geeks.” “It’s very rare to have a practice where everybody’s there, so it ends up being two or three people at a time,” says Bob DeVoe, 47, who sings and plays bass for The S.A.P.’s.
The group tries to get together as much as they can, often reserving practice space on the Johnson & Johnson campus,
but when drummer Matt Meyer was deployed to Los Angeles a year ago, it forced The S.A.P.’s to find a creative
solution to keep the band together. “We had Matt record his drums tracks and send them as MP3s,” says guitarist Dave Tsien, 45. “My iPod became known as ‘Virtual Matt.’”
Like Strat 5, The S.A.P.’s originally formed to perform one corporate gig— an awards banquet for the Johnson &
Johnson IT department—and it kept rolling from there. “They asked us to help break the ice, so we called ourselves ‘The Icebreakers.’ We played ‘Hey Jude’ and pulled if off great,” says vocalist Kim Mulvaney, 47.
Strat 5 from Healthways of Nashville, Tennessee.
Since The S.A.P.’s’ first performance, they’ve played various corporate gigs, including a three-hour performance
at the Ben Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. "That was cool because they brought us over on our own bus,” says Mulvaney.
The S.A.P.’s placed second in the year’s Battle of the Corporate Bands, but for Mulvaney, just being on stage at the Rock Hall was a dream come true. “I don’t think I’ve gotten nervous performing since fourth grade summer music school, but it was really overwhelming,” she says. “I looked out off the stage and thought: holy mackerel, I’m standing on the stage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and I’m singing. There were no words.”
In addition to letting the band members briefly live out their rock star dreams, playing with The S.A.P.’s has allowed them to take their minds off work, nurture their creative sides, and get to know one another in a less formal setting. "You get to explore a side of you that you don’t always get to pay attention to,” says DeVoe. “Having the opportunity to be in a band helps you to be more of a complete person.”
