The second annual Battle of the Bosses, Halloween Edition, took place at Mulligans on the Blue in Wailea on Monday, October 28th. The Battle of the Bosses is an all-out music competition where leaders of major companies take the stage with a band of talented employees from all corners of their businesses, rock out for a live audience, and raise money for Imua Family Services, Maui County’s largest early childhood development provider. The event features rock star bosses and their teams who, along with the SongDivision team, strongly believe in Imua’s mission — To Empower children and their families to reach their full potential.
The event was conceived and created by SongDivision, which works with Fortune 500 companies in over 30 countries, using music to reinforce corporate values, strengthen company relationships and build meaningful brands.
This year’s competition included three teams going head to head in an all-out rock band showdown that did not disappoint. Returning were the 2018 Battle of the Bosses champions, Four Seasons Maui Resort & Spa. Also joining this year’s competition were DeSilva Meeting Consultants and SB Building and Design.
SB Building and Designs’ band, ‘Living Room Legends’, opened the competition with a soulful rendition of ‘Tennessee Whiskey’ by Chris Stapleton. Next up was ‘DeSilva Linings’ from DeSilva Meeting Consultants who offered up ‘Mountain Song’ by Jane’s Addiction as well as an original song written by the band! Last up was Four Seasons Maui Resort & Spa’s band, ‘Festering Wednesday’, with five of the members of the band dressed as Uncle Fester and the lead singer dressed as Wednesday from the Addams Family. Their unique cover of ‘Sweet Dreams Are Made of This’ by the Eurhythmics was a definite crowd-pleaser.
The competition was judged by Grammy Award winner and Ha’hoku Hanohano audio engineer, Eric Helmkamp, who has worked with rock legends such as Metallica, The Tragically Hip and Motley Crue.
It was a fierce competition as all three bands played 3 songs each, showing their rock & roll skills and keeping the audience dancing throughout the evening — there was even a conga line during the Four Seasons’ performance that snaked through dance floor! The event included audience participation with SongDivision’s Lip Sync Battle and additional live performances by Felicity Raugust of HD Premier, Tom Baum of SongDivision and Dean Wong of Imua Family.
Given the caliber of the performances, it was a tough call for Judge Eric Helmkamp. In the end, ‘DeSilva Linings’ of DeSilva Meeting Consultants were awarded the 2019 Battle of the Bosses gold record!
The Battle of the Bosses concept came from the idea that many business leaders have a connection with music and also seek opportunities to give back in ways more meaningful than simply writing a check.
★★★★★
“We have always found that there is musical talent within every company, and from our experience, we know that there are plenty of business leaders who are passionate about music. We also recognize that companies care deeply about helping those in need and seek ways to encourage employee participation in these causes.” Andy Sharpe, CEO, SongDivision
★★★★★
“I have always believed that if you want to get different results you have to step out on a limb and do something different! What could be more different for Maui’s top executives than taking the stage in a rock band format while team building with their company and supporting Imua Family Services? Everybody wins – or should I say everybody ROCKS!” Dean Wong, Executive Director, Imua Family Services