It is a windy afternoon over the factory halls in Rüsselsheim as the three musicians unpack their instruments on the roof of the K40 factory building. Clouds race across the sky, the Opel Blitz can be seen on the horizon, and behind it the Taunus mountain range. For their current music video, the “Roof Rabbits” chose a special location, a reminiscence of their band name – Roof Rabbits.
Rico “Rock” Bozenhard on bass and vocals, Jonas “Jones” Eisenbraun on guitar, Andreas “Andy” Weis on drums – three men, three paths in life, one passion. Jonas develops car seats at Opel. Rico, an electrician for an external energy supplier, has known the factory site for 30 years. Andy is an IT specialist from Bauschheim. All three of them have late careers as musicians.
“We wanted to create something special with the video that we would still be proud of in twenty years.”
– Guitarist Jonas Eisenbraun –
In the summer of 2010, at a barbecue, the idea arose to make up for a childhood dream – to form a band. Fifteen years later, the “Roof Rabbits” are an integral part of the regional rock scene. The first gig in March 2012: four songs, a birthday, a lot of euphoria. First cover versions, then our own pieces. The first CD followed in 2014 in the Offenbach studio “Kummune2010”. The sound: somewhere between German rock, alternative and blues – with the riffs of the 70s and the grunge spirit of the 90s.
With the EP Shadows from 2020, the Roof Rabbits showed that they can do more than just volume. Songs like “SUV”, “Say”, “Im Regen” and “Tauch ein” are honest, clear, powerful. And hey, your new work should be another highlight. “We wanted to create something that we would still be proud of in twenty years,” says Jonas Eisenbraun. The music video: a milestone in the band’s history. The musicians developed scenes, wrote a storybook and recruited the Rüsselsheim artist Sam Khayari to direct. Under his leadership, the roof of Hall K40 became a stage. They chose the Hochbunker as their second location – the place they used as a rehearsal room until 2015.
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Scenes from the cult film Iron Sky were once shot in the bunker – a science fiction satire from 2012 in which Nazis hide on the moon and plan world domination from there. “The film crew left behind some of the props from back then,” says Jonas Eisenbraun.” One of them, a futuristic control panel, plays a central role in the video. Hey tells the story of a relationship that begins to falter: a couple – played by Opel employee Tobias Treber and actress Christin Wehner – who love each other, argue, and fall silent. Three scientists, portrayed by the musicians, observe what is happening and control the atmosphere of the argument. A metaphor for patterns that shape long relationships: silence instead of talking, accusations instead of understanding.
Hey… so many hours hereHey… you don’t say a word to meHey… tell me, what’s going onHey… maybe for the last time
– Lyrics from “Hey” –
A chalk cart draws the band’s logo. Standing in front of the camera in the gray coat of the Opel master: Hans-Peter Gimbel, once an Opel employee himself.
Director Sam Khayari in the bunker: The control panel in the foreground is a remnant of a film shoot for the science fiction satire Iron Sky.
A hare above the roofs: the band logo, drawn in chalk on the factory roof.
Scene from the bunker with Tobias Treber and Christin Wehner.
Volker Dziemballa sends the drone into the sky to take aerial photos.
The video is finished – edited and produced. Above the roofs of the factory and in the rough charm of the bunker, the musicians found two locations with a special atmosphere. “The result is fascinating images and scenes full of atmosphere,” says Jonas Eisenbraun. “Our special thanks go to Frank Schiwy and Okay Kocak,” emphasizes the guitarist. The heads of plant security and the plant fire department made access to the bunker and the roof of hall K40 possible.
The Roof Rabbits can regularly be seen live at Opel events – most recently at the Rüsselsheim factory festival in May, and next year in Kaiserslautern. Even off stage, music remains their topic: At Radio Rüsselsheim, Rico Bozenhard and Jonas Eisenbraun create their own show – with stories and guests from the rock scene. Last in front of the microphone: the Melvins, US alternative metal from New York City.
Atmospheric backdrop: Director Sam Khayari (left) with the protagonists who stood in front of the camera for the music video.
The official release party for Hey will take place in December at the Rüsselsheim cultural club “Das Rind”. An evening for friends, fans and the many supporters who made the video possible. An evening with rock from the heart of the Motorcity Rüsselsheim – honest, handmade, uncompromising and with a lot of passion.
November 2025
Photos: Opel/Andreas Liebschner, Roof Rabbits