Kaizers Orchestra is a Norwegian alternative rock group. Owing to their energetic live concerts and critically praised recordings, they are among the most popular and acclaimed musical acts in their homeland, and have also gained international renown; they are among the first Norwegian artists (outside the genre of black metal) to gain international recognition and popularity while singing in their native language.
Thirsty Merc is an Australian rock band formed in 2002 in Sydney, Australia. The band consists of Rai Thistlethwayte (vocals/guitar/keyboards), Phil Stack (bass guitar), Karl Robertson (drums), and Matt Smith (guitarist). Thirsty Merc have released one EP entitled First Work, and 3 studio albums; Thirsty Merc, Slideshows, and Mousetrap Heart. The band has sold over 200,000 albums, has toured extensively around Australia, and have received heavy airplay in Australia on an impressive number of songs.
In late 2004, Tobias Weinreich (Bass), Sebastian Scherrer (Keyboards), Marco Schomas (Vocals) and Simon Schillinger (Guitar) founded Finsterforst. They were still seeking more members however, so instead concentrated purely on songwriting. As a result, they created many songs without being able to perform them until later on. In spring 2005 the band decided to introduce an accordion player (Johannes Joseph) into the mix, a choice which has helped to shape their unique sound.