Check out an e-card for the Kaizers Orchestra DVD: http://www.universal-rock.de/_artists/kaizers/ecard/

Check out a video of Kaizers Orchestra playing the song "Blitzregn Baby" live: http://www.kaizers.no/articles/4/18/document103.ehtml

New European tourdates for Kaizers Orchestra:

03/09 - Kesselhaus, Berlin (GER)
03/10 - Grunspan, Hamburg (GER)
03/11 - Patronaat, Haarlem (HOL)
03/12 - Effenaar, Eindhoven (HOL)
03/13 - Dornrosje, Nijmegen (HOL)
03/14 - Stollwerk, Köln (GER)
03/15 - AB Club, Bruxelles (BEL)
03/16 - Batschkap, Frankfurt (GER)
03/17 - Alter Feuerwache, Mannheim (GER)
03/18 - Orpheum, Graz (AUS)
03/19 - Bierhubeli, Bern (SWI)
03/21 - Backstage, München (GER)
03/22 - Star Club, Dresden (GER)
03/23 - Stars, Vordingborg (DK)
03/24 - Kägelbanan, Stockholm (SWE)

The upcoming Kaizers Orchestra double-live album/DVD "Live at Vega" has been tentatively set for an April 7 release.

The winners of Norway's Alarm awards:

Alarmpris: Sofian
Rock: Madrugada - The Deep End
Pop: Ane Brun - A Temporary Dive
Metal: El Caco - The Search
Hip-hop/rap: Paperboys - When Worlds Collide
Newcomer: Mira Craig
Club: Röyksopp - The Understanding
Jazz: Shining - In the Kingdom Of Kitsch You Will Be A Monster
Post-rock/electronica: Cloroform - Cracked Wide Open
Song: Madrugada - The Kids Are On High Street
Live: Purified In Blood
Video: Cast
Fan: Henning Klokkeraasen/Kaizers Orchestra

Kaizers Orchestra guitarist Geir Zahl will be going into the studio later this month to begin work on his debut solo album.

New European tourdates for Kaizers Orchestra:

03/09 - Postbahnhof, Berlin (GER)
03/10 - Grunspan, Hamburg (GER)
03/11 - Patronaat, Haarlem (HOL)
03/12 - Effenaar, Eindhoven (HOL)
03/13 - tbc, Doornrosje (HOL)
03/14 - Stollwerk, Köln (GER)
03/15 - AB Club, Bruxelles (BEL)
03/16 - Batschkap, Frankfurt (GER)
03/17 - Alter Feuerwache, Mannheim (GER)
03/18 - Orpheum, Graz (AUS)
03/19 - Bierhubeli, Bern (SWI)
03/21 - Backstage, München (GER)
03/22 - Star Club, Dresden (GER)
03/23 - Vega, Copenhagen (DK)
03/24 - tbc, Stockholm (SWE)
03/25 - tbc, Uppsala (SWE)

Kaizers Orchestra replies to accusations of homophobia: http://www.kaizers.no/articles/4/18/document89.ehtml (in Norwegian)
Anyone care to translate?

The nominees for this year's Alarm awards, the alternative to the Spellemansprisen (Norway's version of the Grammy):

Rock:
Richochets - Isolation
Madrugada - The Deep End
Serena-Maneesh - Serena-Maneesh
JR Ewing - Maelstrom
My Midnight Creeps - My Midnight Creeps

Pop:
Ane Brun - A Temporary Dive
Loch Ness Mouse - 11-22
Maria Mena - Apparently Unaffected
Anja Garbarek - Briefly Shaking
Sofian - This Is Sofian

Metal:
Stonegard - Arrows
Grimfist - 10 Steps To Hell
El Caco - The Search
Scum - Gospel For The Sick
Solefald - Red For Fire

Hip-hop:
Paperboys - When Worlds Collide
Cast - Problembarn
Onkl P - Det kunne vært deg
Warlocks - The Never Ending Story
Tommy Tee - Tommy Tycker Om Mej

Free music/electronica:
Jaga Jazzist - What We Must
Cloroform - Cracked Wide Open
Toy - Toy
Supersilent - 7
Alog - Miniatures

Club:
Røyksopp - The Understanding
Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas - Lindtrøm & Prins Thomas
Datarock - Datarock Datarock
Annie - DJ Kicks
Future Prophecies - Warlords Rising

Jazz:
Kornstad/Wiik - Eight Tunes We Like
Shining - In The Kingdom Of Kitch
The Thing - Live At Blå
Tord Gustavsen Trio - The Ground
Atomic - Bikini Tapes

Song:
Madrugada - The Kids Are On High Street
Röyksopp - What Else Is There
Ane Brun - My Lover Will Go
Superfamily - Taxi Dancing
Mira Craig - Boogieman

Live:
Madrugada
Turbonegro
Purified in Blood
Richochets
Kaizers Orchestra

Newcomer of the year:
My Midnight Creeps
Mira Craig
Sofian
Superfamily
Animal Alpha

Vote for your favorites here: http://www.alarmprisen.no/

Kaizers Orchestra are homophobes? Check out what JR Ewing has to say on the matter: http://www.thejrewing.com/ (scroll down)

Kaizers Orchestra
Maestro
Farmen Records/Universal

Well, after reading about Kaizers Orchestra for two years and desperately wanting to hear them, I finally had the opportunity to immerse myself in their third CD, "Maestro". And I'm pretty impressed overall. The band sings everything in their native Norwegian, which makes them pretty unique right there. But the way lead vocalist Janove Sjakalen enunciates and emotes, it's really not so crucial to know the words; the essence comes across, believe me. This band has a fire and energy that make for compelling music, even if you have to be pretty open-minded to follow the crazy zigs and zags of their sound. They have their own mutant brew: one minute you're hearing a kind of Eastern European traditional folk, the next, cinematic spaghetti western sounds, the next a crazy, funky Ween-style cartoonish exuberance. And then there's some almost straightforward Tin Pan Alley songcraft, although always adorned with odd production quirks. If the lyrics were in English, the indie rock rags would be all over Kaizers; that may happen anyway if enough open-minded listeners give this eccentric but purposeful sound a chance.
- Kevin Renick

Kaizers Orchestra has given their website a slightly updated look: http://www.kaizers.no/

Norwegian hardcore act Jeroan Drive has signed with Earache subsidiary Codebreaker Records. The band entered the studio at the end of August with engineer Jostein Steinsland Hauge (Ephemera, Kaizers Orchestra) to record their debut full-length album for what I would imagine to be an early 2006 release.

The latest top 10 Norwegian album chart:

01. Raga Rockers - Ragas beste 1983 - 2000
02. Diverse - De beste til meg og mine venner
03. Jorun Stiansen - Unstable
04. De Lillos - Festen er ikke over det er kake igjen
05. Kari Bremnes - Over en by
06. Ravi & DJ Løv - Den nye arbeidsdagen
07. Kaizers Orchestra - Maestro
08. Marion Raven - Here I am
09. Liv Marit Wedvik - Home sweet home
10. Klovner i kamp - Ørnen tek ikkje unga

Farmen, Kaizers Orchestra's old label, will be releasing a new album from Matpackers in October. It will be the band's fifth album overall, their fourth for Farmen.