Silbermond

German rock outfit Silbermond formed in Bautzen in 2000. Lead vocalist Stefanie "Pony" Kloß, guitarist Thomas "Ratte" Stolle, bassist Johannes "Hannes" Stolle, and drummer Andreas "Nowi" Nowak previously teamed in a local choir project dubbed Ten Sing. Originally calling themselves JAST -- an acronym assembled from the quartet's respective first names -- they made the switch to Silbermond (Silver Moon) in 2001 concurrent with a shift away from cover songs to original material. After a high-profile January 2004 opening gig for singer Jeanette Biedermann, outsized expectations awaited the group's debut LP, Verschwende Deine Zeit, and sales did not disappoint. The album went quintuple platinum on the strength of the Top Five single "Symphonie," and on July 2, 2005, Silbermond performed on the Berlin stage of the international Live8 concert event. Their sophomore effort, Laut Gedacht, hit retail in the spring of 2006, debuting atop the German and Austrian charts. The album also launched Silbermond's first number one single, "Das Beste." ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi