The whole thing is basically about a few guys who love to make music. Ain't so special after all, but if those guys are or have been well known as sportsmen, a band attracts some more attention. Isn't that why you are here to read about it? =)

Let's start the story with an excerpt of a Finnish newspaper article, dating back to March 23, 2000 (taken from koillissanomat.fi, author Jyrki Vendelin, translated by Katharina/webmaster):

(...)
Ville Kantee and junior national team coach Jarkko Saapunki have known each other and worked together a long time already.
Both attended the same ski jumping school and they also have music as their hobby.

In 1992, Jarkko moves from Kuusamo to Kuopio, where Ville arrives a few years later from Joutseno with other young jumpers.

Back then, the jumping coach at Puijon Hiihtoseura (Kuopio's ski club) is Mika Kojonkoski. He tells Jarkko to have an eye on the young newcomers and help them a little.
- Some time Ville and I decided to make music together, and in 1995, Kojo asked us to play on a gala evening during the world cup. So we went on stage there, remembers Saapunki.  

The young jumpers decide to "keep on rocking" as a counterweight to ski jumping. The year is 1996, and the "Jumping Twins", as they call themselves now, publish the single cd Meillä kaikilla on taikamme (We all have our magic) which is played at radio stations all over Finland. At this time, a third jumper comes into the group, Olli Happonen.

In 1997 the band performs (once again) during the world cup program in Kuopio, in front of a full audience in Puijonsarvi. They are joined by guest stars Andreas Felder, who plays the guitar, and Hansjörg Jäkle on bongos. Kent Johanssen shows up, too, singing a few songs.
A few months later, in spring 97, the guys meet in the studio once again to record the single Ihanasti hukassa (Wonderfully lost). In the meanwhile they've changed their name to Kroisos.

Jarkko's music career is paused because he goes to Japan to work as ski jumping coach there, but he stays active in the band's background where he checks and organizes, after the Nippon-trip and up to today.
Since last fall Ville, Olli, Jussi Hautamäki, Samppa Lajunen, and Antti Kuisma have been playing together. Goals for this spring include organizing a tour, and a cd is planned as well. 
(...)

Samppa Lajunen and Antti Kuisma have also played together before in a band called Näköispatsas and recorded a cd-ep, Kaksinaamainen.

The two groups meet in fall of 1999 and make a gig in Kuopio. It is such a positive experience that they decide to keep on playing together, as is described in the article. 

One year later, in fall 2000, Vieraileva Tähti publish their first single: Suomen kevein mies (The lightest man in Finland). They have remarkable success with it, for the band has become popular not only in Finland, but also in Germany and other (not only European) countries, including fans from Poland, France, Italia and even Australia. People may explain that popularity with the ski jumping boom, especially in Germany, but there must be more about it.

Vieraileva Tähti even get the chance to compose the official song for the Nordic Ski World Championship in Lahti 2001. Sinivalkoiset taistelee (The Bluewhites will fight) soon isn't played only in the ski stadium...

The next year is basically marked by a break since it shows increasingly difficult to combine sports and music. The Olympic Games come up and hard work is crowned with three gold medals for Samppa. There had been beginnings of plans (to keep it little) for some bigger tour, maybe in Germany, for that spring, but the band does not have many chances to even meet, leave alone practice together for something bigger. So the fans have to wait yet another year for major news.

In fall 2002, the plans are quite clear: finally get something going again and play a gig in Kuopio. 
This happens in February 2003, in the midst of the Finnish championships and the atmosphere is quite like "hey, we're still alive, better believe it". Indeed it is the first live appearance after almost two years of silence. We get to hear about plans for a new cd, perhaps even an album, and it's exciting to see the band back in business. 

But once again these remain only plans and nothing much is to be heard from Vieraileva Tähti. In the meanwhile, other projects are more recent: Ville, Kimmo, and Olli as UusiAukeama finally record their first CD Klo on vasta 7 and publish it via www.ketto.tk, and the summer of 2004 has another piece of news to offer: Kroisos (read above) is reactivated.

You can follow those developments at either one of those four sites: www.kroisos.tk and www.kroisos.net for Kroisos news, and www.ketto.tk and www.uusiaukeama.de.vu for UusiAukeama.

The story of Vieraileva Tähti will be continued in this place when the world is ready for it..