Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung

Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung (EAV)
Company type	Musical ensemble
Industry	Music
Predecessor	Anti-Pasta
Founded	1977
Founder	Nino Holm, Thomas Spitzer
Defunct	2019
Fate	Disbanded
Headquarters	Austria, Austria
Area served	Austria, Germany
Key people	Klaus Eberhartinger, Thomas Spitzer, Kurt Keinrath, Franz Kreimer, Alvis Reid, Aaron Thier
Products	Music albums, live performances
Website	www.eav.at

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 30 November 2025

The EAV (Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung, translating to "First General Insecurity" in German) was an Austrian musical ensemble established in 1977 and remained active until 2019.

Following the disbandment of Nino Holm's initial project, "Anti-Pasta," he partnered with Thomas Spitzer to create a new band. The group's name was inspired by a bus stop advertisement displaying "Erste Allgemeine Versicherung" ("First General Insurance"), abbreviated as EAV. Although the band initially encountered legal disputes due to the resemblance of their name to that of the insurance company, these issues were eventually settled, and the company later became a sponsor.

The band's membership saw numerous changes over time; prominent members comprised Klaus Eberhartinger (lead vocals), Thomas Spitzer (guitar and vocals), Kurt Keinrath (guitar, keyboards, bass), Franz Kreimer (keyboards), Alvis Reid (bass), and Aaron Thier (drums).

Their live shows were distinguished by intricate stage setups and costumes designed specifically for individual songs, reinforcing their unique identity.

While they did not achieve widespread international fame, EAV enjoyed considerable success within Austria and Germany, supported by recording contracts with EMI Austria and Sony BMG Ariola.

Style

EAV’s music combines humorous and eccentric themes with pointed social commentary. For instance, the 1994 track "Cinderella" offers a playful reinterpretation of the classic fairy tale incorporating a pun on the German slang term "Kohle" (money): "Sie schlief im Kohlenkeller, trotzdem war sie bettelarm, weil sie von der vielen Kohle, die da lag, zu wenig nahm" ("She slept in the coal cellar but was destitute because she took too little of the abundant coal").

More direct social critique is evident in "Burli" (1987), which mocks the consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster: "Herr Anton hat ein Häuschen mit einem Gartenzwerg und davor, da steht ein Kernkraftwerk. Da gab es eines Tages eine kleine Havarie, die Tomaten war'n so groß wie nie…" ("Mr. Anton owns a small house with a garden gnome, and nearby stands a nuclear power plant. One day there was a minor accident—the tomatoes grew bigger than ever…"). Both "Burli" and "Afrika" experienced bans from radio play.

The band has been openly critical of political extremism, particularly right-wing movements ("bacillus nationalis"), leading to legal actions from controversial figures such as Kurt Waldheim and Jörg Haider due to songs that exposed their contentious histories. Relevant tracks include "Eierkopf-Rudi" and "Wir marschieren."

Deaths of members

In February 1981, Walter Hammerl (born 1952), who served as the band’s manager and stage director while occasionally providing vocals, died by suicide. Klaus Eberhartinger took over his role. Despite limited direct interaction, Hammerl maintained a close bond with fellow member Thomas Spitzer.

On May 5, 2012, former keyboardist Andy Töfferl passed away at age 56 from a heart attack.

Wilfried Scheutz, an earlier vocalist for the band, died on July 16, 2017 after a short battle with cancer at age 67.

In late July 2023, Anders Stenmo, founding drummer of EAV, died at 67; the cause of death has not been disclosed.

Timeline of members

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Colors =

 id:vocals      value:red     legend:Vocals
 id:backing     value:pink     legend:Backing_vocals
 id:guitar      value:green   legend:Guitar
 id:keys        value:purple  legend:Keyboards
 id:bass        value:blue    legend:Bass
 id:drums       value:orange  legend:Drums
 id:sax        value:skyblue   legend:Saxophone
 id:stage       value:gray(0.5)    legend:Stage_show
 id:con        value:yellow  legend:conférencier
 id:lines       value:black   legend:Studio albums

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 bar:Wilfried     text:"Wilfried Scheutz"
 bar:Stei    text:"Gert Steinbäcker"
 bar:Hammerl     text:"Walter Hammerl"
 bar:Eber      text:"Klaus Eberhartinger"
 bar:Spitzer   text:"Thomas Spitzer"
 bar:Keinrath   text:"Kurt Keinrath"
 bar:Stranzinger   text:"Reinhard Stranzinger"
 bar:Holm    text:"Nino Holm"
 bar:Bottazzi    text:"Mario Bottazzi"
 bar:Töfferl   text:"Andy Töfferl"
 bar:Bronner   text:"David Bronner"
 bar:Zettl     text:"Franz Zettl"
 bar:Kreimer  text:"Franz Kreimer"
 bar:Breit    text:"Eik Breit"
 bar:Bei   text:"Leo Bei"
 bar:Reid   text:"Alvis Reid"
 bar:Stenmo     text:"Anders Stenmo"
 bar:Deutsch      text:"Alex Deutsch"
 bar:Baum  text:"Robert Baumgartner"
 bar:Thier  text:"Aaron Thier"
 bar:Tatic  text:"Marina Tatic"
 bar:Scho     text:"Günther Schönberger"

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 bar:Wilfried from:01/05/1978 till:01/07/1979 color:vocals
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 bar:Hammerl from:01/07/1977 till:01/02/1981 color:con
 bar:Hammerl from:01/07/1979 till:01/02/1981 color:vocals width:3
 bar:Eber    from:01/05/1981 till:end color:vocals
 bar:Eber    from:01/05/1981 till:end color:con width:3
 bar:Spitzer from:01/01/1977 till:end color:guitar
 bar:Spitzer from:01/01/1977 till:end color:vocals width:3
 bar:Keinrath from:01/02/1996 till:end color:guitar
 bar:Keinrath from:01/02/1996 till:end color:keyboards width:6
 bar:stranzinger from various periods color:guitar/backing vocals
 bar:Bottazzi from mid-1980s to early-1990s color:keyboards/backing vocals
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 bar:Bassists and drummers with respective periods indicated similarly

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at key album release dates between late-1970s and late-2010s

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Line-ups

1977	Thomas Spitzer – vocals, guitar Nino Holm – vocals, keyboards Eik Breit – vocals, bass guitar Anders Stenmo – drums
1978-1979	Wilfried Scheutz – lead vocals Thomas Spitzer – guitar, vocals Nino Holm – keyboards, vocals Eik Breit – bass guitar, vocals Anders Stenmo – drums Walter Hammerl – master of ceremonies Marina Tatic – stage performance Gabi Aigner – stage performance Günther Schönberger – saxophone, stage performance
1979	Gert Steinbäcker – lead vocals Thomas Spitzer – guitar, vocals Nino Holm – keyboards, vocals Eik Breit – bass guitar, vocals Anders Stenmo – drums Walter Hammerl – master of ceremonies, vocals Gabi Aigner – stage performance Günther Schönberger – saxophone, stage performance Günter Timischl – stage performance Schiffkowitz – stage performance
1980-1981	Gert Steinbäcker – lead vocals Thomas Spitzer – guitar, vocals Nino Holm – keyboards, vocals Eik Breit – bass guitar, vocals Anders Stenmo – drums Walter Hammerl – master of ceremonies, vocals Gabi Aigner – stage performance Günther Schönberger – saxophone, stage performance Günter Timischl – stage performance
1981-1983	\Klaus Eberhartinger, master of ceremonies, vocals \Günther Schönberger, saxophone and stage performance \Günter Timischl, stage performance Gert Steinbäcker, lead vocals \Thomas Spitzer, guitar and vocals \Nino Holm, keyboards and vocals \Eik Breit, bass guitar and vocals \Anders Stenmo, drums
1983-1990	\Klaus Eberhartinger, lead vocals \Thomas Spitzer, guitar and vocals \Nino Holm, keyboards and vocals \Eik Breit, bass guitar and vocals \Mario Bottazzi, keyboards and vocals \Anders Stenmo, drums \Günther Schönberger, stage performance
1990-1995	\Klaus Eberhartinger, lead vocals \Thomas Spitzer, guitar and vocals \Nino Holm, keyboards and vocals \Eik Breit, bass guitar and vocals \Andy Töfferl, accordion, keyboards, vocals \Anders Stenmo, drums \Günther Schönberger, stage performance
1995	\Klaus Eberhartinger, lead vocals \Thomas Spitzer, guitar and vocals \Eik Breit, bass guitar and vocals \Andy Töfferl, accordion, keyboards, vocals \David Bronner, keyboards \Anders Stenmo, drums \Günther Schönberger, stage performance
1996	\Klaus Eberhartinger, lead vocals \Thomas Spitzer, guitar and vocals \Andy Töfferl, accordion, keyboards, vocals \David Bronner, keyboards \Kurt Keinrath, bass guitar, vocals \Anders Stenmo, drums
1997	\Klaus Eberhartinger, lead vocals \Thomas Spitzer, guitar and vocals ``Andy Töfferl, accordion, keyboards, vocals ``Kurt Keinrath, guitar, keyboards, vocals ``Leo Bei, bass guitar, vocals ``Anders Stenmo, drums
1998	``Klaus Eberhartinger, lead vocals ``Thomas Spitzer, guitar and vocals ``Andy Töfferl, accordion, keyboards, vocals ``Kurt Keinrath, guitar, keyboards, vocals ``Leo Bei, bass guitar, vocals ``Franz Zettl, saxophone, trumpet, keyboards *``Alex Deutsch, drums
1998-2001	``Klaus Eberhartinger, lead vocals ``Thomas Spitzer, guitar and vocals ``Andy Töfferl, accordion, keyboards, vocals ``Kurt Keinrath, guitar, keyboards, vocals ``Leo Bei, bass guitar, vocals ``Franz Zettl, saxophone, trumpet, keyboards *``Robert Baumgartner, drums
2001-2010	``Klaus Eberhartinger, lead vocals ``Thomas Spitzer, guitar and vocals ``Kurt Keinrath, guitar, keyboards, vocals ``Leo Bei, bass guitar, vocals ``Franz Kreimer, accordion, saxophone, keyboards, vocals ``Robert Baumgartner, drums
2010-2014	``Klaus Eberhartinger, lead vocals ``Thomas Spitzer, guitar and vocals ``Kurt Keinrath, guitar, keyboards, vocals ``Leo Bei, bass guitar, vocals ``Franz Kreimer, accordion, saxophone, keyboards, vocals ``Robert Baumgartner, drums with *```Reinhard Stranzinger``` - guitar and vocals
2015-2019	```Klaus Eberhartinger``` - lead vocals ```Thomas Spitzer``` - guitar and vocals ```Kurt Keinrath``` - guitar, keyboards, vocals ```Franz Kreimer``` - accordion, saxophone, keyboards, vocals ```Alvis Reid``` - bass guitar and vocals ```Aaron Thier``` - drums with *```Reinhard Stranzinger``` - guitar and vocals

Discography

1978: 1. Allgemeine Verunsicherung (First General Confusion)
1981: Café Passé
1983: Spitalo Fatalo (Fatal Hospital)
1984: À la Carte
1985: Geld oder Leben! (Money or Your Life!)
1987: Liebe, Tod & Teufel (Love, Death and the Devil)
1990: Neppomuk's Rache (Revenge of Neppomuk)
1991: Watumba!
1994: Nie wieder Kunst (No More Art)
1997: Im Himmel ist die Hölle los! (Chaos in Heaven!)
1998: Himbeerland (Land of Raspberries)
2000: Austropop in Tot-Weiß-Tot (a pun referencing Austria’s flag colors)
2003: Frauenluder (Woman Slut)
2007: Amore XL (XL Love)
2010: Neue Helden braucht das Land (The Country Needs New Heroes)
2015: Werwolf-Attacke! (Attack of the Werewolf!)
2016: Was haben wir gelacht (How Much We Laughed)
2018: Alles ist erlaubt (Everything is Permitted)
2021: Ihr Sünderlein kommet (Oh Come, Ye Little Sinners)

External links

Official website of Erste Allgemeine Verunsicherung and the EAV fan club (in German)
Fan page dedicated to the band's early period (in German)
Unofficial fan site (in German)