Kultur Shock

Escaping war-torn Sarajevo in 1995, Gino Srdjan Yevdjevich brought two things along with him to Seattle, his immense vocal and songwriting talent and his relentless ambition to create. Little did he know that after starting Kultur Shock in 1996, he would not only become the beating heart of one of the most influential genre-bending bands of the last couple of decades but also the de-facto grandfather of a movement that people casually refer to today as Gypsy Punk. For 25 years, Kultur Shock have embarked on a never-ending path of experimentation, mixing Balkan folk melodies and bizarre meters with face-melting metal and blood pumping punk rock, concurrently lyrical, obnoxious, political, irreverent all the while respecting every influence they’ve had. To describe Kultur Shock’s style and sound, people usually refer to @, @System of a Down, @Dubioza Kolektiv, @Manu Chao, @The Pogues, or @Gang of Four. Unfortunately, none of that does the band justice because Kultur Shock’s sound and approach to music is literally in a league of its own. The band released its first three studio records with @Faith No More’s Bill Gould on his KoolArrow Records between 2001 and 2006. Since 2007, Kultur Shock has been self-produced and self-released on its label and has put out four LPs, one EP, and three live albums. 2021 marks the 25th year of the band and they’ve started the next chapter by signing with Jello Biafra’s @Alternative Tentacles label.