Kultur Shock is a Seattle-based gypsy punk band which specializes in mixing modern music like rock, metal and punk with traditional Balkan music.
Weird combination of punk, Balkan’s ethno music, gypsy folk and dirty rock’n’roll named KULTUR SHOCK are solid institution of Seattle’s underground scene for years now. The band’s members hail from Bosnia, Bulgaria, Japan, and the United States, but the complexity only begins there. Their hometown of Seattle seems to be one of the only things each of them holds in common with one another, yet somehow they continue to inspire as a unit. Defined, by American music journalists, as balkan punk rock gypsy metal wedding-meets-riot music, after many tours and sharing the stage with Gogol Bordello, Iggy Pop, Yerba Buena, The Wailers, Joan Baez, Gutbucket, Sky Cries Mary and many others, they are coming for yet another European tour.
When not directing Shakespeare for prisoners, or babysitting developmentally disabled sex offenders, Sarajevo native Gino Yevdjevich sings for the strange phenomenon known as Kultur Shock. With a resume like this, it seems only fitting that he should describe the history of the band in his own words:
KULTUR SHOCK BIO by Srdjan “Gino” Yevdjevich
Kultur Shock was formed in 1996. It was at first an acoustic band. It started as a joke, on the party, during the jam session where the future members (in somewhat rather over-excited, party mood) made fun of their own tradition and culture (folk music from the Balkans). People liked it (!!). In summer 1997, Kultur Shock joined a long time friend, Joan Baez, on Lodo Music festival in Denver CO, as well as on some other shows on her tour.
After the tour, Kultur Shock started playing in typical acoustic venues with typical acoustic values.
