Leader Gino Yevdjevich became a professional musician in his native Sarajevo when he was 16, making a good living playing commercial music. All that changed in 1991, when the war in the former Yugoslavia began. With no money and precious little food or electricity, the local artistic community made art for itself -- and found it well received as locals braved snipers and bombs to get out of their houses.
However, he left for the U.S. in 1994 under the sponsorship of singer Joan Baez and ended up in Seattle starring in a play with music about the Sarajevo conflict, Behind God's Back.
The band Kultur Shock came after the play closed, playing acoustic music in restaurants. Advised by Krist Novoselic (who has his own Croatian roots in the Balkans) to play louder, they began doing so -- and found themselves thrown out of the restaurants.
After a brief hiatus, they returned to play Seattle clubs with guitarist Mario Butkovich, who'd been persuaded to move from his new home in Portland. Brad Houser (New Bohemians, Critters Buggin') took the bass slot, with Amy Denio and Jessica Lurie filling out the horn section.
In 1999, they recorded and self-released Kultur Shock Live in Amerika, which documented the outfit at the first full stage of their development. While the music they played was all traditional, the treatment of it certainly wasn't, with loud electric guitars complementing the twist-and-turn horn lines. It was, Yevdjevich admitted, "a party album," and though often impressive, it didn't do them full justice.
Changes in personnel ensued. Houser left, to be replaced with Masa Kobayashi from Tokyo, and a second guitarist, Bulgarian Val Kiossovski. With that lineup, they began to make their first studio record, along the way signing with Kool Arrow, the label run by Faith No More's Billy Gould, and continuing to play local gigs as well as touring up and down the West Coast. The album, FUCC the I.N.S., appeared in late 2001, followed by Kultura-Diktatura in 2004 and We Came to Take Your Jobs Away in 2006.
In October 2008 Mario Butkovic and Masa Kobayashi left the band and the new line-up included some already known to the band musicians like:
Guy Michael Davis - well known for his amazing bass work with the bands Sage (mid 90s), Guardian Allien and BenJovi, is the new bassist, he plays banjo and bunch of other strange instruments, considering he grew up in Indonesia.
Paris Hurley - a violinist extraordinair substituted for Matty Noble for month and a half during the summer tour '08. In the process of it she became part of the band and was a natural choice for the forthcoming "Integration" album and the touring season.
Amy Denio recorded and toured with the band as a sax and clarinet player on 'Fucc the INS' and 'Kultura-Diktatura' .*
The last album "Integration" is released in 2009.
* from the interview of Val Kiossovski for the Bulgarian online radio Tangra Mega Rock http://radiotangra.com/?page=int&lng=en&id=183
Kultur Shock are:
Gino Srdjan Yevdjevic (Bosnia)- vocals, trumpet, djumbek
Val Kiossovski (Bulgaria) - guitar, vocal
Chris Stromquist (USA) - drums
Guy Davis (Indonesia, USA) - bass, banjo
Matty Noble (USA)- violin
Paris Hurley (USA) - vocal, violin
Amy Denio (USA) - clarinet, saxophone, vocal
Backdoor Boyz
Kultur Shock Lyrics
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Everybody, rock your body now
Everybody, shock your body
Everybody, shock your body now
Shock your body now
Backdoor boyz tonight
Hej-ho-ho, hej-ho-ho
Haj, mene majka jednu ima, pa ima
Bil-bil-bil-bil, bul-bul-bul-bul
Haj, mene majka jednu ima, pa ima
Haj, pa me daje za Aliju sevliju
Haj, pa me daje za Aliju sevliju
Bil-bil-bil-bil, bul-bul-bul-bul
Haj, pa me daje za Aliju sevliju
Hej-ho-ho, hej-ho-ho
Haj, ćeri moja, jebala te ljubav bez para
Haj, ćeri moja, jebala te ljubav bez para
Bil-bil-bil-bil, bul-bul-bul-bul
Haj, jebo ljubav, majka me naučila
Haj, mene majka jednu ima, pa ima
Haj, mene majka jednu ima, pa ima
Bil-bil-bil-bil, bul-bul-bul-bul
Haj, mene majka jednu ima, pa ima
Hej-ho-ho, hej-ho-ho
Everybody, rock your body
Everybody, rock your body
Everybody, rock your body
Everybody, rock your body
Everybody, rock your body
Everybody, rock your body
Backdoor boyz tonight
Ha-ha-ha, ha
Pathetic foreign players
The lyrics to Kultur Shock's song "Backdoor Boyz" are in Bosnian with a mix of English phrases. The song's lyrics describe a woman whose mother has one daughter, which is the singer. The mother "gives" the daughter to a man named Aliju Sevliju, implying the woman is being forced into a relationship or marriage. The song suggests a despairing and nauseating machismo in Aliju Sevliju's exploitation of the woman’s vulnerability, with the stringed instruments mimicking the relentless, mechanical motion of the violation. The song's refrain, "Everybody, rock your body, everybody, shock your body," provides a sharp contrast to the dark subject matter. The words seem to encourage the listener to move their body as a form of release from societal pressures and trauma.
The song "Backdoor Boyz" was released in 1999, and was Kultur Shock's debut album. The band's style is a mix of punk, rock, and Balkan music, which reflects the diverse cultural backgrounds of its members. Kultur Shock was formed in Seattle by musicians who had moved to America from Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. The band's music often addressed political and social issues, with tongue-in-cheek humor and a rebellious spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
Everybody, rock your body
Encouragement to dance and move along with the beat
Everybody, rock your body now
Further encouragement to dance and move along with the beat
Everybody, shock your body
Encouragement to move and shake one's body
Everybody, shock your body now
Further encouragement to move and shake one's body
Shock your body now
Call to action to move and shake one's body immediately
Backdoor boyz tonight
Referring to a group of men who are sneaking around or up to no good
Hej-ho-ho, hej-ho-ho
Vocalization to the beat of the music
Haj, mene majka jednu ima, pa ima
Hey, my mother has one and she still has it (referring to a valuable item or person)
Bil-bil-bil-bil, bul-bul-bul-bul
Repetitive vocalization to the beat of the music
Haj, pa me daje za Aliju sevliju
Hey, she's giving me away to Alija Sevlija (implying a forced or unwanted marriage)
Haj, ćeri moja, jebala te ljubav bez para
Hey, my daughter, curse love without money (suggesting the importance of financial security in relationships)
Haj, jebo ljubav, majka me naučila
Hey, love can go screw itself, my mother taught me so (referring to the influence of upbringing on one's beliefs)
Pathetic foreign players
Derogatory statement about foreign individuals, possibly referring to immigrants or outsiders
Writer(s): Srdjan Yevdjevic
Contributed by Leo I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.