Throw together a pair of Bosnians, a couple of Bulgarians, three Americans,… Read Full Bio ↴Throw together a pair of Bosnians, a couple of Bulgarians, three Americans, and a bassist from Japan and you've got culture shock. Or at least Kultur Shock, the Seattle-based band who freely mix punk and metal with Balkan brass.

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

Fobia
Kultur Shock Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Jeli prokleta moja avlija
Kad mojih drugova ljubav kažnjava
Vatra paklena, kurva prevara
Vaša osuda, vaša fobija
Avlija je moja
u milion boja
Nije prokleta
moja avlija

Moja avlija je najljepša
Nije prokleta
moja avlija
Zlo i nesreća je vaša fobija
Moja avlija, moja rakija
Rosa jutarnja, ruža procvala
Mladost jedina, majka rodjena
Moja dragana, nova godina
Avlija je moja u milion boja
Nije prokleta moja avlija
Moja avlija je najljepša
Nije prokleta moja avlija
Zlo i nesreća je vaša fobija
Rasna podjela, homofobija
Kao robija mozak otrova
Vjera, nacija Ista partija
Bog i šejtan dva druga najbolja
Avlija je moja u milion boja
Nije prokleta moja avlija
Moja avlija je najljepša

Homofobija, homofobija
Homofobija, homofobija

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Kultur Shock's song "Fobia" reflect the band's perspective on the issues of prejudice and fear that continue to plague society. The opening line, "Jeli prokleta moja avlija" means "Is my courtyard cursed," and here the singer questions the fairness of the world when love is punished. The fiery imagery of "vatra paklena, kurva prevara" (hellish fire, treacherous whore) speaks to the pain and complexity of human relationships, while "vaša osuda, vaša fobija" (your condemnation, your phobia) refers to the irrational fears and prejudices that drive people to judge and marginalize others.

However, the song's overall message is one of hope and pride. Despite the challenges they face, the singer celebrates the beauty of their own home and community: "avlija je moja u milion boja" (my courtyard is in a million colors). They reject the idea that their place is cursed or inferior, asserting that "moja avlija je najljepša" (my courtyard is the most beautiful). The refrain, "nije prokleta moja avlija" (my courtyard is not cursed), reinforces this sentiment and suggests that by embracing their own identity, they can overcome the negativity and fear around them: "zlo i nesreća je vaša fobija" (your phobia is evil and misfortune).

In short, "Fobia" is a powerful declaration of self-love and resistance in the face of discrimination. It calls on listeners to recognize the harm caused by prejudice and embrace their own unique identity with pride and defiance.

Line by Line Meaning

Jeli prokleta moja avlija
Is my courtyard cursed?

Kad mojih drugova ljubav kažnjava
When the love of my friends is punished.

Vatra paklena, kurva prevara
Hellish fire, treacherous whore.

Vaša osuda, vaša fobija
Your condemnation, your phobia.

Avlija je moja
My courtyard

u milion boja
In a million colors

Nije prokleta
It's not cursed

moja avlija
my courtyard

Moja avlija je najljepša
My courtyard is the most beautiful

Zlo i nesreća je vaša fobija
Evil and misfortune are your phobia.

Moja avlija, moja rakija
My courtyard, my brandy.