Kultur Shock

The cover of this melting-pot metal-punk band's studio debut, 2001's Fucc The I.N.S., prominently features a definition: "Kultur Shock n. A condition of anxiety and disorientation that can affect amerikans suddenly exposed to a new kultur!" On the back is a roll call of members: three Seattle sax players, but also two guys from Bosnia, two from Bulgaria and one from Tokyo. Their wild-and-crazy sound shuffles so-called Balkan gypsy rhythms with heavy rock, plus occasional reggae, Algerian rai, and even country additives, with lyrics frequently focused on immigration. Frontman Gino Srdjan Yevdjevich lived in Seattle, where he did local theater about bombings back home in Sarajevo; his restaurant busking picked up volume after encouragement by Krist Novoselic, and Kultur Shock were born. Since 1999, they've put out five studio and two live albums. By 2011, Kultur Shock included musicians from Arizona, New York, Detroit and Jakarta.