When singer Gino Srdjan Yevdjevich left the ravaged by war Sarajevo and settled in Seattle in the mid-90s, he hauled two things in toe- his immense vocal and songwriting talent, and his relentless ambition to create. Little that he knew that after starting Kultur Shock in 1996, he’s not only going to become the beating heart of one of the most consequential 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 gipsy punk. For the following 25 years, Kultur Shock will embark on a never ending path of experimentation, will mix Balkan folk melodies and bizarre meters with face melting metal and blood pumping punk rock, will be lyrical, obnoxious, political, irreverent, while respecting every influence they’ve had to make the sevdah more sevdah, the rock more rock, and gipsy punk-metal what it currently is- a Kultur Shock. To describe Kultur Shock’s style and sound, people usually refer to Gogol Bordello, System of a Down, Dubioza Kolektive, Manu Chao, The Pogues, or Band of Four. None of that does the band a justice, because Kultur Shock’s sound and approach to music is literally in a league of their own. The band released its first three studio records produced by FNM’s Bill Gould on his KoolArrow Records between 2001 and 2006. Since 2007, Kultur Shock is self- produced and self- released on its own label, and has put out four LPs, one EP, and 3 live albums. Currently, a collaboration between the band and Jello Biafra’s Alternative Tentacles records is in the works, with the expectation of vinyl re-releases of some of their albums, as well as a new record in 2022. Kultur Shock is 25 years old. Due to COVID, the band had to postpone with a year its plans to celebrate that milestone on the road with its fans, including Europe and selected US cities. The band believes that only a club tour can deliver the close connection with the audience at such an important anniversary, hence their plan to embark on the road in the spring of 2022.   With over a 1000 shows under their belt, Kultur Shock’s most important festival appearances include: Bumbershoot (Seattle), Victoria Folk (Canada), Sziget (Budapest), Exit and Ritam Evrope (Serbia), Sayanskoe Kolco (Siberia, Russia), Festival of Peace (Kazan, Russia), Esperanza (Belgium), Fest am Berg and Wilwarin, Folk’n’Fusion (Germany), Senglar Rock, Castellbisbal, Capdepera and Pireneus Sur (Spain), Fete de la Musique, Festival de la Boheme and Les Musicaves (France), Ariano Irpino and Arezzo Wave(Italy), Summer Lab (Italy), Lent (Slovenia), Rock Otocec (Slovenia), Schengenfest (Slovenia), INmusic (Croatia), Spancirfest (Croatia), Sarajevo Film Fest (Bosnia), Stufstock and IRAF (Romania), Spirit of Burgas and Hills of Rock (Bulgaria), Taksirat (Macedonia), and Nilufer Festival (Turkey).

Described by the legendary Lydia Lunch as “harsh, hard...catchy, weird, arty" and "a very unique blend that defies category,” Portland's Nasalrod is a collaborative vision. The intensity of drummer Spit Stix (a founding member of the seminal L.A. punk band FEAR) is a major driving force behind the ferocious spazz-rock and roll quartet. The band is currently performing its frenetic act in support of their split 12" record with Bay Area luminaries Victims Family. This record, entitled In the Modern Meatspace, is currently available in the Alternative Tentacles catalog. The recent video for their song "The Maker" features appearances from various punk legends, such as Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys), Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Janet Weiss (Quasi), and many more. Armed with a notoriously frantic live show, Nasalrod has found that originality and insanity can go hand in hand. Lead singer Chairman’s sneering, kooky yet soulful vocals soar over a sound that is simultaneously melodic, violent and convulsive. Spit Stix, guitarist Mustin Douch, and bassist Mandy Morgan provide a sonic backdrop that is the demented and freakish heart of the band. Their music has been described by weekinpop.com as “raucous and radically defiant…a party crashing cavalcade of confidence and cavalier fancy".   Nasalrod has shared stages with acts such as The Jesus Lizard, Mudhoney, Melt-Banana, Mike Watt, and (most recently) Iggy Pop (at the 2025 Project Pabst Festival).