Korea Rocks profile #3: Goonamguayeoridingstella

Four top bands are coming to the UK this month as part of the Korea Rocks tour presented by Hyundai Card Music. Here’s a profile of Goonamguayeoridingstella, or Goonam for short, whom keen-eared filmgoers might have heard in one of the Leesong Hee-il films that screened at the BFI recently as part of the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

Possessing a moniker like Goonamguayeoridingstella (but you can call them “Goonam” for short if their full name proves to be too challenging), it should come as little surprise that the Seoul-based act’s music is tough to pigeonhole.

Combining elements of rock, psychedelic pop, blues, surf, reggae, and even a touch of dub into groovy sonic concoctions, Goonamguayeoridingstella’s 2007 We Are Pure debut was ranked no. 70 on 100Beat.com’s 100 best Korean CDs of the 2000s. And their Woojung-Motel sophomore effort was nominated for Best Modern Rock Album at the 2012 Korean Music Awards. Goonamguayeoridingstella have performed internationally at Japan’s Summer Sonic festival, SXSW, and Canadian Music Week. An Exclaim review of the latter fest performance proclaimed, “Goonam laid out a slick and summery blend of ’70s-era grooves rich with hypnotic bass lines, smile-inducing melodies, and an endless shower of expert guitar licks and gallivanting solos.”

Members:
Ung Joh – Guitarist/Vocalist
Byunghak Eem – Bassist

Live members:
Taesik Park – Drummer
Naun Kim – Keyboardist

Discography:
2011 Woojung-Motel
2007 We Are Pure