Pump your fist, hold up your lighters and rock your head. This is 80s hair rock in Korea. You know the songs - “Rock You like a Hurricane,” “You Shook Me All Night Long,” “Girls, Girls, Girls,” “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” and plenty more. Heck, you’re probably sitting there mouthing the words to one right now. Welcome to Shotgun Mascara - a costumes-and-all tribute band that makes stonewashed jeans and crazy hair look cool again.

The members of Shotgun Mascara sound like a blast from the past: Skinz Pounder on drums, Cherry Smash sings her heart out on vocals, Frankee Fingerzz works the lead guitar, Boris Centaur manhandles the bass, while Skipp Bonederson keeps up the rhythm guitar. Of course they have real names, but why spoil the fun? I will clue you into one real name you may have heard before - Christian Zonts (AKA Skinz Pounder) made up one-third of the EV Boyz.

Started in May of this year, the quintet brings decades of combined musical experience to bear on their genre of choice. Their backgrounds are as varied as their personalities - Cherry brings her years of musical theater experience and a voice to hit the high notes; Skinz gets the crowd worked up with drumsticks in hand; Frankee expertly plays the guitar solos that make these songs well-known. 

Meeting them before a show reminded me of the difference between their on-stage roles and their humbler realworld roles. Being teachers in Korea doesn’t exactly allow for much of the behavior so many rock stars are known for. Replicating the off-stage antics isn’t required to appreciate their dedication to the music. “We’re here to play the songs as they were originally recorded - we’re here to pay tribute to the songs,” said Skipp. 

Skinz agreed: “The songs bring back a lot of nostalgia. We want you to think you’ve gone back in time for 45 minutes.” 

With members hailing from Bundang, Bucheon, and Paju, it takes some commitment to make it to practices in Hongdae and shows all around Seoul. Having played in Hongdae, Itaewon, and Bucheon so far, their next step isn’t yet quite as clear. 

“We haven’t thought much bigger than that yet ... (however), I love just putting on the wig. It looks so much cooler and more ridiculous than my real hair ever could,” Skinz said. 

When it comes about requests, Skinz was quick to mention, “there’s lots of logic behind our set list. We work pretty hard to make those songs tight. You can’t just strum out chords (for many 80’s songs), so we don’t take requests from the stage.” The variety blasted from the stage left few areas of the genre untouched: among others, Scorpions, AC/DC, Poison, Twisted Sister, and Motley Crue were all represented in one recent show. This month, they’ll be playing at Roofers in Itaewon on the 16th and at Club FF in Hongdae for a Halloween show on the 30th. Although times haven’t been announced yet, just follow the Members Only jackets and Michael Jackson gloves to an entertaining 80’s show.

For more information and a promo video, search “Shotgun Mascara” on Facebook and YouTube.

By Chris Backe

Chris Backe writes the blog Chris in South Korea, which focuses on life in Korea and traveling to one new place every week. Find it at chrisinsouthkorea.blogspot.com. - Ed.

Share this page