Rainbow Girls
{{Short description|American singing trio}}
{{For|members of a similarly-named organization|International Order of the Rainbow for Girls}}
{{Self-published|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| background = group_or_band
| name = Rainbow Girls
| image = Rainbow Girls at August Hall, San Francisco, November 10, 2018.jpg
| image_size =
| image_upright =
| landscape =
| alt =
| caption = Rainbow Girls at August Hall, San Francisco, November 10, 2018
| origin = Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
| genre = Indie, folk, Americana, a cappella, Rock and roll
| discography =
| years_active = {{Start date|2010}}–present
| label =
| spinoffs =
| spinoff_of =
| current_members =
- Erin Chapin
- Caitlin Gowdey
- Vanessa Wilbourn
| past_members =
- Cheyenne Skye
- Savannah Hughes
| website = {{URL|rainbowgirlsmusic.com}}
}}
Rainbow Girls are a three-piece singing group made up of Erin Chapin, Caitlin Gowdey, and Vanessa Wilbourn from the North Bay area of California.
History
Rainbow Girls formed in the fall of 2010, when they began performing together at an underground open mic in UC Santa Barbara’s neighboring college town, Isla Vista.{{cite web |title=Broad Spectrum |url=https://www.vcreporter.com/2014/02/broad-spectrum/ |accessdate=30 May 2019 |website=www.vcreporter.com |date=25 February 2014 |publisher=VC Reporter}} Original members consisted of Erin Chapin, Caitlin Gowdey, Vanessa Wilbourn, and Cheyenne Methmann.{{cite web |last1=Comingore |first1=Aly |date=23 May 2013 |title=Rainbow Girls Release The Sound of Light |url=https://www.independent.com/2013/05/23/rainbow-girls-release-sound-light/ |accessdate=30 May 2019 |website=www.independent.com |publisher=Santa Barbara Independent}}
The band spent the Summer of 2011 busking and couch-surfing in Europe, and releasing self-recorded demos.{{cite web |last1=Miasnikov |first1=Cassandra |title=Rainbow Girls Album Release Party |url=https://www.independent.com/2015/06/05/rainbow-girls-album-release-party/ |website=www.independent.com |date=5 June 2015 |publisher=Santa Barbara Independent |accessdate=30 May 2019}} When they returned to California in the Fall, they began playing with drummer Savannah Hughes. The band performed at farmers markets in the Santa Barbara area, playing venues like SoHo and Cold Spring Tavern and performing at local festivals like Earth Day and Summer Solstice.{{cite web |title=Past Shows |url=https://www.rainbowgirlsmusic.com/past-shows |website=www.rainbowgirlsmusic.com |publisher=Rainbow Girls |accessdate=30 May 2019}}
In April 2013, the band left Santa Barbara and moved to the countryside north of San Francisco’s Bay Area. That same year, Rainbow Girls released their crowdfunded debut album, The Sound of Light.{{cite web |last1=Comingore |first1=Aly |title=Rainbow Girls Release The Sound of Light |url=https://www.independent.com/2013/05/23/rainbow-girls-release-sound-light/ |website=www.independent.com |date=23 May 2013 |publisher=Santa Barbara Independent |accessdate=30 May 2019}} Rainbow Girls continued to tour the West Coast regularly, as well as Europe and the UK every summer.
After the departure of Methmann in 2014,{{cite web |title=Cheyenne's Last Show - Rainbow Girls @ Soho!! |url=https://www.facebook.com/events/1593504487546856/ |website=www.facebook.com |publisher=Facebook |accessdate=30 May 2019}} the remaining four members recorded their sophomore album, Perceptronium, and released it in June 2015.{{cite web |last1=Miasnikov |first1=Cassandra |title=Rainbow Girls Album Release Party |url=https://www.independent.com/2015/06/05/rainbow-girls-album-release-party/ |website=www.independent.com |date=5 June 2015 |publisher=Santa Barbara Independent |accessdate=30 May 2019}}
In the spring of 2016, Hughes announced she could no longer tour with the band full-time, so the remaining three members of the band – Chapin, Gowdey, and Wilbourn – began performing as a trio. In this period they opened for John Craigie and The Brothers Comatose.{{cite web |title=The Brothers Comatose - T Sisters, The Rainbow Girls |url=https://slimspresents.com/event/the-brothers-comatose-gamh-w-t-sisters/ |website=www.slimspresents.com |publisher=The Great American Music Hall |accessdate=30 May 2019}}
On November 8, 2017, Rainbow Girls released their third album, American Dream, with a shift to a more acoustic folk sound.{{cite web |last1=Frahm |first1=Jonathan |title=Rainbow Girls - "American Dream" (video) (premiere) |url=https://www.popmatters.com/rainbow-girls-american-dream-2507655759.html |website=www.popmatters.com |date=8 November 2017 |publisher=Pop Matters |accessdate=30 May 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Liberatore |first1=Paul |title=Rainbow Girls keep chasing their American Dream |url=https://www.marinij.com/2017/11/02/rainbow-girls-keep-chasing-their-american-dream/ |website=www.marinij.com |date=2 November 2017 |publisher=Marin Independent Journal |accessdate=30 May 2019}}{{cite web |last1=Taylor |first1=Bianca |title=Rainbow Girls Turn Up Their Political Message by Turning Off Their Amps |url=https://www.kqed.org/news/11638481/rainbow-girls-turn-up-their-political-message-by-turning-off-their-amps |website=www.kqed.org |date=24 December 2017 |publisher=KQED |accessdate=30 May 2019}}
In the fall of 2018, the band received wide exposure when their video of Alvin Robinson's "Down Home Girl" received several million views on Facebook.{{cite web |title="Down Home Girl" - Rainbow Girls (Alvin Robinson Cover) |url=https://www.facebook.com/RainbowGirlsMusic/videos/2177646969139294/ |website=www.facebook.com |publisher=Rainbow Girls |accessdate=30 May 2019}} They soon went into the studio to record a cover album, Give the People What They Want, which was released on February 22, 2019.{{cite web |last1=Law |first1=Charlie |title=Album - Rainbow Girls - Give The People What They Want |url=https://www.forfolkssake.com/reviews/38454/album-rainbow-girls-give-the-people-what-they-want |website=www.forfolkssake.com |date=11 March 2019 |publisher=for folk's sake |accessdate=30 May 2019}} Their video for “Down Home Girl” (originally performed by Robinson and popularized by The Rolling Stones, The Coasters, and Old Crow Medicine Show) led them to be picked up by Madison House booking agency, as well as by manager, Hannah Spero.{{cite web |title=Rainbow Girls |url=https://madisonhouseinc.com/rainbow-girls/ |website=www.madisonhouseinc.com |publisher=Madison House |accessdate=30 May 2019}}
Discography
= Albums =
| class="wikitable"
|+ !Year !Title |
| 2013
|The Sound of Light |
| 2015
|Perceptronium |
| 2017
|American Dream |
| 2019
|Give the People What They Want |
| 2021
|Rolling Dumpster Fire |
| 2023
|Welcome to Whatever |
| 2024
|HAUNTING |
References
{{reflist}}
{{Authority Control}}
Category:Musical groups from the San Francisco Bay Area