Rainbow Girls

Rainbow Girls are a California-based americana, indie folk and indie rock group that forms in 2011 and remains active. The trio consists of Vanessa May, Erin Chapin and Caitlin Gowdey. Their music draws on folk, americana, gypsy, funk, soul and rock and roll, and they perform original material built around vocal harmonies and frequent instrumental switching.

Style and instrumentation

The group is known for harmonies and for moving between a wide range of instruments, including guitar, ukulele, accordion, harmonica, banjolele, mandolin, dulcimer, bass, cello, piano, melodica, recorder, kazoo, washboard, djembe, drum kit and stomp-tap percussion. Their sound begins as acoustic folk and later expands into a more electric gypsy-americana-stomp-folk style with drums and bass.

Origins and early development

Rainbow Girls emerge from an underground open mic night in Isla Vista, California called Bean Night. They first perform as an acoustic act, busking at farmers markets in California before travelling through Europe for a summer of couch surfing and busking. The group also begins loosely in 2010 through the pairing of Red & Yellow, the duo of Caitlin Gowdey and Erin Chapin, before developing into Rainbow Girls.

Touring and recording

In December 2010, the group makes a self-recorded five-song demo in Joshua Tree and Big Bear Mountain. After a brief pause when one member studies abroad in Rome, the remaining members continue the project and spend summer 2011 busking and couch surfing across Europe, playing in Switzerland, Germany, England, Italy, the Netherlands and France. They return to their ranch outside Santa Barbara and continue performing around California and on tours in other states.

In spring 2012, they tour to Seattle and back for three weeks and then play music festivals in southern Oregon. The following summer, they tour the southwest and add Arizona, Colorado and Utah to their list of states. They also undertake a December 2012 tour to Seattle and back, which they call the End Of The WORLD Tour.

Releases

Rainbow Girls release their first studio EP, Stomp Folk, in 2013. They also release their first official studio album in spring 2013.