Rainbow Girls at The Parkway Theater

Rainbow Girls is an American eclectic folk trio of Vanessa May, Erin Chapin, and Caitlin Gowdey. They write and perform original material with roots in folk, americana, gypsy, funk, soul, and rock n'roll. In addition to their soaring four-part harmonies, the band members switch back and forth amongst a multitude of instruments including, but not limited to: guitar, ukelele, accordion, harmonica, banjolele, mandolin, dulcimer, bass, cello, piano, melodica, recorder, kazoo, washboard, djembe, drum kit, and stomp-tap percussion. Born in an underground open mic night in Isla Vista, CA, called "Bean Night," they began as an acoustic act, busking around the farmers markets of California before they hit the streets of Europe for a summer of couch surfing and busking. Since their return, they have evolved into an electric gypsy-americana-stomp-folk band, complete with drums, bass, and a whole lotta stompin'. They are known to put on one hell of a show. Don't miss Rainbow Girls, acoustic or electric. Adding colors to the duo Red & Yellow (Caitlin Gowdey & Erin Chapin), Rainbow Girls loosely formed in 2010, playing at a weekly, underground open-mic in Isla Vista. In December 2010, they set off for a week long self-recording trip to Joshua Tree and Big Bear Mountain, where they made their very own 5 song demo. At the end of January, after only a few shows, Rainbow Girls was put on hold while one of the gals skipped town to study abroad in Roma, Italia. Impatient, the three remaining members (at the time there were only 4 colors) followed suit in June, and the group of four spent the summer of 2011 busking and couch surfing their way around Europe, playing gigs and spreading music throughout Switzerland, Germany, England, Italy, the Netherlands, and France. Fifteen cities, six countries, four self-recorded audio tapes, two French recording studios, and 1 deportation later, they are now back at their ranch outside of Santa Barbara, playing gigs around California, and embarking on a series of tours to other states. In Spring of 2012, they toured to Seattle and back for 3 weeks, and again to southern Oregon to play a handful of music festivals. The following summer, Rainbow Girls toured the southwest, adding Arizona, Colorado, and Utah to their list of states. They traveled again to Seattle and back for their (End Of The) WORLD Tour in December of 2012. They recorded and released their first studio EP "Stomp Folk" in the beginning of September 2013, and their first official studio album in Spring 2013.