The Mission's worker-owned, vegetarian grocery store Rainbow Grocery has launched a new marketing effort in the vein of NPR's "Tiny Desk Concerts," only these concerts are in the produce section.
The "Under the Rainbow" concert video series just launched last week on YouTube with a set by local indie band Now, kicking off, appropriately enough, with a cover of "Love in the Supermarket" by The Clash.
As Aldo de la Cruz-Falcon, who works on Rainbow Grocery's PR team, explains to KQED, he was inspired by Delaware produce market Fiesta Fresh Market, who went viral earlier this year after posting videos of live concerts happening inside the store, for customers.
Rainbow's Under the Rainbow concerts don't look like they're going to be open to the public as live shows (the logistics of hosting live shows are "too daunting," they say), but it's part of a marketing effort, de la Cruz-Falcon says, to show that they are "more than a grocery store."
"Something about Rainbow that’s different from other grocers is that we’re part of the community. We’re a co-op; we’re not owned by billionaires. We like to do things for the community," he tells KQED.
Now's set was filmed on a recent Saturday after the store had closed, along with sets by three other bands, with subsequent videos set to be posted to YouTube every other week, on Wednesday's.
A teaser for the next one, by the band April Magazine, has already gone up.
Fun fact: The father of the drummer of the band Now, Oliver Lipton, apparently worked at Rainbow Grocery back in the 80s, as KQED notes.
Coming up later in the series, de la Cruz-Falcon tells KQED, may be performances by Rainbow workers themselves, some of whom are talented musicians in their own right.
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