As a lifelong Market Basket shopper Felipe Collazo has, as he puts it, been inconvenienced by the ongoing protests and lack of items at his favorite grocery store.
So the former employee turned to music to help express his frustration.
The result – “Food (Market Basket Protest Anthem)” – was a parody of the song “Rude” by Magic! that has earned more than 80,000 views on YouTube in less than a week.
“I wanted it to be about the frustration of the customer. Not having that in my life is inconvenient,” said Collazo, who has friends and family that work for Market Basket. “It really does impact my community. Particularly in my community people depend on getting their affordable groceries at Market Basket.”
Collazo’s bandmate John Powell plays guitar in the video. He said they’ve performed the song instores and have had employees come up and thank them.
“A few of the managers thanked us for making the song,” said Collazo. “We didn’t seek it out. It’s just a light-hearted take on the situation.”
The group is performing Saturday at the Hard Rock Cafe near Faneuil Hall.
Thousands of the chain’s workers and supporters have held multiple protests in recent weeks demanding the reinstatement of ousted CEO Arthur T. Demoulas. The protests have led to empty shelves and the possibility of a new owner for the local chain.
Follow Michael Naughton on Twitter @metrobosmike.
