A farewell concert and art show for Hardison Collins and his band Baby Toro will take place at Sideshow Art Emporium in Dolores on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m.
Collins owns the Beehive in Mancos, a popular arts and crafts boutique and salon that also offers facials and reflexology services from Collin’s wife, Reneata.
Unfortunately, the Collins family is moving on to Petersburg, Fla.
In their 10 years here, the two have improved community health and opened up an artistic and musical scene.
“Its a difficult thing to move,” Collins said. “Mancos is like living in a postcard, it is so beautiful.”
Collins is “bummed” to give up his band Baby Toro, which he co-created with local musician Lindsay Isbell.
The two perform a unique brand of melancholy music that has a visceral, exotic feel using guitars and accordions.
“We sort of made up our own genre, kind of Dark Americana, the Everly Brothers meets the Cramps with some rockability trappings,” Collins said.
Collins’ art work will be for sale at the show as well, and it’s affordable. Among other unique creations, he produces Pop-art images using pages from old novels.
“It’s a collision between digital art and ephemera type stuff,” he said in an interview with Bryant Liggett of KDUR. “I start with a photograph, and I reduce it down to its most basic black and white parts. Then I print the whole thing on vintage book pages.”
Heather Narwid, owner of Sideshow, is known for throwing fun parties that combine art and music.
“I have not had an event in a while, so it feels like it’s time. Baby Toro has played before, and everyone had fun. It’s the last chance to hear this unique, local band while shopping for art,” she says.
Hardison describes the band’s last Hurrah on Facebook. “We’re forcing the lumbering, morose giant that is Baby Toro into a spare room where they will chain it to an iron radiator and leave it. Forever.”
The Sideshow event is free, but donations are recommended.
