It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and the most wonderful Cabaret is here! Please join us for The Modbo Ho Ho, a very, very irreverent look at the holidays with a lot of singing, a smattering of dancing, a story or two, and some of your favorite holiday tunes redone in ho ho style.

Friday, December 16th,*****(TWO SHOWS)***** 7 and 9:30 pm; $10 suggested donation, The Modbo. Seating for this show will be first come, first served, and doors open half an hour before the performance. Adults only, please.

The Modbo Ho Ho is delighted to feature vocalists Claire Anderson, Nisa Ari (9:30 pm show only), Judeth Shay Burns, Brian Harris, Jessie Oliver, Solveig Olsen, Charles Schnetzer, pianists Lauren Andrus and Mark Arnest, dancers Cherry Glitterbomb, Camille Loftin and Trish Doyle-Stahl, a reading by Tracy Mobley-Martinez, and some special surprise guest appearances to boot!

The Modbo and S.P.Q.R., The Arts Alley District, proudly announce the Fourth Annual Small Works Show. This stunning exhibit features work from over 100 local artists and is hung salon style, floor to ceiling. Voted Best Exhibition in the 2011 Gazette’s Best Of. This year’s show features over 350 works, all under 24” in every dimension, exhibited in both spaces!  Can you think of a better place to find your Holiday gifts? The opening is on Friday, December 9th, beginning at 5:30 pm and going until midnight thirty.  The Show will run through January the 13th.

The Modbo is delighted to announce a Call for Artists for its wildly popular Fourth Annual Small Works Show.

Intake is at The Modbo, 17C East Bijou, from 10 am until 3 pm on Saturday, December 3rd.

All works must be under 24 inches in every dimension, including the frame. There will be a $2 hanging fee per each piece that is accepted (after a light jurying process). All pieces must be ready to hang (two screw eyes or two D-rings).

The show will open on Friday, December 9th in both The Modbo and its adjoining gallery, S.P.Q.R.

Questions? Email themodbo@gmail.com or leave a message at 633-4240.

The INKQB8TOR has been both an art studio and a gathering place for like-mindeds to play together and let their souls be free. It has hosted a number of memorable parties, a ton of art, and the 3-day “Let’s Make a Deal” event which brought together a phenomenal group of artists and performers in a whole new setting of selling art. Since the death of Timber and the union of Douglas Rouse and Mallori Meyer, the INKQB8TOR has become a man-and-wife project, mainly for the incubation and production of artwork and community art projects. Just yards from the railroad tracks, facing Pikes Peak, the inspiration that this space has given us is magical. This show celebrates some of that magic.

Douglas Rouse, now a 10-year resident of Colorado Springs (the longest he’s ever stayed in one spot), is a professional artist specializing in mural painting, live speed painting, trompe l’oeil, and 3D chalk art. He considers himself a contemporary artist when it comes to works on canvas and usually enjoys working large. This show, however, inspired by the recent monochromatic exhibition at the Modbo, is “smaller and more accessible,” according to the artist. Rouse is also creator of the 12 Mural Project and recently completed the mural on the Warehouse Restaurant building and at the Corepower Yoga Nevada studio. Visit www.rouse66.com for a complete portfolio and to find out more about upcoming projects. Says Douglas, “I am able to thrive in Colorado because my community believes in me. Thank you Colorado Springs.”

Mallori Rouse was born in Colorado Springs and currently resides here as well. She began painting at an early age at the FAC and in school, thanks to her wonderful elementary art teacher. While living in New Zealand she realized her passion for painting and began exploring the art form with deeper expression. Her latest series of paintings is a style she refers to as “vibrating with life”. Mallori’s work was most recently seen at a duo show at A Call to Life and Dine & D’Art fundraiser for ArtReach in Denver.

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The Modbo is delighted to host talented local artist Marc Huebert in conjunction with Clive Nyles, a Georgia-based artist.

Marc Huebert is a Colorado Springs artist whose work invokes multiple ideas. He is interested in advancing his technique, but can’t quite shake the childlike joy of random gesture dictating the content. Maybe someday. He graduated from UCCS in 2004 and also studied at UC Boulder and at Bard College in the 90s. He lives on the westside of Colorado Springs where he skateboards, paints, and raises his two kiddos. He also loves rainy days, long walks on the beach and rambling on for days about his feelings.

Clive Nyles attended the Savannah College of Art and Design. Although originally from England, Nyles remained in Georgia after his time at S.C.A.D. He is thrilled to have his first show in the west, having recently shown in galleries in the southeast where he won several awards for his unique abstract works. Nyles draws from such influences as Mark Rothko and Robert Motherwell. Nyles’ large, non-objective compositions strive to inspire contemplation.

A big thank you to all that voted for us this year in the annual Colorado Springs Indy Best Of.

We won Three Golds! 

1) Best Gallery

2) Best Place to See Emerging Artists

3) Best Place To Buy Art

and our own Brett Andrus took Silver for Best Artist.  We are happy, fell really good! Thank you for the support

Here is the right up from the Indy:

The Modbo

(17C E. Bijou St., 633-4240, themodbo.wordpress.com)

It’s your basic downtown alley: potholes, trash bins, graffiti … until you get to the end that’s home to the Modbo and its companion gallery, S.P.Q.R.

That’s where, most weekends, owners Brett and Lauren Andrus pack so much art and music into the tiny buildings that colors and sounds just have to spill out into the alley.

And you, dear culture-loving readers, love to partake of the smorgasbord they offer. A recent “weeklyish” e-mail blast previewed art shows in each gallery, live music and a theater production, plus an art show Lauren helped curate for Ormao Dance Company — all in the space of about nine days. Brett also curates art exhibits for four other venues around town.

It’s worth noting that both Andruses have other jobs: She’s a piano accompanist; he’s a mortgage loan officer by day, and a painter and painting teacher by night.

Where do they get the energy? It helps that they’re still young: Lauren is 29, Brett is 33. But much of it is simply fueled by a love for and belief in the work they do.

“I just really have a passion for art and feel the necessity to encourage people,” Brett says. “It’s really cool, too, because we’re seeing people doing more collecting.”

They started Modbo in summer 2009 and S.P.Q.R. in late 2010, and the galleries are already “pretty self-sustaining,” he says. They may never get wealthy pursuing this dream, but they’re richly rewarded when they see a classical music aficionado standing next to a Mohawked kid at a concert, or when they watch people fall in love with a painting and realize they can afford it.

“We undeniably feel great about what we’re doing,” Lauren says. “I feel that, whenever one of us feels crappy about how things are going, we’ll buoy each other up.”

Adds Brett with a laugh: “I think we’re both bull-headed enough to make it work.” — RVP

come join us for stuff all week.

First, on Wednesday………

The Modbo is excited to host the return of members of the acclaimed anti-orchestra Mount Righteous with local indie favorites Constellation of Cars. This show takes place on Wednesday, October 12th, at 8 pm, $5-7 suggested donation.

With their nationally known anti-orchestra Mount Righteous on a short hiatus, record company Flight Music Group (FMG) has taken this opportunity to shine some light on the talent of front-man Joey Kendall. FMG currently has Joey in the studio for his first conventional solo release. Kendall’s “Was Here,” a retrospective compilation of lo-fi demos, live recordings, and a few studio tracks with Grammy nominated producer John Congleton (Mountain Goats, David Byrne, St. Vincent, Modest Mouse, Mount Righteous), was released to rave reviews. With accompaniment from his wife Kendall Kendall (yes, Kendall Kendall), Joey is touring the West side of the U.S. this October.
Constellation of Cars is comprised of Andy Tanner (Laymen Terms, Headhum) and Kellie Palmblad (Eyes Caught Fire). They formed in October 2009 to find a nice medium to each other’s songwriting styles, landing their plane in the sea somewhere between dreary, dreamy Iceland and weathered, warm Texas. Cars released their debut EP, “The Ambiguous U,” in early 2011 to great acclaim. You can hear their music atwww.destinationmoonmusic.com

Then On Friday ……

The Modbo and S.P.Q.R., the Arts Alley District, are delighted to announce a new second Friday art opening on Friday, October 14th, beginning at 5:30 pm. In The Modbo, look for new works by Denver artist Davoth, while you can find the latest pieces by local favorite and Modbo Collective artist Phil Lear over at S.P.Q.R.

The opening reception will feature music by both beloved local band Dear Rabbit and the Denver-based free jazz ensemble, The Bottesini Project, comprised of Paul Riola on saxophones, Danny Meyer on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Glen Whitehead on trumpet, Kim Stone on bass, and Jay Ellis on drums.

READ the earlier post for more info on the two Artists.

And on Saturday…

October 15th, 8 pm, $5-7 suggested donation, The Modbo is especially excited to host the return of Levi Weaver, who played for a full house at The Modbo in September of last year. Levi will be joined by Edith’s Undergarments, comprised of Sarah Hope (of Edith Makes a Paper Chain) and friends. Additionally, The Modbo is pleased to present 13-year-old local phenom Alex Arciniega, the youngest ever singer-songwriter to perform at the gallery.

Levi Weaver hails originally from Rio Vista, Texas, and currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee, by way of Birmingham, England. He plays guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, harmonica, a little accordion, some pan flute, and percussion on a vast array of items unintended for use as percussion. His big break came in 2006 when he got a support slot for Imogen Heap in Birmingham and was asked to join her on her entire North American tour. Since then, he’s been touring in the US and has just released his latest album, The Letters of Dr. Kurt Goedel. You can hear him at myspace.com/leviweaver

The Modbo and S.P.Q.R., the Arts Alley District, are delighted to announce a new second Friday art opening on Friday, October 14th, beginning at 5:30 pm. In The Modbo, look for new works by Denver artist Davoth, while you can find the latest pieces by local favorite and Modbo Collective artist Phil Lear over at S.P.Q.R.

The opening reception will feature music by both beloved local band Dear Rabbit and the Denver-based free jazz ensemble, The Bottesini Project, comprised of Paul Riola on saxophones, Danny Meyer on tenor saxophone and clarinet, Glen Whitehead on trumpet, Kim Stone on bass, and Jay Ellis on drums.

Phil Lear graduated from Pensacola Christian College’s Commercial Art program in 1997, where he studied for four years under established illustrators and designers. It was during this time that he began to realize a passion for painting and for expressing the beauty he saw all around. Personal study and a deep love for the art of the Renaissance and late-Victorian eras increased both his knowledge of painterly innovation and his fast-growing desire to become an artist himself.

After illustrating for missionaries in Switzerland in 1999, Phil returned to the United States and began taking steps towards entering the professional world of painters. He became a charter member of the Portrait Society of America, and has displayed work in several public exhibitions and competitions. Phil now furthers his study and artistic journey in the company of a group of young artists known as The Modbo Collective, at The Modbo and S.P.Q.R. Galleries in Colorado Springs, CO. He also shows at Mountain Living Studios in Manitou Springs, CO. In 2010, the Colorado Springs Gazette awarded him the Gold Medal for Best Art Exhibition of the year.

Phil Lear has always strived to bring an emotional charge to his work, a charge that he intends to have resonate with the viewer long after the initial viewing. Murky grays, browns, and strokes of sky blue pile on the canvas to form a barrage of color that both intrigues and gratifies the eye in a fresh painterly realism. As a story-teller, his canvases are peopled, with a disparate, ragtag band of characters whose entrance on the scene can be at once inspiring and disquieting—wild-eyed youth, brooding poets, defiant downtrodden martyrs, spellbinding vixens, and fallen angels, tragic heroes and the criminally bent. They are strangers, but with a deep connection to the distant song of reality and life. “As a narrative figurative painter, I feel a mission to create work that embodies the classical ideal, and speaks to the universal and timeless aspects of the human experience.”

Davoth was born in Chicago, grew up in Kansas, and escaped to Colorado Springs in 1996. He began making sculpture and eventually paintings as both a positive and negative response to a trip to Santa Fe, NM. Davoth has kept his creative and aesthetic education to the very individual and minimal so as to both control direction and also to limit influence from various schools of art theory and conserve originality. He now resides in Denver, CO.
Davoth finds the world to be a chaotic, yet incredibly beautiful place. In shunning his more natural sense for clarity and order and making the effort to notice his surroundings at each second, Davoth is able to stay open to the new and the fresh; it is then that he is most in awe of the world. His work comes from a place of simple idea, over which many changes occur organically. The artist prides himself on avoiding academic aesthetic choices, instead trusting his instincts to produce meaningful artistic compositions.