Month: August 2020

Collective Creativity: An interview with Contessa Brown

Cafe S.O.U.L is an open mic night created by the incomparable Contessa Brown and Janne’t Brown, affectionately known as Momma Brown. I recently sat down with Contessa Brown to talk about Cafe S.O.U.L. and its importance in the community.    Damont Combs (Motif): For those who don’t know, what is Cafe S.O.U.L.?  Contessa Brown: Cafe S.O.U.L. […]

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Where Have You Bean All My Life?!: Simple Merchant coffee cart rolls into Newport!

If you’ve been lucky enough to pass through Perotti Park in Newport this summer when disembarking the Jamestown-Newport Shuttle Boat or the Block Island Ferry, you might have noticed a quirky wooden tricycle cart peddling some of the best java in town. No, it’s not a mirage brought on by too many overpriced, undersized cash […]

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Undependent: New YouTube series explores the plight of artists

“Undependent” is the new comedic web series about two filmmakers and their journey to produce an epic documentary following their first success. Ray Harrington and Derek Furtado give us an authentic glimpse into the humbling plight of independent artists.   You may have seen Harrington or Furtado headlining their home club in East Providence, but the […]

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Start of School Delayed Two Weeks: A summary of the governor’s August 11 press conference

Governor Gina Raimondo, RIDE Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green and DOH Director Dr. Nicole Alexander-Scott gave the COVID-19 press briefing today at 1pm. Today’s data is as follows. DOH reports 74 new cases of the coronavirus. Eighty-nine people are hospitalized for reasons related to the virus; nine of those people are in the ICU, and three people […]

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