Blackout Chatter with Rafay Rashid Ravi Shavi’s new record, Blackout Deluxe, was one of my favorite records from 2018. It was released just before Christmas and shows a more adventurous side of Ravi Shavi. Their previous self-titled release was pretty much straight forward rock ‘n’ roll, but Blackout Deluxe incorporates everything from new wave funk (“Midnight”) to haunted grunge-stained […]
At the end of the year it is natural to look back on what transpired, but here at The Motif, we keep on moving forward. At first I was a little apprehensive about offering predictions for music in 2019 considering the differences in genres. To say music is going to be more political, electronic or whatever […]
Jay Berndt & The Orphans – Life, Love, & Loss Picked up the pieces while taking a break from a candlelight vigil for my favorite watering holes, E & O Tap, and I just had to find some sonic salvation. Thankfully via email, the new Jay Berndt & The Orphans debut album, Life, Love , […]
The election came and I am proud of Rhode Islanders for voting for change — by re-electing almost everybody. Yeah, take that Trump! Now that we are done showing them, things can go back to normal — with an endless stream of insurance, erectile dysfunction and ambulance chaser commercials warping sedated minds. The mere […]
I’m still coming down from watching Deer Tick’s John McCauley front Nirvana during the Foo Fighters’ encore at the CalJam Festival last weekend, but with wing and a shot of tequila, hopefully we can get through this. McCauley led surviving members of Nirvana through spot-on versions of “Serve the Servants,” “Scentless Apprentice” and “In Bloom” before […]
Algiers The sophomore album by Algiers, The Underside of Power, is a stirring statement of our times. Algiers remind me a lot of TV on The Radio, but better. The title track is an upbeat march to redemption. Algiers, at times, fuses gospel and hip-hop with the urgency of Gang of Four, which isn’t easy […]
Newport Folk Festival The last weekend in July means the return of the legendary Newport Folk Festival as it takes over the city for a weekend of music under the sun. Since its inception, the Newport Folk Festival has expanded to include a broader base of music. Hell, in recent years I’ve caught everything from twang […]
I first became aware of Jeff Robbins’ work through his late ’90s band, Orbit. Orbit was like what you get if one took the guitar noise of Sonic Youth, combined it with the thump of grunge, and added a post-punk polish. Orbit had a modern rock hit with “Medicine,” which was all over WBRU and […]
After like 13 years of writing under Alt-Nation, it is weird to say fuck that, but I’m nobody’s go-to for rational thought so … fuck it. The original Motif column name that I wrote under was Exile in Olneyville, an obvious Stones pun, plus a reference to where I was living at the time. I […]
Bettye LeVette A few years ago I was in Ogie’s when this song came on that was a burst of old school ’60s soul, almost like a female version of Otis Redding. That was my introduction to Bettye LeVette. She isn’t really strictly a soul artist as she has done rock and R&B as well. […]