Boston Calling takes over as the hub of the music world in the northeast every Memorial Day Weekend. At The Motif, we obviously specialize in covering events in Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts, but every now and then it is good to extend out of one’s comfort zone. Like the other day, I was ordering […]
It is a challenge when you start a column late and it’s your brother’s birthday, your best friend may have bought a bar and your very good friend Mario, who is in from out of town, insists you buy two pizzas at 3am and then promptly falls asleep. Left in the cold of the night, […]
The Low Anthem – The Salt Doll Went To Measure The Depth Of The Sea After 2016’s wildly experimental Eyeland, The Low Anthem return with a stripped-down collection of short songs on The Salt Doll Went To Measure The Depths Of The Sea. The new album began with the wreckage of the previous album as The Low Anthem were […]
This column, we are going to throw it back to the first column I ever wrote about Kilgore Smudge, for Providence College’s newspaper, The Cowl, in 1994. They published it but rejected me as a columnist, probably because I can’t hit a deadline with a cannon. The show review was from a house party and […]
After four years spent mostly on hiatus, Deer Tick are back with two new albums, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, and a US tour that will bring them to Rhode Island for three shows. This tour, Deer Tick is doing something new; they perform two different sets — one acoustic and one electric. The two sides […]
Tall Teenagers – All in a Day’s Waste The sophomore album from Tall Teenagers opens with a mess of fuzz and slashing hooks on “Ground Floor” that cut deeper than anything on their debut album. “Lights Out” brings the harmonies between co-lead vocalists Chelsea Paulhus and Damian Puerini to the forefront. “The Bottom” serves as […]
If one had to guess where in Rhode Island The Beach Boys Way was located, Pawtucket is probably not the first place that comes to mind. Nevertheless the City of Pawtucket did recently rename a section of Narragansett Park Drive, where the Narragansett Park Racetrack once stood, “The Beach Boys Way.” The name change commemorates […]
Of Montreal Of Montreal is a progressive pop band from just beyond the border of Athens, Georgia. Over the years, Kevin Barnes and Co have made some impressive records and introduced the world to their former violist Kishi Bashi. Of Montreal has a new EP out called Rune Husk and they come to town to […]
The past few days have been a blur, and it isn’t even alcohol-related this time. There is uneasiness in the air as questions have poured in from all over. Questions about the news of Aurora closing at the end of October, whether I even write for the Motif anymore (I do), and the biggest bombshell – the […]
Newport Folk Fest July is the best month to live in Rhode Island for so many reasons — the annual Newport Folk Fest is just one more big one. The festival once again sold out before people knew who was on the bill. My picks to click for Friday are Seratones, Shovels & Rope and Big […]