No stranger to local rock 'n roll, Sean Carlson ran Just Another Scene as a resource on independent music across New England from 1998 until 2005. He now runs his own consultancy, and his writing has been published in The Irish Times, Boston Globe Magazine, New York Daily News and elsewhere.
It’s winter in New England. Plan a local getaway to take in some books with a side of beers. After you read our feature (motifri.com/riffraffturns2) and Q&A (motifri.com/ramadanroberge) on PVD favorite Riffraff, give some thought as to whether you’d prefer to pair your poetry with a pilsner or a porter at these spots: Elements: Books […]
On December 7, Riffraff bookstore and bar (60 Valley St. #107A, PVD) celebrated its second anniversary (see story motifri.com/riffraffturns2. Sean Carlson interviewed cofounders Emma Ramadan and Tom Roberge for Motif. Sean Carlson (Motif): What duos or tag-teams have you admired? Any parallels you see in yourselves? Emma Ramadan: I greatly admire husband-wife translator teams, such […]
Note: Read a Q&A with Rifffraff cofounders Emma Ramadan and Tom Roberge at motifri.com/ramadanroberge In 1773, well before Olneyville became a Providence neighborhood, Christopher Olney established a place for paper production along the Woonasquatucket River. The Brown George Paper Mill passed to his sons, only to sell at public auction due to financial distress. In […]
When Poindexter Coffee opened off the lobby of the Graduate Providence hotel (formerly the Biltmore, 11 Dorrance St, PVD) in May 2019, its interior included literature as part of its aesthetic. Vintage hardcovers crisscross both sides of the fireplace, leaving guests a chance to thumb a classic edition of This Side of Paradise by F. […]
On December 7, 1949, a New York Times column characterized the struggles of those in need: “The children who do not laugh; the youths whose lives are twisted; the men and women struck down by accident or disease or sudden poverty; the aged who know no peace… They are in every city and in every […]
“And I am going to try to love / And I am going to rise above” For four decades, Daniel Johnston crafted raw, lo-fi, searingly honest music that simultaneously achieved wide popularity and remained below the radar. His songs set scenes on “My So-Called Life,” “The OC,” “Scrubs,” “Friday Night Lights” and Girls, and the […]