At the Motif headquarters there is a corner full of white boxes. Their sides are emblazoned with dates, months, years, scribbled in different shades of marker. Some are crossed out and hastily re-written, some boxes lay coverless, or bound in a thick plastic tape. This hodgepodge corner is the Motif archives, and was my home […]
Okee dokee folks… It’s Only Life After All. I may be a little late to the game with this one, but the documentary It’s Only Life After All has just arrived on Netflix. It’s Only Life After All is a documentary about Indigo Girls. In the late ’80s, their music popped onto the radio, and […]
It doesn’t feel real that the Motif is turning 20. Sometimes, it feels like I’ve been writing for Motif for a hundred years. Other times, it seems like I started last month. When I started, about 19 years ago, I was writing for another “alternative” paper called The Agenda. It was around for a couple […]
Love Redesigned by Lauren Asher: Though I don’t indulge in romance often (except when I need a palette cleanser between heavier books), I couldn’t put down Love Redesigned. Asher’s novel follows Julian Lopez and Dahlia Muñoz, two locals from the small town of Lake Wisteria, who share a complicated past. While their families are close, […]
Stray Love is RI native Stacey Caputi Liakos’ compelling and candid memoir in which she recounts her decade-long relationship with Ray-Ray, a charismatic bad-boy and drug hustler, and wrestles with her realization that life – and the pull of the heart – is not always within her control. In a conversational tone akin to swapping […]
Okee dokee folks… I recently performed in Pettaquamscutt Lake Shores Clubhouse At The River-Summer Concert Series, produced by singer-songwriter Mary Pierce Hurwitz. I was amazed by the packed room. The series has been going on for only a year but already has a dedicated and growing audience. As a songwriter, I appreciate a show teeming […]
What can be said about Neil Gaiman that hasn’t already been said? A beloved, award-winning author who has seemingly conquered the worlds of literature and film, Gaiman has become an institution for lovers of all things fantasy. From his groundbreaking work in comics and graphic novels to his actual novels, Gaiman has captured the imagination […]
Hello everyone, I’m David Attleborough, and welcome to Modern Watering Holes. A column where, each week, we explore the culture, habits, and environment of the various herds of people that gather in contemporary human society. Today’s episode, Herds of the Open Mics. As any aspiring writer or performer will tell you, whether it’s music, comedy, […]
Hello everyone, I’m David Attleborough and welcome to Modern Watering Holes. A show where, each week, we explore the culture, habits, and environments of the various herds of people that gather in contemporary human society. Today’s Episode: Herds of the Open Mics As any aspiring writer or performer will tell you, whether it’s music, comedy, […]
In a world where algorithms and short attention spans impact our ability to listen to a full-length album, the band Geo Trio — led by George Leonard III on guitar, with Alex Chapman on drums and Garrett Campbell on bass — has figured out a way to outsmart technology and make us listen. They are […]