For the featured billboard on the homepage.
Okee dokee folks… I have referenced the Jethro Tull song, “Too Old to Rock & Roll, Too Young to Die,” A few times in my 22 years of writing for Motif, and I am going to do it again. This time, it is probably more pertinent than ever. I turned 65. Shit, I am old! […]
After nearly a decade of songwriting in a gothic-folk tradition often tinged with early ’90s grunge, Keith J.G. McCurdy drew from a deeper well in crafting Vudu Sister’s 2021 EP, Burnt Offerings. As a Classics and English double major with a minor in Medieval Studies at the University of Rhode Island, he empathized with the […]
Mount Pleasant. Elmhurst. The Valley Arts District. These are all neighborhoods whose offerings I thought I knew well, having worked in and around Providence over the last few years. But you can certainly miss a lot of subtle, intricate treasure troves of experience in this city if you’re not looking for them. As the Gallery […]
Once upon a time, if you wanted a tattoo, one of the things you could do was traipse to Newport from any of the four corners of the world and get yourself a tattoo drawn by a character named Carlton Mott, better known as Buddy. Tattoos were popularized at first by sailors who had them […]
It doesn’t take long for a person new to Rhode Island to find a local booster willing to tout our little but lovable state and its amazing history. First colony that gave religious freedom to all; first synagogue in the colonies; the Gaspee affair as America’s “First blow for Freedom” of the Revolution in 1772; […]
The RI Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announced a major initiative to repair potholes caused by a harsh winter. A new Pothole Service Requests Dashboard site on the web – https://www.dot.ri.gov/travel/potholes.php – allows the public to report locations needing repair, and monitor progress. It includes overall counts and a map that can zoom down to individual […]
The tattoo artist who goes by Mish, of Fall River, MA, created this month’s cover. “I got the nickname when I was younger, and it just kinda stuck,” she says. Also, it stirs a little mystery into life. Mish was born in Watertown, NY, and, after graduating high school, attended the University of Rhode Island, […]
On the “Weekend Update” satirical news segment on Saturday Night Live. anchor Colin Jost displayed a snapshot of an unhinged rant laced with profanity in the form of a Donald Trump post to Truth Social, before admitting he made it up – but until he said that, any viewer would assume it was real. I […]
VOTING OPEN NOW! Wednesday, May 276 – 10pmMyrtle, East Providence Join us for the 4th annual Motif Spoken Awards! We are excited to be returning to Myrtle to celebrate RI’s spoken word community. The live celebration, including performances for each category and live voting, as well as the results of the online voting, will take […]
“May your tattoo ink never run dry,” as the ancient Portlandian blessing goes, has rarely been more applicable. Motif is proud to partner again with Narragansett Brewery to bring you the RI Tattoo Awards, a recognition of one of the most prevalent day-to-day art forms, ever evolving in its technique, technology, social standing and emotional […]