It’s the Eve of All Hallows Eve, and the fires of Devil’s Night will be roaring bright at club Dusk for the first ever BURLESQUE N’ ROLL! This two-stage indoor/outdoor carn-evil event will feature bloodcurdling bands and burlesque dancers. Getting mummified up for the night could “payoff” for a few lucky winners of the […]
As one of Mike’s closest friends for more than sixty years, I’ve felt that I should express my feelings and share it with the rest of Motif’s readers. He was an inductee to the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame.Mike Renzi was among the top international jazz accompanists in the musical world. He owed his […]
Local jazz bass-guitarist Joe Potenza’s dad provided a cool variety of instruments for his family, while growing up in Providence. He tried them all, and got to favor the bass-guitar.Joe began gigging with several of Rhode Island’s excellent musicians, including legends, trumpeter John Allmark, pianist Mike Renzi and reed great Dino Govoni. They taught him […]
This summer, Miraya Shah, aka @mirayavibes, a 10 year-old rapper, had her stage debut alongside Chachi Carvalho. Diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 7, she had been writing stories and songs for a while, and when it came time to choose what she wanted to do after treatment ended, she chose a creative endeavor. […]
Burt Jagolinzer, who has attended the Newport Jazz concerts for 67 years writes: George was my friend and my association with him was very important to me, each year… I would always congratulate him, after each Newport performance.… George Wein discovered jazz, as one of his most important loves of his life. (The other love […]
Okee dokee folks… Back in July I was invited to open for the band The Fools in New Hampshire. I thought it an odd pairing but I took the gig nonetheless. I remembered the band from the early 80’s and loved their songs “Psycho Chicken”- a “Weird Al-esque” spoof of the Talking Heads’, “Psycho Killer”, […]
By Cathren Housley Stefan Couture creates a party wherever he goes. During the long COVID lockdown when venues went dark, he gathered fans and found a growing crowd of new friends at his Virtual Campfire every Saturday night in North Smithfield, RI. Now that the club and concert stages have reopened, Couture has been spreading […]
My first few years at the Newport Jazz and Folk Festivals were spent standing behind a cart, selling ice cold drinks to festival attendees. I’d chase the shade with my umbrella, while listening to legends and newcomers play, and daydream about what it must look like from up there on the historic stage. As I’d […]
David Manny Valerio (aka Dvalor, Valor) is a Providence native with more than a decade of experience in music tech, production and studio relations. Seeing the world through hip-hop culture has shaped the life this single father has created for himself and his son, Ethan. From playing beat sets at local venues to finding his way […]
Picture yourself walking into a place and being transported to 1920s Paris as you hear two acoustic guitars playing, sweet harmonies traveling through your consciousness, and laughter echoing softly. That is the essence of the new jazz duo, Birt & Harley. This twosome, made up of John Birt (of the French 75 Dixieland Band and […]