The brilliance of Esperanza Spalding has been on display for well over a decade. While keeping a firm footing in the jazz world, she stretches her arms out into a multitude of sonic landscapes, simultaneously pulling ideas from soul, funk, pop, avant-garde and classical music, then weaving them back into her previous sensibilities to […]
Farewell to Aurora And the slow, depressing march toward progress continues… Motif has already reported on the upcoming closing of Aurora in downtown Providence to make room for redevelopment. And with WBRU being sold off to the non-heathens, the past few months haven’t been incredible for the music scene here. It’s a shame when anywhere […]
Ever since the dawn of the 21st Century, the post-punk style has experienced a revival in two different decades. In the 2000s, bands affiliated with the genre had more of a pop æsthetic and were on a mission to make people dance. These days in the 2010s, most acts are delving into darker and distorted […]
Back in the early ‘80s, there was a unique music scene happening in Los Angeles. It wasn’t what was happening on the Sunset Strip and it had nothing to do with hair metal. This community was coined the “Paisley Underground” and it had bands fusing ‘60s psychedelica, classic power pop and early alt-rock to form […]
Okee dokee folks… Matthew Sweet is hitting the Narrows Center For The Arts in Fall River on Tuesday, September 19 (www.NarrowsCenter.org) and I had a chance to talk with him and review his latest recording. Read on for more… Matthew Sweet: Hello, is that John? John Fuzek: Yes, is this Matthew? MS: Yes, sorry about that (not […]
Prolific artists often go underappreciated in the music industry. It’s strange to see bands that only have a handful of albums be celebrated more than acts who have released over 20 records. The latter can be said about San Francisco garage noise rock phenoms Oh Sees (formerly known as Thee Oh Sees) and their latest […]
Newport’s Alan Bernstein is a lifetime music teacher and performer. His resume includes long stints as a school leader, teacher and as a jazz performer. While growing up in Newport, he began his love for music that included singing, guitar playing, stand-up bass playing and a sundry of other musical interests. He attended University of […]
Fall is on the way! As the leaves change color and the temperature drops, we get all the dope hip-hop tour dates for the season. Here are a few shows to look forward to. We start our fall season on Sep 9 with the RI Music Festival at The Strand Ballroom (Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel). A Boogie […]
Autumn is a great time for classical music in southern New England. Giving way to fanfare and season openers, the 2017-18 season offers many opportunities to hear unique and rare performances of obscure works as well as a healthy dose of familiar favorites. Read on to discover what’s happening this fall. On Sat, Sep […]
Okee dokee folks … I know that most, if not all, of you will be unhappy about this, but it makes me VERY happy — summer is almost over!!! Fortunately it wasn’t really a brutal one and it went by pretty quickly. Yay!! My girlfriend isn’t thrilled that summer is ending, but I do have […]