By Lillian MK Photo. RI Battle of the Bands had a smooth run this year, every performance dodging the monsoons that have plagued past iterations. The year started out with 16 highly accomplished, but not necessarily...
Okee dokee folks… I mentioned this in my column a few months ago and now it is coming close to being (IS) a major issue. GASOLINE. Before the mango moron started his war of distraction...
We all know that women were the first to make beer, right? It was discovered by accident when grains were used to make other foods digestible. Dried grain was stored and used to make bread....
Haunted Attractions 1. Factory of Terror Terror experience for all ages, including a variety of imaginative themes and thorough design. 120 Pearl Street, Fall River, MA 774-415-0153 factoryofterror.com 2. Scary Acres Fall festivities with the main attraction - a three-part terror experience...
Cover artist Nilton Cárdenas of Cranston refuses to stand still. “I am constantly moving, and creating art,” he says in an interview at Sharks Peruvian Cuisine on Broad Street in Central Falls. And when he’s not...
Photos by the author. Magda León is more than a multidisciplinary artist; she is an immigrant woman who uses art to explore her identity, her roots, and her connection to community. When I asked her how...
Photo by Scott Lapham. For the Rhode Island artist, educator and muralist, creativity has become a way to open doors, strengthen community and help others discover possibilities within themselves. For Nilton Cárdenas, giving back does not begin...
Every Hispanic Heritage Month, we are given an opportunity to look back.We celebrate the pioneers who came before us, the traditions they preserved, the institutions they built, and the sacrifices they made so generations that...
Photo by Dave Cantelli. Ever rummaged through your spouse’s sweater drawer expecting to find argyles, yet instead stumbling across a secret fetish so utterly demented that it immediately sent you bolting toward a new life? Deftly...
Rachael Warren as Clare. Photo by Mark Turek. If there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, The Getaway Driver at Trinity Repertory Company is it. The world premiere of the two-person play...
Photo by Jesse Dufault. Hark, spectators of the realm! If thy soul doth hunger for a "reverent irreverence" turning a 77-seat black box into a roaring arena of wretched romance, get thee to the Burbage Theatre...
RI Music Hall of Fame plaque honoring Rudy Cheeks/The Fabulous Motels/The Young Adults. (Photo: Michael Bilow) Much has already been written on the passing Sep 18 at age 76 of Bruce McCrae, who used the stage name...
Crook Point Brewing Company, 65 Massasoit Ave., East Providence; photo credit: Sean Carlson Over the past year, The Grind has gleamed as one of Rhode Island’s coffee gems. Set up at Crook Point Brewing Company (65...
Natasha Hodgson in the Broadway Company of Operation Mincemeat. Photo by Matt Crockett. The Tony Award® and Olivier Award®-winning musical launches the North American leg of its world tour at the Providence Performing Arts Center September...
Hunter Brown, Allie Seibold, and Seth Eliser in You've Still Got a Friend, playing at Bill Hanney's Theatre By The Sea from August 20 - September 13, 2026. Photo by Michael Derr Okee dokee folks… Tonight, at Theatre By The...
Photo by Steve Ahlquist. The unionized workers of the Community Libraries of Providence have been without a contract for two years now. Their patience, which had been wearing thin, was stretched to the breaking point by...
Photo: L-R: Pénélope Rose, Manya Glassman, Emeline Easton, and K. Elisa Garcia. by Mike Ryan. The Rhode Island International Film Festival, also known as Flickers, took place August 4 through August 9, bringing filmmakers, actors, industry...
I think museums and the culture around them have historically gotten a bad rap. When you think of museums, you might associate them with classism, inaccessibility, and wealthy donors and patrons. There’s also the issue...
As the leaves change to amber hues, so do fall beers. Our local brewers are excited about the opportunity to offer these loved styles of craft beer. If you are looking forward to cozy sweaters...
Illustration by Sadie Levine. 1. Adams Farm (pumpkins, hay rides, corn mazes) Plus: Variety fall farm stand 158 Burnt Swamp Road, Cumberland 401-714-4425 2. Appleland Orchard (apples) Plus: Cider, wine, and donuts 135 Smith Avenue, Greenville 401-949-3690 3. Barden Family Orchard (apples, pumpkins) Plus: Farmers...
Okee dokee folks… I just realized that I have been attending concerts for 50 years now. In that span of time I have seen countless shows. I honestly have no idea how many I have...
Moon Leone didn’t set out to make your run-of-the-mill pop songs. They build whole worlds, embodying different characters and using visuals to tell stories that ultimately help people heal from trauma. Performing as YourFriendM00n, they...
On August 12, Motif cohosted a forum on the Arts in Providence featuring Democratic Primary Mayoral candidates Brett Smiley and David Morales. In Providence, the real election typically happens in the primary. The winner will go...
Every election cycle, Motif brings you the candidates in their own words so you can try to compare apples to apples. It’s our way of contributing to the political process while not having the fact-checking...
Environmental Organizations Endorse Foulkes for Governor PROVIDENCE — The Providence Streets Coalition, a grassroots activist organization devoted to increasing funding, safety, and reliability in the state’s transit network, announced July 21 that it is backing former...
For the cover of Motif’s Fall Guide, painter and muralist Nicholas “Niko” Tolentino of Cranston drew inspiration from his childhood days, he relates in an interview at White Electric Coffee Co-Op in Providence. Roger Williams Park...
Centerville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket hosted its first live music event in August. It started big with the Island Roads Fest, featuring popular reggae/ rock bands including Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, Iration, Action Bronson, DENM, Bumpin...
Stepping into a tattoo convention without a tattoo or an array of piercings can be intimidating, like stepping into a gallery show without reading the title first. Aside from a pair of basic ear studs,...
August 12, 6:30 - 8:30 PM Southside Cultural Center - 393 Broad Street, Providence What do the candidates for Mayor of Providence have in mind for the future of arts engagement in the “Creative Capital”? Find...
Can art by Joey Visco Dogs and drafts? Is there any better way to celebrate yappy hour? If you are an animal and craft beer lover, this is an event you do not want to miss!...
Closed All Seasons Café: This East Providence café, serving empanadas, coffee, pastries, and ice cream, announced over social media it will be closing its doors on December 29. So you still have time to head over there and check it out before it’s gone for good! 365 Waterman Ave, East Providence. allseasoncaferi.com Green Line Apothecary:. […]
By the time the final flurry had fallen, a towering twenty-three inches of snow blanketed the city of Providence in a vast sea of white. The winter of 2005 came a close second to the state’s largest blizzard. The only past occurrence even comparable was the blizzard of ‘78, when a record-breaking twenty-eight inches had […]
Synesthesia First date/ Boy tells girl she is strawberries and mint and/ Sometimesmusic tastes bad/ His brother doesn’t know he is oranges/ The datecontinues point and tell/ What does the bartender taste like?/ Thecouch?/ Elvis?/ Madonna?/ She only doubts when he says Cher iscotton candy/ And purple is bubble gum/ She asks if citrus runs […]
Surely, you know the story. Set in mid-19th century London, Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a morality tale about Ebenezer Scrooge’s one-night transformation from malevolent miser to charitable cherub. After revisiting the lost opportunities of Christmas past, witnessing the wasted potential of Christmas present, and foreseeing the impending horrors of Christmas yet to come, […]
The One, John MarrsRating: 5 stars.Set in the UK, Marrs’ The One paints a near future where a company called “Match Your DNA” promises to pair you with your genetic soul mate. Those interested send a spit swab over to the company with hopes of being “Matched,” but many find that the price of being […]
On the cusp of adulthood, Baadal and his two friends get into mischief in their Pakistani Town. They egg the house of a suspicious official. They go to the Town cinema (a home where their friend installed a new VCR). They flirt with nearby City girls, who clock their Town-ness in their brown pants. Baadal […]
“Cannabis is the noisiest plant on earth.” This first sentence of the foreword by Joe Dolce in The Science of Weed sets the stage for the topics covered in this landmark book by Dr. Godfrey Pearlson, a professor at Yale University and a director at the Institute of Living in Hartford. Every few years, a […]
Moonshine Alley had a modest line of amber and blue shirts as the doors opened at 10:30 am, everyone showing their support for the RI Football Club (RIFC), our AA soccer team, as they played in their first-ever USL championship game against Colorado Springs Switchbacks. The large country-themed bar had balloons in team colors and […]
In the winter, I often find myself craving comfort. When it comes to eating out, I tend to go to the familiar, steadfast places, the ones that rarely change. As a South Kingstown native, that place for me is the Mews Tavern. It’s a neighborhood bar with classic American foods, an impressive beer list and […]
Feeling stressed about finding the perfect holiday gift for your bestie who has everything? Exhausted from listening to Uncle Joe talk about NASCAR? This cocktail is bold and no-nonsense, designed for those “too much” holiday moments. Smoky mezcal gives this Old Fashioned a strong, spirited kick, complemented by warming spices. Inspired by a comforting classic, […]
