Rachael Warren as Diana. Photo by Mark Turek. The Next to Normal audience is exposed to waves of raw emotions drowning your soul and dampening your eyes. You may wish you had premedicated with any of...
Blaq Sav. Photos by Lillian MK Photography. Favorite Free Verse Spoken Word 2026 Ashley Hosa Sending out a big congrats to Ashley Hosa, who came to the Spoken Awards with a multitude of wonderful supporters (shoutout to Ryan!)....
The founder of the long-standing hipster-ish West Side restaurant Julians hadn’t been involved directly with the restaurant in quite some time. But his legacy persisted. A larger-than-life personality, you never knew at what event Julian...
Renowned supporter of local music and arts Lisa Gourley (Sometimes Lisa Gourleyx) passed away on June 15. Reading reactions on social media, you can’t help but notice how often the words “nice,” “kind,” and “photography”...
This beautiful Solstice moment, June 21, 2026 brings the winds of change into our lives. The pivotal points among the planetary movers and shakers of the Zodiac find Gemini, with Uranus and Ceres, reaching across...
By Olivia Lunger By Lillian MK Photography ...
Favorite Color Tattoo Evan Olin, Powerline Tattoo Runner-up: Luis Bold, Unicorn Ink Favorite Black & Gray Ryan Dowden, Dark Ritual Runner-up: Luis Bold, Unicorn Ink Favorite Black & Gray with Color Steven McDonough, Secret Safe Tattoo Runner-up: Rachel WS, Rachel WS Fine Art...
By Lillian MK Photography By Olivia Lunger ...
Photo by Lillian MK Photography. Favorite Free Verse Spoken Word Ashley HosaRunner-up: Jeff Daniellian Favorite Social Justice Spoken Word Erik AndradeRunner-up: Mx Asher Favorite Youth Poet Angel CruzRunner-up: (by one vote) Josselyn Wolf Favorite Poetry Event Apothica's Monthly Poetry NightRunner-up: Afroverse Favorite...
Congratulations, you survived the record-breaking Blizzard of 2026. With the anticipated arrival of clear skies and warm temps, how will you be spending your well-earned, much-needed downtime this summer? If you’re adventurous, you could explore some of...
Artwork by Bob Eggleton. Godzilla has been a cinematic icon for over 70 years. However, there are important themes around the monster that have gotten lost with international audiences. There is no gigantic monster that has had...
Tie-dye by Spun Laundry. BEACHES Atlantic Beach Park: Family beach, amusements, kiddy rides, snack bars, antique 1915 carousel, batting cages, bumper boats, go-carts, mini golf, game room, waterslides, gift shop, beachware and an ocean-view cocktail lounge. 321...
Photos by Lillian Karboski. Every time you listen to a song, there is always something more than the words or catchy melody. On Friday, May 1, right in the heart of downtown Providence, an extraordinary group...
Okee dokee folks… Rising costs of everything is what’s on my mind this month. It really should be on everyone’s mind. The main things I will talk about here are gasoline and concert tickets. One...
Photo: Christopher Mongeau. Ravi Shavi, a band that has been around since 2011 and started as a moniker for Rafay Rashid’s music project, has evolved and become more rooted in its creative approach and performance, as...
“Can I go to X?” is the question 2 Feet 2 Bucks has answered with “Yes” dozens of times, where X = place worth going out of your way to, to take a walk, short...
We sat down a few months ago with one of the organizers of RI’s Deportation Defense Line. The Defense Line’s origins are organic and multifaceted. No one person is in charge of it. No one...
Artist of the Year: Favorite Song: Favorite Music Video: NOVA ONE; "chlorine" by NOVA ONE; "chlorine" - NOVA ONE (Dir. Frankie Ferrari) nova one: “nova won!” Providence’s own nova one won (!!) four 2026 Motif Music Awards: “artist...
Photo by Matthew Murphy. The North American tour of Disney’s The Lion King last played the Providence Performing Arts Center in 2017. After nearly ten years, The Lion King is back astounding Providence for a limited...
“Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). This is the core theme behind William Shakespeare's darkest comedy, Measure for Measure, one of Shakespeare’s most exciting, underperformed and underappreciated plays, currently presented by Burbage...
Smithfield, RI: A town known for its forests, trails, ponds, and well, wealth. An unlikely location for a potential AI-Data Center, one may think. Yet, this rural community, despite data center construction being illegal under...
This is the story of visiting Providence’s newest Rotisserie and Bistro, Thermia, and being so intrigued by its menu and feeling so welcomed by the staff, that I went twice in one week! To give...
Check out extensive listings for every show we could find this season. But some are bigger or just fundamentally represent summer in our eclectic, hyperactive, tiny-yet-overachieving state. Here’s a selection of special events to keep...
“Industry wants us to believe the sky will fall if there’s reform," said Council President Rachel Miller. "But for working families, the sky is already falling..." Council President Rachel Miller (Ward 13) “In front of you is...
The eggplant piece featured on the cover of Motif is the first completed work in Chenlu Hou’s Garden series, making it a perfect fit for this issue’s theme of Summer. A low-fire terracotta sculpture, airbrushed and...
[See prior update: motifri.com/iran-war-update-01] The Iran war cannot continue as it is for much longer, and this is a result of simple math. Time is running out for energy and food supply US Consumer Price Index for All...
Voting is now closed -- Join us to see who was selected 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...
Ann Morrison and Marcus Phillips in the National Tour of KIMBERLY AKIMBO. Photo by Joan Marcus KIMBERLY AKIMBO is a musical with a lot of heart, a lot of wit, and a lot of rave reviews...
Processed with VSCO with 6 preset When Steve DelMonico (vocals/guitar) approached John Faraone (drums) with an impossibly unique band name, there was no way of knowing that 10 years later they’d be sitting at Nolan’s with...
Photo: Dave Rezendes. John Faraone: a man of many bands, many instruments, and one poetic voice. While John wouldn’t call himself a poet, I certainly believe that his lyrics are simply stanzas waiting to be printed....
The Low Cards’ High Brow Blues Providence’s The Low Cards are back with their second album, The Pilgrim’s Wake, an expertly crafted odyssey down their own spiral staircase of melancholy. Thematically ambitious and rewarding of multiple listens, it goes above and beyond what they accomplished with their self-titled debut. Grasping for categorization, the blues comes to […]
For medical reasons, it’s common (and legal) practice to provide warnings to theatergoers if there will be strobe effects or flashing lights in a theatrical production. That courtesy then extended to warnings in the lobby that the play you are about to see contains the sound of gunshots or other sudden noises that may startle […]
From award-winning homebrewer to brewery owner: Kyle Michaud takes the helm of Twelve Guns Brewing and docks her in the scenic, seaside town of Bristol. I met with Kyle on a blustery Wednesday morning to tour his soon-to-be-open brewery and taproom. The name Twelve Guns, Kyle tells me, comes from the Revolutionary War naval vessel, […]
Congratulations to all our winners! Community Champion Award: Bert Silverberg Improv / Audience Participation: Providence Improv Guild Youth Production of the Year: Once On This Island, Academy Players Favorite Ensemble: The Rocky Horror Show, OUT LOUD Best Concessions: Trinity Rep Bombastic Fight Choreography: Victoria Casillo, West Side Story, New Bedford Festival Theatre Best-est Fests: PVD […]
For anyone who is still reeling from Ari Aster’s new festival film Midsommar, a terrifying triptych of bacchanalia, pagan ritual and cult-enforced suicide, the term “festival” can conjure up a host of images — and some of them are a bit unsettling. Thankfully, most festivals are of a more innocent variety than those of Aster’s […]
Last month, Canada was gripped by a spate of murders committed by a pair of teenagers from British Columbia. While the individuals (whose remains were recently found in a river in Manitoba after an exhaustive manhunt) were not known for their sense of style, their clothing choice certainly drew attention. Spotted on a CCTV camera […]
Last week, the Brewers Association (BA), the trade organization that represents small and independent American craft brewers, posted its national midyear stats for 2019. Production volume increased 4%, which has been the pace for the past few years. Bart Watson, the BA’s chief economist, noted that “the majority of growth continues to come from microbreweries, […]
A few years back I saw an advertisement on Craigslist that offered up an apartment in PVD that claimed to be where H.P. Lovecraft lived and worked. Fascinated, but too poor to move, I did the next best thing and became addicted to finding out where PVD’s own master of horror spent his time, and […]
Keeping Tradition Alive Kudos to Governor Gig Raimondo for keeping the grand tradition of sleaze in Little Rhody politics alive and well. Gigi’s attempted 20-year, $1 billion casino deal with IGT is a tribute to the worst aspects of local political scheming. It features all the hallmarks of the corruption that is The Biggest Little’s […]
One of the true pleasures of summer in Rhode Island is spending an evening at the Contemporary Theater Company in Wakefield, where they’ve built a reputation for offering any and every kind of programming you can think of to fill up the warmest nights of the year. The theater produces engaging shows year-round, but there’s […]
