Babylon cover art; band photo; image credits: The Huntress and Holder of Hands At a recent record-release concert in Providence, Rhode Island, MorganEve Swain teased a nearly full house that her band The Huntress and Holder...
Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade. The party doesn't have to end after Halloween weekend. Keep the festivities going with a trip back to the Roaring Twenties when the North American tour of The Great Gatsby...
Artwork: AMOC by Ewa Romaszewicz in collaboration with Ambarish Karmalkar, PhD. For many of us, our most common run-ins with the scientific disciplines happen in two places: the classroom or a news headline. I think it’s...
What does it feel like to be in a room beaming with creative thinkers and artists? What does it look like when a group of motivational, dedicated, hard-working artists comes together? What creative forces can...
(New Harvest “It’s Party Time” poster; poster design: Britta Gustafson / New Harvest; photo credit: Sean Carlson) Photos by Ampersand Creative Co. From one former industrial site to another, New Harvest Coffee Roasters has expanded from humble...
L-R: President Patrick Canary and Secretary Chris Meringolo. Photo by Scott Barnett. Have you ever wanted to homebrew? Yes? I have great news! The RI Brewing Society is holding a “Learn to Homebrew Day.” The American...
When I sat down on a comfy couch at Big Nice Studio in Carrington, RI, for an interview with Space Cowboy Newt, one of the first things they told me was that they’re a rambler....
A new chapter for digital recording studio, The Proving Ground, has begun and owner and producer, Dylan Titus, is ready to celebrate two-and-a-half years of operation by putting together an event showcasing artists who have...
Okee dokee folks… Soon we should know whether this country is going to completely fall into fascism, erupt into civil war, or maintain democracy, as it should. A few weeks ago, Tom Morello presented the Power...
Swan Point Cemetery. Some of the eeriest places in RI are ready for you to check out, if you dare. As the first crisp, damp breaths of autumn begin to catch at the lungs and the trees...
Open: Rollers: A new sports bar has arrived in Providence as of June 12. Rollers hosts watch parties, serves a variety of diner-style food and drinks, and offers both private and semi-private party events. The spot...
1. Higher Education Facilities Bond Measure -- $275 million This bond would use $165 million to create an integrated health building at the URI campus, open to the public, which would also be used for labs...
For cover artist Mishki Thompson of Hopkinton, love helped her conquer a disability and embark on a journey of learning and practicing the art of beadworking, and passing on her Indigenous traditions to the next...
It’s 2003, Thursday afternoon, in a quiet little town called Eberndorf, in the deep south of Austria, surrounded by fields, trees, and medieval churches; 10-year-old me is in my parents’ living room, glued to the...
Photo by Cat Laine. The logistics, physical, and emotional demands of the production are mind-boggling – one actor spending 80 minutes morphing among 12 characters with unique accents and mannerisms while delivering lines almost non-stop and,...
Henry Nwaru in SAME DIFFERENCE at Wilbury Theatre Group. Photo by Erin X. Smithers. It’s 1993 in Providence. A gang leader from Harlem lands at his ex-girlfriend's apartment in the middle of the night — wounded,...
A reimagined production of the international, award-winning musical The Bodyguard will arrive at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC), October 23 – 25, 2026, as part of the Theatre’s 2026/2027 *Encore Series. Based on the 1992...
All photos 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...
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...
One the premier reed players in New England represents Rhode Island. Joe C. Esposito was born in Westerly, grew-up in Warwick and now lives in Cranston. His smooth tenor saxophone style shows off his education — he’s a graduate of Boston’s Berklee College. Joe is a proud freelance reedman, who also provides private lessons in several […]
Although we may be weeks past this year’s Newport Jazz Festival, there is still plenty to reflect on. This year had an amazing variety of music and an explosion of new and returning talent, and featured some of the best performances that I have seen at Newport in my many years of attending. Since there was […]
WED 22 The Flaming Lips: Alternative rock/ psychedelic rock/ post-punk. 9pm. The Strand, 79 Washington St, PVD. thestrandri.com FRI 24 – SUN 26 NEON RetroFest 2018: For those who think fondly of that ‘80s retro aesthetic. Times vary all days. Crowne Plaza, 801 Greenwich Ave, Warwick. neonri.com FRI 24 Bob Otis Benefit: Metal and hard […]
To the Editor, Recently, RI candidates have been arguing about the business climate and whether or not it is improving and who will do more to improve it. The problem with this game is that there is absolutely no correlation between a state’s business climate rankings and its economic growth rate. I have repeatedly challenged […]
This Saturday, August 18, Tight Crew will be back with another block party! The aptly titled Block Rockin Beats party is happening from 3pm to 1am at The Met (both indoors and outside in the courtyard) in Pawtucket. After dabbling in indoor/outdoor events last summer for the Crew’s tenth anniversary party at Fete, they’re back […]
This year saw a number of records broken at the Motif Theater Awards. The number of voters was the most yet, with 4,565 readers weighing in on their favorite performers and performances. The event filled McVinney, the 728-seat auditorium in downtown PVD, with a spirit of cheering camaraderie that carried through the entire night. You […]
[See also motifri.com/dirty-war] By today, August 16, the number of participating newspapers and magazines editorializing about the importance of a free press has grown to more than 300. The New York Times collected links to many of them at the end of their own editorial. Whether this loosely co-ordinated effort will accomplish anything has been […]
When the integrity of an entire group of professionals is called into disrepute in order to qualify the deceit and subversion of an individual in power, we must collectively pause and question how far along the road we have traveled toward the burning of the books. Then, as individuals, we must ask ourselves if we […]
If you’re a medical marijuana patient with no plans this weekend, head on down to Wakefield for the first-ever Cultivators Cup, presented this Saturday, August 18, from 1 – 7pm at the Tetra Hydro Club. Hosted by theFarmacist and billed as “the nation’s first ever state-regulated cannabis competition,” the contest will bring nine of […]
THU 16 Bellerophon and the What Cheer Brigade: Synth and electronic music, followed, perhaps literally, by the super friendly marching band. 4:30pm. Burnside Park, 40 Kennedy Plaza, PVD. provparksconservancy.org SAT 18 RI Blues Fest: A locally produced Blues Fest with international performers joins the pantheon of RI music fests. If you went to the booze […]
