Photo by Lillian Karboski. 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 Producer...
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...
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....
Photo by James Brooks. Okee dokee folks… I have referenced the Jethro Tull song, “Too Old to Rock & Roll, Too Young to Die,” A few times in my 22 years of writing for Motif, and...
(Photo credit: Keith J.G. McCurdy, from the cover art of Vudu Sister’s Adynata; photograph of the art installation LO SGUARDO - Humanitas - Physis by sculptor Igor Mitoraj at the Neopolis Archaeological Park of Siracusa...
Mount Pleasant. Elmhurst. The Valley Arts District. These are all neighborhoods whose offerings I thought I knew well, having worked in and around Providence over the last few years. But you can certainly miss a...
Buddy Mott. Once upon a time, if you wanted a tattoo, one of the things you could do was traipse to Newport from any of the four corners of the world and get yourself a tattoo...
The actual declaration of Independence was first proclaimed to the people of Newport from this building in July 1776. (Photo by Maureen O'Gorman) It doesn't take long for a person new to Rhode Island to find...
The RI Department of Transportation (RIDOT) announced a major initiative to repair potholes caused by a harsh winter. A new Pothole Service Requests Dashboard site on the web – https://www.dot.ri.gov/travel/potholes.php – allows the public to...
The tattoo artist who goes by Mish, of Fall River, MA, created this month’s cover. “I got the nickname when I was younger, and it just kinda stuck,” she says. Also, it stirs a little...
On the “Weekend Update” satirical news segment on Saturday Night Live. anchor Colin Jost displayed a snapshot of an unhinged rant laced with profanity in the form of a Donald Trump post to Truth Social,...
VOTING OPEN NOW! VOTE HERE 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 community. The live celebration,...
All zombie-d up with somewhere to haunt this Halloween? Fear not, creative and brave readers! Among other great (albeit, non-EDM) spooky spectacles happening this month, one that’s certain to bring you all the right tricks is Luigi’s Haunted Mansion. This 6pm – 1am dance party is hosted by Tight Crew, the event throwers who’ve brought us […]
Zombies have taken West Greenwich, but they only come out at night and on the weekend. After years of watching zombie thrillers and playing every zombie game I could get my hands on, I was prepared for an onslaught of undead corpses shambling toward me. My bloodlust would overcome their hunger for my coveted brain. […]
I recently posted on Facebook asking people if they’d unfriended or unfollowed people this political season over their political posts. (Unfriending leads to no further contact. Unfollowing means not receiving their posts unless you go looking for them). I knew I’d get some replies – the trend has been documented in a number of places. […]
I’ll admit, I was pretty skeptical about goses. Not to be confused with a geuze, a gose is wheat beer that originated in Goslar Germany and has sat in obscurity for hundreds of years. Pronounced like ‘Goz-uh, (empty your heads and don’t think of anything),’ this is actually a very old beer. Recently this obscure […]
If you’ve ever been to a street parade in Rhode Island you’ve probably seen some crazy things – maybe a few roaming ginormous creatures. RI’s best-known, most distinctive creatures are a part of Big NAZO, an internationally touring performance group of visual artists, puppet performers and masked musicians who unite to create bizarre and hilarious […]
Aries: Someone considering themselves an authority figure is not getting the message that you will go your own way no matter how odd or eccentric it may seem to others. Life these days is a mixture of deep, emotional probing and light-hearted endeavors. There are some helpful folks on the horizon. Taurus: After a rather testy […]
Just when you thought the mob’s hold over Rhode Island was weakening… After a season of icing the competition, the Mob Squad extended their undefeated streak on October 8 to recapture Providence Roller Derby’s home season trophy. Their 193-167 victory over the Sakonnet River Roller Rats was far from an easy win. The teams were […]
In 2016, the Rhode Island brewing community welcomed Long Live Beerworks to its ranks. We’re already psyched for the new beermakers that are ramping up to start pouring alluring new concoctions in 2017. Cranston will get its first nano-brewery with Morgan Clark Snyder Jr., who honed his craft as an assistant brewer at the Bronx […]
A Gallup Poll released earlier this week shows that Millennials prefer Trump to Clinton on one issue: regulating Wall Street. Trump holds a 7-point lead on this single issue over Hillary Clinton. This is absurd. Every other issue shows Clinton handily trouncing Trump from national security to healthcare to education. Trump is the anti-regulation messiah […]
True confessions: I love Halloween, but I hate being scared. I refuse to watch horror movies or even general thrillers, so much so that it took four weeks for my friend Jeremy to convince me to watch an episode of Stranger Things. When it comes to paranormal activity, I’d rather be perceived as “gullible” and […]
