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...
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 evidenced by...
“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,...
VOTE HERE! "May your tattoo ink never run dry," as the ancient Portlandian blessing goes, has rarely been more applicable. Motif is proud to partner again with Narragansett Brewery to bring you the RI Tattoo Awards,...
Are you a good roller skater? I am really good at rolling forward, not so good at stopping. Would you ever be a roller derby player? Yes! If I could just figure out that stopping thing I would be unstoppable! Wait…. What’s your favorite first sign of spring? I live near a small body of […]
[This was written in 2016 and updated a couple of times over the years. Latest update: Jan, 2025.] People often ask – here’s how the nominations are arrived at: We contact the booking agents at over 180 local venues that host live music, record companies, event planners, etc. That’s every place we can find – […]
Becky’s New Car was written as a birthday gift from a husband to his wife, and in many ways it rings like permission to make mistakes. It was not, however, the writer’s wife who was on the receiving end of the production, but the wife of the Seattle commercial realtor who commissioned the piece. Written […]
Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound is like a family holiday dinner at your aunt’s house; everyone is there, and you know you’ll be chided for your life decisions, patted on the back by an understanding distant relative, cry in the bathroom, find the humanity in one of your parents, be extremely annoyed with your sibling and […]
1. Angry Angles “Things Are Moving” In 2010, the world lost too soon the super talented musician Jimmy Lee Lindsey Jr., better known by his stage name Jay Reatard. At 18 years old Jay released as The Reatards his first album, Teenage Hate, a memphis garage rock album that at first blast outshined his experienced […]
After packing her belongings and leaving her husband, Michelle is involved in an automobile accident and wakes up in a bomb shelter with two strange men, Howard and Emmett. While the two men insist that some unknown catastrophic event took place on the surface and that Michelle is not a prisoner but rather there for […]
Before winning five Grammy awards and being hailed as a “jazz virtuoso” by The New York Times, Christian McBride, touring as a bassist with all-star lineup of Jazz Futures, played his first Newport Jazz Festival in 1991. Now, five Grammys and 25 years later, he is returning again — but his presence will be felt […]
A great way to kick off the spring publican season — or just enjoy a mild spring afternoon — is with a glass of ginger beer. Better yet — local ginger beer made with a New England crop grown by Farmer Willie and released with the help of Pawtucket’s Foolproof Brewing Company! Not sure where […]
If you want to learn how to climb you can probably find a rock gym to get introduced to the sport. This isn’t how it’s always been though. “You could only climb when the weather was good and you could drive to New Hampshire,” said Kat Waterhouse, director of marketing for Rock Spot Climbing in […]
While most people are familiar with THC and CBD, cannabis contains upward of 85 different cannabinoids with different properties and potential medicinal benefits. Cannabinoids are the chemical compounds produced by the flower and located in the resinous trichome glands. All mammals have an endocannabinoid system (ECS), which is composed of lipids and receptors located in […]
