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,...
I don’t have a drinking problem, but my drinking had become a problem. It last summer, when I foolishly did NOT sign my children up for summer camp, but instead joined my town’s pool club and headed there almost daily. It was fun at first, but by the end of July, the bloom was off […]
With a story that features more twists and turns than a roller coaster, you would expect Deathtrap to be a thrilling ride. Instead, what the Community Players have assembled turns out to be a bloody bore. Playwright Sidney Bruhl (C. Richard Koster) lives with his wife Myra (Michelle Walker) in a secluded country house in […]
January is the time when most people plan to put some spark back into their lives, looking at each new year as a fresh start to a better everything. Resolutions, brand new to-do lists and updated goals are swimming around the heads of many in hopes of a newfound productivity and enlightenment. While accomplishing some […]
My weekends spent in Newport were once filled with beach days and nights in the arcade as a child (plastic ninja swords anyone!?), but now, as my rabble-rousing evenings have taken a more mature spin, late nights lend themselves to even later mornings and the all-too-common urge for a greasy, boozy brunch that might stave […]
Okee dokee folks … have we all settled comfortably into 2016? Hands? I have successfully written the date a couple of times on checks, and I made no resolutions, so I am all set. Besides, I have plenty of stuff left over from last year to take care of. Not resolutions, just stuff. When I […]
It may sound like a new gag item on the shelves at Spencer Gifts, but rePOOPulate is no joke. It is the product of extensive medical research, developed by an enterprising team at the University of Guelph in Canada: fake poop designed for the treatment of conditions such as C. diff colitis, a gastrointestinal infection […]
Editor’s Note: As The Hummel Report puts the wrap on another year of investigations, Jim Hummel has new developments on a handful of investigations, beginning with the case of a Coventry neighborhood that’s been living with the fallout of having two asphalt plants next to its property. Uneasy Coexistence: The neighbors complained that two plants […]
Affluenza, Little Rhody-style “Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald No shit, Sherlock, er, F. Scott. Unfortunately that doesn’t pertain to the crassest behavior exhibited at times by the Great Unwashed, as the sexual rape and molestation scandal at the (once-) prestigious St. […]
Health care has been in a state of very rapid evolution for the last three years, sparked into mutation by the comet strike of the Affordable Healthcare Act (AHA, aka ObamaCare). Each year, we try to connect with the leading healthcare organizations that affect our lives in RI and surrounding areas, and find out what’s […]
When I tell friends that I think their grandchildren might live for hundreds of years, they usually think I’m kidding around. While I spend a fair amount of my life doing exactly that, in this case I’m not. Advances in medical science are progressing at an exponential rate. While regulation and testing add delays of […]
