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,...
A ‘Utes Guide to P&J Phillipe and Jorge have learned that some of our discerning and loyal younger readers are somewhat vague about the origins of the column and references within same to such places as Casa Diablo. (Which is understandable, given the fact that many weren’t even born when the column came out of […]
I’m not a night owl. Only when the sun is shining is my brain saying, WE MUST BE AWAKE (speaking in the royal “we”), but on rare occasions even Miss “I’d like to be in pajamas by 8:oo, thanks,” has moments of social normalcy and stays out past 10pm. And on those nights, inevitably, I […]
That’s life… as the song goes, so let’s start with the life of my friend David Hemingway. Dave is a musician who has fought for his life so courageously for the past few years against cancer. Unfortunately, sometimes courage is not enough when it comes to cancer. Dave passed away on the morning of September 13 […]
The student loan crisis has made national headlines recently, with everything from multi-speech, multi-initiative attention from Obama to a cover story in Time magazine. Exact figure estimates vary, but somewhere around 40 million Americans (more than 12%) owe well over a trillion dollars in total student debt. What exactly is the crisis? A college degree […]
Okee dokee folks … Back in the ORIGINAL days of recordings on vinyl, I used to read the liner notes of my albums over and over again. There was no MTV (not that there really is now) and no internet. The only information you learned about the bands and songs was from the record’s packaging. […]
If you ever think about Arkansas, I doubt the first thing that comes to mind is its music. Since it’s in the heart of America’s South, you’d probably expect twangy banjos and not rock ‘n’ roll by any means. Fayetteville act Pagiins are about to turn that view upside down with their crazy fuzzed-out debut Opium Den Pool […]
At the risk of making much of our readership feel old, Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel just turned 40! Music nerds and concert fanatics like myself tend to measure their lives by the great shows they’ve seen, which is why institutions like Lupo’s become hallowed ground to the community. If you’ve had your existence redefined by a […]
Becca and Tyler are two young teens who have never met their mother’s parents due to their mother being estranged from them. When the grandparents reach out to the mother via the internet and request she send Becca and Tyler to visit them for five days, the mother begrudgingly agrees. Once Becca and Tyler arrive, […]
Pug-let, Shakespeare’s Hamlet performed by pug dogs, is sweeping the theater world like a furry tornado – with established actor, playwright and Epic Theatre Artistic Director Kevin Broccoli in the role of Toto. Started as a satirical joke on Kickstarter (“To Pee or Not to Pee: An All-Pug Hamlet Media Frenzy,” Sep 4, 2014), the […]
Barrence Whitfield and The Savages have been kicking up a rock ‘n’ roll ruckus off and on for over 30 years. Whitfield and The Savages were known for their bruising take on R&B and soul with reckless garage rock-fueled abandon. It was like some combination of Sam Cooke, Don Covay and Little Richard being backed by […]
