Photo Essay: Less Than Jake at Lupo’s
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SUMMER THEATER PREVIEW: There’s no shortage of summertime fare at R.I. community theaters and professional playhouses
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...
Godzilla: 70 Years of Fame, Misunderstandings, & Property Damage
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...
Summer Fun Map
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...
OEight at Track 15
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...
Roots Report
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...
Wild Rock Dove: The new Ravi Shavi record and its want to “Misbehave”
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...
Why ask Can You Go Home?
“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...
2026 Music Award Winner Writeups
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...
The Wait Is Over … Disney’s The Lion King returns to the Providence Performing Arts Center
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...
MEASURE FOR MEASURE: What Would You Wouldn’t Do?
“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...
Town Hall Unites Community: Everyone hates an AI data center
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...
Mindfully Thermia: How a new local restaurant inspires its patrons to take it slow
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...
Summer is Happening: Here's what you don't want to miss
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...
Rent Destabilization: Providence City Council fails to override Mayor Smiley's rent stabilization veto, but the fight is not over
“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...
ON THE COVER: Chenlu Hou
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...
News Analysis – Iran War Update: The world faces deadlines only weeks away
[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...
MOTIF’S 2026 RI SPOKEN AWARDS
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...
KIMBERLY AKIMBO is Playing at PPAC Now Through May 10 and It May Just Be “Your New Favorite Musical” (Hollywood Reporter)
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...
A Time Capsule from the 90s in 2026: ‘92 Winona and their Punk Inspiration
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...
John Faraone's Newest Record, The Waves: How his kid brain allowed for the art of self-expression
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....
Roots Report
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...
Impossible Tasks: On fifth album, Adynata, Vudu Sister burnishes hope in the darkness
(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...
You Don’t Have To Go Far: Providence’s Gallery Night shows the art was here all along
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...
MAKING POINTS WITH THE MOTTS
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...
First things first: Rhode Island's 250th anniversary on May 4 celebrates something important, we just aren't sure what.
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...
Pothole Construction Season a Sign of Spring: RI DOT seeks public help finding where to repair
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...
ON THE COVER: Mish
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...
The Impossibility of Satire: Trump-world is an inherent self-parody
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,...
MOTIF’S 2026 RI SPOKEN AWARDS
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,...
2026 RI Tattoo Awards
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,...
Stuff to Do
Hot Days — Ska, Rocksteady, and Reggae: A Brief Musical History
During a sweltering rehearsal the other night, we decided we were only going to run through some reggae and rocksteady tunes. It was too hot to move, too humid to breathe. We most certainly didn’t want to run through any raucous ska numbers. This reminded me, however, of the story of how ska fell out […]
CD Review: Adam Michael Rothberg’s Soul Of A Man
In 2013, Boston musician Adam Michael Rothberg was diagnosed with a rare and potentially life-threatening cancer. The treatment and fallout from his illness has resulted in his introspective new CD, Soul Of A Man. The moody title track was performed by Blind Willie Johnson in 1930. The percussion by Fabio Pirozollo nicely complements Rothberg’s haunting […]
Newport Jazz Festival: 61st Annual Preview
Last year marked a milestone as the revered Newport Jazz Festival turned 60, cementing its place in the realm of music festivals. The 60th anniversary even added a third music-filled day, something they’re repeating this year. Since 1954, the Newport Jazz Festival, aka “America’s First Annual Jazz Festival,” has seen and heard thousands of notable […]
MAC: How Many Characters in a Deck?
Describing MAC to someone else makes it sound like little more than the nth in a line of gimmicky reworkings of Shakespeare, or of Macbeth specifically. The Scottish Play as a two-person show with close-up card magic! Don’t let that deceive you. The play reduces to a two-hander with ease, and having the major characters […]
Film Review: Tangerine
It’s Christmas Eve in Los Angeles and Sin-Dee, a transgender prostitute fresh out of jail, reunites with her friend and coworker Alexandra who informs Sin-Dee that her boyfriend / pimp Chester has a new favorite girl named Dinah. This news sets in motion Sin-Dee’s frantic cross-town trek to find either Chester or Dinah and confront […]
Alt-Nation: VulGarrity’s Afterlife
On their 4th release, Afterlife, VulGarrity conjures up another batch of supernatural-themed thrillers. VulGarrity are a brother/sister team composed of Shawn and Tracy (Vul)Garrity that are known for swapping instruments back and forth and being obsessed with horror movies and the supernatural. They even used to have their own web series that delved into skits […]
A Little Trash and a Dash of Hope, and It’s a Spaceship Now
It’s a testament to the feats achieved by NASA in the past few years that parts of Stuart Wilson’s one-man show It’s a Spaceship Now, premiered in 2013, already feel dated. The Mars rover? Old news – we have color photos of Pluto now! On the other hand, it doesn’t hurt that our sense of […]
Folk Fest Performances That Aren’t to Be Missed
Folkers rejoice! George Wein and the Newport Foundation are ready to kick off the 56th anniversary of the legendary Newport Folk Festival. In the past half-century, the Folk Festival has provided moments that have shaped not only the music community, but history as a whole, from the Pixies going all-acoustic for their headlining set in […]