october 2014 centerspread artist: Dean Calusdian
our october centerspread is a scary one, illustrated by Dean Calusdian. Click the image for a larger view, and check out his portfolio here: http://www.dreamswithindreams.com/
2026 Tattoo Awards Winners
Favorite Color Tattoo Evan Olin, Powerline Tattoo Runner-up: Luis Bold, Unicorn Ink Favorite Black & Gray Ryan Dowden, Dark Ritual Runner-up: Luis Bold, Unicorn Ink Favorite Black & Gray with Color Steven McDonough, Secret Safe Tattoo Runner-up: Rachel WS, Rachel WS Fine Art...
2026 Spoken Awards Photos
By Lillian MK Photography By Olivia Lunger ...
Spoken Award Winners 2026
Photo by Lillian MK Photography. 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...
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”
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...
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...
Stuff to Do
OCTOBER 2014 COVER Artist: FRANKIE B. WASHINGTON
Our October 2014 cover is illustrated by Frankie B. Washington click the image for a larger version, and check out his portfolio here : Http://www.frankiebwashington.com
Interview with We Are Scientists’ Keith Murray
New York indie rockers by way of Berkley, Calif., We Are Scientists are one of those acts that aren’t afraid to push boundaries and try out different things. One song will be a Fugazi-tinged alt-punk scorcher while another can sound like a mainstream pop hit. They’re currently in the midst of “The Splatter Analysis Tour” with Floridian indie […]
Metamorphoses: Love Is the Moral
He’s King Midas with a curse He’s King Midas in reverse -Graham Nash Like Ovid’s original collection of myths, Mary Zimmerman’s beautifully elegiac Metamorphoses defies categorization. Zimmerman’s series of transformative tales are presented in something of a Reader’s Theater style, but to pigeonhole the work into so narrow a definition is to do the play […]
Album Of The Week: The History Of Apple Pie’s Feel Something
They say that you should never judge a book by its cover and the same should be said concerning a band’s name. What a group of musicians call themselves can either signify what they represent, what their music is about or maybe it’s just a cool name. An act from London with one of the […]
Interview with Sean Rowe
One cool thing about roots music is that it can be very wide ranged at times. The fusion of folk and blues leaves endless musical possibility and a wonderful example of that is Troy, NY, singer-songwriter Sean Rowe. Sean has put out a gem of an album this year with Madman and he’ll be headlining […]
Hummel Report Quarterly Update
Editor’s note: As we head into the final three months of 2014, and the heart of another election season, Jim Hummel has significant updates on a handful of his investigations. FBI Focus: The feds are now asking questions after The Hummel Report profiled Andrew Winters, a veteran URI employee working with the Lesbian Gay Transgender […]
Get Enlightened at Beervana
Ah, Beervana. That blissful state one reaches when sampling the delectable glory of the Founders KBS, or cherishing the wonder of the ever-elusive Holy Grail from Vermont known as the Heady Topper. Oh, yes — also, it’s a massive craft beer festival on October 17 at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston. Beervana is the […]
EDM: Respect the DJ — A Profile of DJ Bruno
When it comes to nightlife entertainment, DJs are the main ingredient. One of the most influential DJs I have ever met is DJ Bruno from Boston. He’s been DJing in New England since 1987 and became known in the college scene in the late ’80s to early ’90s for mixing hip-hop, reggae, RnB, and house […]
Interview with a Zombie
In anticipation of RI Comic Con, we invited a zombie to the Motif offices to discuss film, food, and the zombie lifestyle. He arrived in chains, led by his handler. Our interview follows: Motif: Thank you for taking the time out of shambling to talk with me today. I notice you’re missing half your face. […]