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,...
By Lillian MK Photography By Olivia Lunger By Izzy Cooke ...
The Music Awards went off without a hitch this year, and over the course of the evening more than 400 local music lovers dropped by to dance, listen, and cheer on fellow musicians. We'll have...
It’s often said (well, I definitely say this), that some of the deepest conversations and connected moments can happen while one is sitting in a car. This is certainly true for the duo, band, sisterhood...
Image: Olivia Lunger. Local Civil War re-enactor Bill Sherman was having trouble recruiting young people into the hobby, so he hit on a novel idea that is perfectly suited to Gen Z. He immediately telephoned his...
The Continental Congress, befooled. April Fool’s Day originated among the French a few years into the Revolutionary War. Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin had been pleading with them for any sort of assistance. The brand...
If you have been a craft beer lover over this past decade, you may remember when the first Rhode Island Brewery Passport was released. It was changed to an app in 2020. Six years later,...
After attending Chalumeau’s release party for their album BLUE at The Met in Pawtucket last August, I wrote that if you ever got the chance to see them perform live, you should jump on it....
On February 28, after 20 years of being a community staple for first dates, Super Tuesday regulars, and movie fanatics alike, CWTheaters (previously called CinemaWorld) was forced to shut its doors for good. The decline...
Last year, I had a blast and a half working on a fun commercial shoot. I landed the gig because the fella producing, Josh Kirk, asked around to find an actor to portray the client’s...
Photo: Jenn Lombari. @jennlombariphotography ssa lin has been making a local splash like a rockin’ rainstorm after a record-setting blizzard, since releasing her first single, “tallboys,” at the end of 2025. The feedback has been good,...
Rhode Island films have national ties Amidst the blue, blue skies, the deep amber sunlight, the long afternoon shadows, the … WAIT! Ok Rhode Island — I’m baaaaccck! But, I’ll really be back in the middle of this month. I’ve missed you dearly. I’ve been so busy with my own film projects – a crazy […]
#1 Friday, October 11: Bonnie Prince Billy. $20. 8 pm doors / 9 pm show. All ages. Columbus Theatre, Providence, RI. It’s been 11 or so years and 12 releases since Bonnie Prince Billy (aka Will Oldham) performed in Providence. The best part of the Will Oldham collection is it collectively is so all over the place there […]
Artist, Anthony Tomaselli is constantly at work in his studio and the Providence Art Club. Both are filled with a new vitality, energy, life and atmosphere. Twenty years at the Art Club with many new memberships and successful classes – a great old organization made new again with a new vitality and some new blood. […]
What international festival takes place every autumn, has lots of beer, good food, strong men and beautiful women? If you answered Oktoberfest, you’d be a couple thousand miles off … and in another country. No my friends, the festival I refer to is the Great International Beer Festival (GIBF) and competition. The GIBF comes to […]
To say that Warren, RI, has a shortage of high-quality eateries would be a mistake. The secluded coastal town is home of the original Blount Clam Shack, Trafford, The Cheese Plate, and Square Peg, to name a handful. What it never had, however, until late July, was a gastropub. Chomp Kitchen and Drinks introduces a […]
What latent dreams lurk behind well-to-do complacency? The desperation behind every neatly mowed lawn and white picket fence has been explored in all manner of media, pointing to one irrefutable conclusion – we all have hidden desires to climb out of whatever pigeonhole we’re in and explore our secrets. As a wise man once said […]
It’s a natural New England phenomenon to associate clam chowder with the summertime. There’s nothing like relaxing next to the beach and dunking a fist full of clamcake into some piping hot chowder. Hot sun, hot soup? Sounds incredibly sweaty. And not in the good way. A few people had the bright idea to celebrate […]
Opened Mexican food might be the trend of 2013 with the arrival of another taco joint, Amigos Taqueria Y Tequila, to Canal Street in Westerly. It delivers what its name promises: tacos and tequila, combining swanky ambiance with authentic recipes like corn on the cob with mayo, lime, queso and chili powder. Like your Mex […]
For years, Omega Pond was a hidden jewel, an oasis for dozens of homes along the water’s edge in the Rumford section of East Providence. But that all changed in 2006 when TLA Pond View began an expanded recycling operation that resulted in hundreds of complaints from neighbors just across the pond. Those who live […]
The official start of kindergarten was still three weeks away, but on a steamy day in early August, the kids inside a Providence elementary school were getting a jump start to the school year. “Let’s see if he can find the letter `B’ and circle it,” said Pat Conti, a first-grade teacher during the year, […]
