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,...
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. Want to see your favorite Rhode Island...
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,...
Here are some hot new local tracks to finish melting the ice. The Hopeless Romantics – “Quiet Kind” The third and final single from The Hopeless Romantics’ upcoming debut album, “Quiet Kind” is also a reworked...
Okee dokee folks… PLEASE stop using AI. The more it knows, the more it grows. We are feeding a beast that will someday destroy us. AI is not your friend, though it may pretend to...
Graphic by Olivia Lunger. ...
Hey idiot, why are you and your friends getting high indoors? Don't you know? We have a planet, a whole, big planet filled with trees, rivers, and critters. The outside world doesn't have to start...
Medical marijuana was legalized in Rhode Island in January 2006, and by May 2022 even recreational sales became legal through state-licensed dispensaries and authorized retailers. Yet it still isn’t safe for medical users to come out of the closet....
Cover artist Elliott Italiano of Jamestown is a self-made glass artist. As a young adult, Italiano's interests centered on fashion, inspiring thoughts of pursuing a degree in luxury marketing and design. He relates to his past...
MAD Magazine cover, Feb 2016: Donald Trump and Alfred E. Neuman We fought a military war; our opponents fought a political one. We sought physical attrition; our opponents aimed for our psychological exhaustion. In the process...
Cover artist Mina Miki of Providence calls her baby blanket her longest friend. “His name is Blankie, but now he looks less like a blanket and more like a piece of tangled silk,” she says....
Are you dreaming of color our snow-covered landscape hasn’t provided in months? If so, you’re in luck because the Rhode Island Spring Flower and Garden Show returns to the Convention Center Feb 19 – Feb 22. This year’s show invites attendees to come in from the cold and dream of spring while exploring hands-on gardening […]
Creating art isn’t easy. Creating great art can be even harder. In Seminar, now playing at 2nd Story Theatre through Feb 22, four aspiring novelists gather for a seminar where they receive critiques from a famous literary figure. Izzy (Tania Montenegro), Martin (Ara Boghigian), Kate (Erin Elliott), and Douglas (James Lucey) sit on sofas in […]
Last year, I planned on attending Providence Children’s Film Festival (PCFF) and even showed all the preview clips to my boys so they could select their favorite (Moon Man). Sadly, we missed out on getting tickets because they sold out – quickly – and even my Motif creds couldn’t get me a pass. Many of the other […]
Aries: You feel like you have been living your life within a whirlwind and although the social whirl continues, there will be pockets of time and space for you to slow down, wind down and catch your breath. Some behind-the-scenes stuff is going on; whether it is internal or external, this stuff has you asking questions. Hidden […]
Doug Woolverton will take some time off from his “day job” to present a “Tribute to Miles Davis” at the Jane Pickens Theater in Newport on Feb 19. Woolverton is best known as the trumpet player for Rhode Island’s legendary Roomful of Blues. Woolverton was born in Trenton, N.J., and moved with his family to […]
I should concede at the outset that Tom Stoppard’s now-classic meta-theatrical Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is one of my favorite plays. It is a clever and rapid-fire comedy that combines Marx Brothers witticisms with serious philosophical quandaries, but – trust me on this from personal experience – is a lot funnier than a graduate-level […]
It never ceases to amaze how art often reminds us that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Thus Ocean State Theatre Company’s presentation of The Meeting will surely strike a chord with many. Jeff Stetson’s compelling play depicts an imaginary meeting between two of the civil rights movement’s most iconic figures: Dr. […]
Jennifer Ricci has been with Festival Ballet Providence for nearly 25 years. But none have been more challenging than this past year. It began with the devastating loss of her dancing soul mate and sister Jaclyn; she was one of FBP’s star dancers until her retirement in 2003. Then, following her sister’s passing, Ms. Ricci […]
Providence locals Weak Teeth are back with the follow-up to their 2012 EP What A Plague You Are. Sticking to their punk sound and self-proclaimed emo vocals, So You’ve Ruined Your Life applies the same formula that the band has always delivered. The frantic guitar patterns and harsh vocals grab you by the neck and scream in […]
Years ago I met Ed Sweeney at a Rhode Island Songwriters Association event. He handed me his CD, Inside Fezziwigs’. Many years later, that CD has become a holiday favorite. And much like Dickens’ Fezziwig character, Ed has a generous way – smiling, gracious and happy to chat and catch up when you see him. Ed […]
