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....
Elvis is arguably one of the most influential artists of all time. He bridged the gap between the white-dominated country sound and black-dominated blues sound, eventually bringing rock ‘n’ roll to the mainstream of screaming girls (and their jealous, but intrigued boyfriends) and even becoming the alleged first boy band. He could sing, act (sort […]
With a whole lot of fuzzy distortion, infectious rhythms and a psychedelic vibe that’s as cool as the other side of the pillow, it’s difficult to pick another band that’s bound for a bigger year than The New Highway Hymnal from the north shore of Massachusetts. Their second full-length album, Reverb Room, is out and […]
Donald Margulies’ Collected Stories, now playing at 2nd Story Theatre in Warren, is a must-see play for many reasons: the writing, the acting, the set, and the fact that two strong women characters drive the show. Lynne Collinson, as Ruth Steiner, is a professor of writing and a published short story writer. Her graduate student, […]
My husband and I recently took our boys to the Kingstown Bowl for a night of bowling, pizza and beer/lemonade. Culinary expectations were low, as the Kingstown Bowl’s pizza – though adequate – doesn’t really evoke excitement. As we pulled into the parking lot, I saw that Providence Coal-Fired Pizza just opened a sister restaurant […]
When it comes to modern rockabilly and psychobilly these days, the consensus is that The Reverend Horton Heat is a pioneer in both styles since his ascension in the mid-’80s. The living legend will be performing in the ballroom at Fete on Jan 21, and we chatted about seeing The Cramps in Dallas, being a […]
It is a graduation with no gowns, music or the obligatory walk across a stage. But for Raphael Ribera this is a major milestone in his life — and one that may well save his life. Raf, as his friends here call him, has just completed a 90-day reentry and recovery program run by The […]
I had been tired and achy for months, but assumed I was stressed and overworked. My memory and cognitive abilities were off and I couldn’t handle stressful situations. I went in for a routine check-up and my blood pressure was off the charts, which lead to a test for my cholesterol levels. My primary care physician […]
Americans have an interesting fascination with their health and well-being from the perspectives of both groundbreaking advances in western medicine, and a continued exploration of alternative medicines and healthy lifestyles hailed by many, scorned by some, manipulated by con men and brought to fruition by the true believers willing to show the way. One such groundbreaking […]
Boston’s Sidewalk Driver has been raising the ideal of glam to whole new levels. With a sound that mixes the styles of Ziggy Stardust-era Bowie, power pop pioneers Big Star and early ’80s arena rock, this eclectic act has a knack for being catchy and exuding a contagiously fun vibe. At times you’ll be cutting […]
Aries: Your focus is on plans for the future as you reach or revise your goals in life. You may get that raise you’ve been angling for or simply get the recognition you have earned. Friends point you in a new direction money wise and also introduce you to a romantic interest — a person from […]
