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....
Red Stripe in Providence has always been a reliable choice when I crave rich food and a cozy ambience. Would their new East Greenwich location deliver on both fronts? I’d heard this was the new hot spot in town, so I asked my husband to make a reservation. We easily got a 7pm time slot, […]
The responsibility of an artist to society and how art reflects life are the major themes in Morality Play, a riveting drama that opened at The Gamm on Jan 1 and runs through Feb 1. This play is based on a novel by Barry Unsworth and was adapted for the stage by Tony Estrella. The setting is […]
On Dec 5, heavy metal titans Slipknot brought their “Prepare for Hell” tour to Uncasville, Conn., at the Mohegan Sun Arena with nu-metal veterans Korn. Slipknot has been around for 19 years (actively touring for 15) and Korn for 21 years. Two bands with that sort of longevity drew a packed arena full of a few different generations of fans. Korn had just about a 50-minute […]
Food truck fans, rejoice! If you like a side of history with your burger, you’ll be thrilled to know that you can now pick up a DVD of The Original Food Truck, Haven Brothers: Legacy of the American Diner when you indulge your next late-night burger craving. The DVD is also available at Benny’s, My Little town, […]
Every year in Providence, there are plenty of unforgettable shows that’ll leave you in a state of astonishment and bliss. Nights of excitement and energy that seem to never leave you. With legends, diamonds in the rough and local up-and-comers gracing the many stages in The Creative Capital, it’s safe to say that 2014 was […]
Get the champagne ready and go watch people make bad decisions — it’s New Year’s Eve! There’s a lot happening in the Providence area, so here are five fun events to keep in mind when planning what should be an epic night. 5.) Hit Up A Bar: A few local establishments are ringing in the new year […]
2014, you just wanted to get weird from the get go. Weird in a very good way with surprise releases and collaborations that had strokes of genius. And locally, you saw a lot of bands in Providence really make their mark all over New England. As with every year, you also had a few albums […]
Dear Dr. Brilliant Cliché; I am so sick of the hypocrisy! Every New Year’s Eve, I listen to people babble incoherently about all the great resolutions they are starting tomorrow. Tomorrow comes and some of them manage to actually make it one day. I’ve seen them go as long as a month. Then — boom! That’s it. […]
New Year’s Day Polar Bear Plunge: The Newport Polar Bears invite anyone crazy enough to join them for a swim in the Frosty North Atlantic Ocean. All proceeds from the swim and at the after swim party go to A Wish Come True. Help raise money for a great charity. Noon, Easton’s Beach, […]
California Taco Shop, a small Rhode-Island based chain, has opened another restaurant a month ago, this time in Pawtucket. They have four existing locations: Providence (with locations on Manton Ave and Plainfield St), Johnston and Warwick, and the expansion means good things for Mexican food. According to NPR, the Latino population in Providence has almost […]
