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....
When you think of the music of New Orleans, the obvious route you’ll take will be delving into The Big Easy’s rich history of jazz and brass bands. Well, there’s a spectacular duo from there with a new album out that sounds nothing like Jelly Roll Morton or your high school marching band. Psychedelic math […]
Halestorm recently came through New England and played the Worcester Palladium on Nov 29. The show was nothing short of amazing. Frontwoman Lzzy Hale was on fire with her incredible vocal range as well as her ability to lay down awesome guitar riffs with the forefathers of hard rock. Opening the set was their hard […]
“What if (mother) *is* dead? Think how pathetic I’ll be then!” – Tiny Tim, Mrs. Bob Cratchit’s Wild Christmas Binge Playwright Christopher Durang’s absurdly irreverent take on A Christmas Carol wears its cynical, hardened heart on its sleeve, ensuring that the titular Mrs. Cratchit negatively invokes the word “pathos” repeatedly in order to drive home […]
December looks to be a very raucous month at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Shortly after King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table ride through, a regiment of soldiers, a cluster of mice and a Yorkie will take up residence. Following a week long run of Camelot, PPAC will host Festival Ballet Providence […]
A few weeks ago I received word that guitarist Joey Magnanti (formerly of Hawkins Rise) had formed a new band with the enigmatic name of Karma and The Truth (the cool kids call them KatT for short). With a ‘fresh from the manufacturing plant’ CD already making waves throughout the area, I had to know […]
In RI we are fortunate to be surrounded by many wonderful arts organizations. Whether you prefer equity or non-equity performances, theatergoers have many viable options. Yet, it is always refreshing to visit a place where many of the state’s talented artists – literally — took their first steps toward stardom. For a remarkable 55 years, […]
It was November 18 in Providence, and I decided to forgo my regular Tuesday night routine of realigning my fantasy football teams for the following week in favor of making my way to Brown University for a forum on the regulation and taxation of marijuana. Jared Moffat of Regulate RI was set to moderate a […]
If you’re a fan of punk and hardcore, then Madball and Agnostic Front are two bands you have definitely heard about. And both bands are bringing an early Christmas present to Providence this December. Madball is celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album Set It Off. This album is one of the most influential for […]
Aries: This period begins with some startling conversation that opens your mind to new possibilities. As you assimilate all this, opportunities for new friendships, new romance and new professional relationships present themselves. There’s a feminine influence on your career trajectory that is quite favorable. Taurus: You can’t seem to get away from conversations about money […]
Some things I learned about women from “SHE: Picturing Women at the Turn of the 21st Century,” the exhibition on view at Brown University’s Bell Gallery (64 College St, Providence, through Dec 21): Women have big breasts, big butts and they like to lie around. Also a lot of big shot, blue-chip artists are way […]
