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...
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,...
No Kings 3, Mar 28, 2026 No Kings – nokings.org – is a non-violent protest movement responding to the monarchy-like concentration of power in the hands of the president, to the exclusion of Congress and the...
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....
McKee’s Budget Includes Rollbacks for State’s Renewable Energy Programs PROVIDENCE — Five years after lawmakers passed the state’s first firm climate mandates, the historic Act on Climate law is in danger of getting rolled back by...
The closure of the westbound section of the Washington Bridge that occurred in December of 2023 has inspired major grievances within the greater Providence metropolitan area. Traffic within the city limits has become unbearable, especially...
Graphic by Eric Barao When the US Congress allowed the Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire on Dec. 31, 2025, they created a health insurance crisis that could have inspired a plot line for “American Horror...
On January 30, 2026, an estimated 5,000 Rhode Islanders – including students and numerous local businesses – participated in a historic, nationwide strike in an effort to get the tyranny of Immigration and Customs Enforcement...
Okee dokee folks… “Art is fucking political. Always has been, always will be.” I looked for a source to attribute this to but there doesn’t seem to be a definitive person who said it. Doesn’t...
Gregory Alan Isakov and band, with support from the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra at PPAC on Thursday, January 29, 2026. Photo by Gregory Alan Isakov’s tour photographer, Kenzi Everitt, @kenzieveritt. As the house lights dimmed on...
From left to right: Brendan, Charles, Peter, Wil, John, Daniel, Patrick Kinnane, and Jeffrey Azize. I am a hopeful romantic and a huge fan of romcoms. The films often have a woman in the lead navigating...
I’ve never known much about growing flowers. The few gardens I’ve started in my life ended all too unceremoniously, in death. And I’ve never known much about 3-D printing, either. In fact, probably attributed to...
Snow accumulation at TF Green Airport reached 37.9 inches, shattering the all-time record of 28.6 inches set during the legendary Blizzard of 1978. 07:01 pm EST - 2/23/2026TF Green AP, RI37.903:10 pm EST - 2/23/20261 SE...
The Colonial Theater and TRIST host Shakespeare in the Park Summer: The season that brings to mind beers on the patio, camping trips with the family, and epic tales of magic, manipulation, and romance … okay, maybe not so much the last one, but it could be time to mix it up and take in […]
July Lunar Notes Aries: What started off as all fun, games and romance evolves into serious conversation with your nearest and dearest. It gets really serious, digging into deep psychological stuff. Money and issues of security push the buttons of all concerned. By mid-month the air is cleared and it is time to get out […]
Narragansett vs. Yuengling Beer Battle Yuengling has arrived in the Ocean State. The beer that amassed a rabid fan following from Jersey to Florida has finally broken into New England. Ever since, I’ve been hearing, “I wonder what Narragansett thinks about that?” and “Narragansett is better!” as well as “Nuh-uh, Yuengling is better!” It’s interesting […]
Happy Birthday Motif! To celebrate Motif’s 10th birthday, we wanted to get stories and reminiscences from some of the people who helped create or shepherd the magazine over the years. But we didn’t want to be self-indulgent or self-congratulatory about it. So when we asked Motifated people – especially former staff – to write in, […]
When and where to catch great shows this month 1. Friday, July 11: Dinosaur Jr., King Buzzo (of the Melvins); $25; 8pm doors / 9pm show; All ages; The Met, 1005 Main St., Pawtucket. The loudest show of the year is upon us. Dinosaur Jr. is warming their way up to a fantastic Village Voice […]
What to do when the Rhode Island heat gets you down For the average Rhode Islander, summer generally consists of longingly staring out the window at work, braving beach traffic (has this term been recognized by the dictionary yet?), or hiding from the heat wherever air conditioning exists. I understand — the heat mirage that […]
Clean, Simple, and Delicious Perhaps one day this July you’ll find yourself rollin’ down Broadway on the West Side in search of something green. Perhaps green’s on your mind because it’s 80 degrees. Or because your mind’s on green. Whichever. You need a cocktail, stat. Luckily you see a D-O-G in the distance. What? Cocktail […]
“There is really no better way to celebrate America’s birthday than celebrating its music” The traditional music of America is being celebrated in one of America’s most historic sites right here in our own backyard. Wednesday marked the launch for the 1st Annual BlueGrass Music Festival. Cranston Mayor, Allan Fung, and Warwick Mayor, Scott Avedisian, were both in attendance. The […]
Newest food and drink options in RI and goodbye to an old favorite My progression of emotion upon hearing of the opening of Fed Hill’s The $3 Bar (fairly self explanatory) began at confusion, transitioned to excitement, and settled at, “eh” upon seeing Facebook photos of miniature drinks. My progression of emotion after hearing of […]
By Despina Durand and Khrysta Ryan Thursday June 19 the Providence Poetry Slam held an open mic night at AS220 including members from the youth team as well as new poets stepping up to the mic for the first time. Although this was not an actual slam, the mic was open to not only poets […]
