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Ryan Gibbs is a journalist, freelance writer and music critic from Newport, RI. He is the music editor for The Young Folks and a reporter for The Jamestown Press.
Fifty years ago this fall, one of the biggest hits in the country was a lightly-psychedelic pop tune performed by a family band from Newport.
It didn’t take long for novelist James Conroy to find literary inspiration in his new hometown.
On the morning of April 21, 2016, Chris Botelho was on his way to an appointment when his phone rang. It was New England Cable News, and they wanted his comment on the death of music legend Prince. Botelho, the manager and drummer for the Boston-based Prince tribute band LoVeSeXy, was stunned.
In a barn behind his family home in the north end of Jamestown, Michael Liebhauser began writing with his friend, Sheridan Stevens. Hours passed, and that marathon session in October bore songs, sketches and dances the actors will debut during a cabaret-style revue Saturday night.
Bambinos believe Bunyan, Babe guilty The library at Melrose School has turned into the island's only courtroom for a new after-school lesson. Mock trials for third- and fourth-graders have been conducted each of the last five Tuesdays. Students debate and decide on cases from the American Bar Association's children's website that focuses on fairy tales and legends.
A cornerstone at the Four Corners for a quarter century is changing ownership while the longtime proprietor plans his retirement. Stearns Farms owner David Martin announced his retirement to policyholders this summer. The insurance accounts are being transferred to Axia Insurance Services, a Massachusetts-based agency with an office in North Kingstown.
Scott Miller is one of the ultimate cult figures in rock and roll: He was a musical genius of undeniable talent that deserved more recognition than he received in his lifetime. In fact, he once jokingly referred to his cultishly admired power pop band Game Theory as reaching "national obscurity, as opposed to regional obscurity."
'Pokemon Go' craze strikes children and seniors alike So far this summer, visitors to the recreation center have jammed to rock bands, browsed the town's most prolific art show and square-danced to the hottest country songs. In the past two weeks, however, a new pastime has erupted - Pokemon hunting.
Sotomayor tells URI grads to learn from the 'uh-oh moments' A few drops of rain couldn't dampen the pomp and circumstance as handfuls of Jamestowners were awarded their degrees Sunday from the University of Rhode Island. The ceremony at the Kingston campus included a commencement speech from U.S.
Space station astronaut chats with local boys As the International Space Station shot past Rhode Island Friday, two Jamestown boys were among the first Rhode Island students to probe an American astronaut aboard the satellite. Lawn School sixth-graders Nayan Sapers and Hunter Schnelle were two of 24 students who interviewed NASA's Jeffrey Williams during the historic radio communication at All Saints Academy in Middletown.
Wonderful. Amazing. Kind. Loved. When former colleagues paid tribute Saturday to Phyllis Schmidt, there was no shortage of superlatives. The dedication was best summarized in a 1991 letter nominating her as Rhode Island’s working woman of the year. “Phyllis is Jamestown schools,” wrote her husband, Charles.
Brendan Britton (right) performs with his brother Ben (left) in the group Triangle Forest. Photo courtesy of Brendan Britton. As the lead singer of Providence synth-pop act Triangle Forest, Brendan Britton has shared the stage with acts such as Shiny Toy Guns and Silversun Pickups.
For decades, Frank Welker and Peter Cullen have been titans in the animation voice acting industry. Cullen is known for his immediately recognizable bass voice, which he has lent to such characters as Optimus Prime in Transformers and Eeyore in the last few decade of Winnie the Pooh media.
Releasing a new album out of nowhere-and for free-is usually a net positive for a veteran musical act, unless you're U2 and put that record on millions of phones without so much as an opt-out. The latest band to have a go at the free record chance is Wilco, the veteran Chicago alt-rock institution led by the tireless Jeff Tweedy.
Studio tour Sunday to coincide with glass exhibit Two prominent North Road glassmakers are displaying an array of their nature-inspired work at a summer exhibit for Jamestown artists at the Newport Art Museum. David and Jennifer Clancy's show, "Nature Studies in Glass," includes depictions of land and ocean plant life that were created at the couple's studio next door to the historic windmill.
A young pilot has recently finished a 3,000-mile flight across the United States in a single-engine plane. Eli Mitchell, 18, flew from North Central State Airport in Smithfield to California in four days aboard a Piper PA-28 Cherokee. He was accompanied on the cross-country flight by his friend, Carson Toppa.