Rachel Lichtman's Programme 4 television event @ Paradise Theatre, November 12

Video director Rachel Lichtman brings her Programme 4 television event – with Joe Pernice – to T.O. on Thursday, November 12!

Programme 4 at the Paradise Theatre

with guests: Joe Pernice, Aurora Browne, Kris Siddiqi, Mike Evin

Paradise Theatre (1006c Bloor Street West, Toronto)

Thursday, November 12, 2026

7 pm to 10 pm

Escape to the hilariously switched-on world of Programme 4, the groovy, feature-length “broadcast” from the Botany 500 Age of Television. Transmitting surreal local programming from the wall-to-wall carpeted dimension of Golden Sands — exclusively screened in-person at Toronto's Paradise Theatre for your analog pleasure with Programme 4 creator Rachel Lichtman. Plus special guest stars Joe Pernice, Aurora Browne, Kris Siddiqi and Mike Evin on the Fender Rhodes electric piano! This is simply an unmissable happening! Advance tickets are $28.25... get 'em right here.  

Programme 4 is more than just a collection of too-great-to-be-true TV shows, razor sharp send-ups of local commercials, interstitials and mind-blowing title sequences elevated to their own deserving art forms. From cinemas to star-studded variety showcases, it’s a live, anything-can-happen happening. Featuring special guest stars, Rhodes pianos, musical guests, surprise walk-ons, talk show-style discussions, & more! Programme 4 is unlike anything happening today. It’s an in-person experience that invites you to tune in, turn on and connect with like-minded people in a mellow environment that is conducive to discovering and savouring art with unbroken attention.

Each Programme 4 show is unique, custom-tailored for its host city and featuring local celebs and artists, adding to the local-TV vibe of the Programme 4 “telecasts.” The list of luminaries involved in the switched-on, immersive world of Golden Sands includes Dave Gruber Allen, Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Mitch Easter, Dave Foley, Jay Gonzalez, Dana Gould, Juliana Hatfield, Bill Janovitz, Mikael Jorgensen, Dag Juhlin, Josh Kantor, Rich Koz, Jon Langford, Ted Leo, Aimee Mann, Michael McKean, Eugene Mirman, Chris Murphy, Joel Murray, Patton Oswalt, Joe Pernice, Michael Penn, Pat Sansone, The Sklar Brothers, Michael Spicer, Tammy Faye Starlite, Kelley Stoltz, Sean Wolcott, Jon Wurster & many more! 

Watch the Programme 4 "Make The Scene" Fall Preview trailer followed by an interview with Rachel Lichtman conducted by Mark Caro for Caro Pop below. You can also read Jason Scott's think piece The Browner World: In The Realm of Programme 4 right here. Watch a rave review of the current touring show from Patton Oswalt recently posted on FB right here. 

Erika Werry launches new "Pick It Up" album @ The Bell & Beacon, Nov 12

Michael Bennett, Adam Lawryshyn & Adam Warner (not shown) will be accompanying Erika Werry with Freeman Dre opening at 9 pm.   Photo: Susy G

Listen to Erika Werry's new "Pick It Up" album via Bandcamp right here. 

Erika Werry – Pick It Up

1. Pokerface 3:34

2. Cruisin' for a Bruisin' 3:09

3. Quest for Joy 3:18

4. Tongue Tied 4:15

5. Short Circuit 3:48

6. Pick It Up 2:18

7. Overshoe Shooter blues 2:25

8. The Muse 3:28

9. Doldrums 3:55

10. Last Moves 3:06

11. To Start 3:25

12. Short Circuit Alt. version

Credits:

Erika Werry's "Pick It Up" album was produced and mixed by Dean Drouillard. Joining Erika Werry (acoustic guitar, lead vocal) is Adrian Lawryshyn (double bass), Michael Bennett (guitar, harmonica),  Adam Warner (drums, percussion), with backing vocals contributed by Mark Rainey and Rebecca Campbell. All songs written by Erika Werry ("wanderlust" rap by Mike Bennett). Thanks to Dean also for playing guitars and sundry instruments, but not too many. Engineered by Tim Vesely over a over a couple days of recording at Toronto's Woodshed studio. Mastered by Joao Carvalho 2026. Cover art: Gavin McDonald, cover photo: Ingram Barss.

B-Side Wins Again: Dave Berry

Check out "Don't Give Me No Lip Child" by Dave Berry – with Jimmy Page on guitar – later covered by the Sex Pistols.. 

Remembering Pretty Things frontman Phil May on his birthday

Remembering the legendary Phil May with a few stellar Pretty Things performances and his Electric Banana recordings.  

Jaymz Bee's epic feature film "MagicLand" screens @ The Fox Theatre, Monday

Jaymz Bee's MagicLand – starring Irene Torres – is screening at the Fox Theatre tonight, at the Royal on Wednesday and The Redwood on November 20. 

Here's the scoop...

MagicLand, The first feature film from Toronto’s own Jaymz Bee (co-directed with Jason J. Brown and co-written with poet Robert Priest), is a joyful, all-ages musical fantasy bursting with colour, comedy, and songs spanning every style imaginable.

When Athena, goddess of wisdom, falls for a handsome mortal poet, she trades her immortality for a shot at human love and slides down a rainbow into MagicLand, a whimsical realm full of scheming leprechauns, singing sirens, a grumpy cyclops, a lovable ogre named Oggie, and a kindly wizard. But when she finally meets the man of her dreams, Athena discovers the greatest magic of all is simply being yourself.

Starring Irene Torres and featuring local heroes including Barbra Lica, Denielle Bassels, Lori Cullen, Jef Farquharson, and many more, MagicLand is a homegrown love letter to Toronto’s music and arts community, and a big-hearted adventure for the whole family.

Get advance tickets from The Fox Theatre (2236 Queen St. East) right here. Watch the trailer below. Note: This screening is a rental. Regular pricing and discounts do not apply. For more information about Jaymz Bee's activities, visit his site: https://jaymzbee.com/news/. 

Numero Group recirculating more of Zani Diabaté's Super Djata Band

Straight outta Bamako, Mali's fully-amped Super Djata Band explored a wide range of grooves from the Fula & Mandingo traditions. Check it out below. 

Here's the scoop from Numero Group...

Our journey into the extraordinary world of Zani Diabaté and Super Djata Band continues with the fourth instalment in our series, Authentique 80 due January 15th but now available for pre-order here.

Connecting Wasulu hunter music, griot praises, Senufo pastoral dances, Fula and Mandingo traditions with Western psychedelia, blues and Afrobeat, Super Djata Band forged one of the most distinctive sounds to emerge from post-independence West Africa. 

Led by the visionary guitarist Zani Diabaté, the sprawling Bamako-based orchestra channelled centuries of musical heritage through the electricity of the modern age.

Across their remarkable recordings, the band moved effortlessly between hypnotic traditional rhythms, intricate Manding guitar work, relentless funk and psychedelic guitar excursions. Diabaté’s playing was deeply rooted in the phrasing and spirit of traditional West African music, yet fearless in its exploration of distortion, wah-wah and the possibilities of the electric guitar.

Alongside Mali’s great musical institutions, Super Djata Band, A 14-piece powerhouse with a sound as culturally grounded as it was forward-looking, captured a particularly electric moment in Malian musical history. Despite their immense influence and remarkable body of work, much of the band’s recorded legacy remained out of circulation and largely inaccessible for decades.

This series is our ongoing effort to restore and remaster the work of Zani Diabaté and Super Djata Band available to listeners around the world.

Four records into the journey, and the sorcery remains undiminished.

Get the first two volumes of Super Djata Band reissues directly from Numero Group here & here (with 15% off your first order!) or via Bandcamp right here. 

R.I.P. guitarist Richard Lloyd, 1951-2026

Sadly, guitar great Richard Lloyd of Television has passed away at the age of 75. There won't be another like him.

LINKS

Listen to Richard Lloyd live at Maxwell's 02-29-87 right here.