Aficionados of slide guitar, whisky-soaked voices and Americana music in general are in for a treat next week with a show from master axeman Martin Harley.

Martin’s last two albums, both recorded in Nashville, made a massive impression on the blues roots scene, and he’s currently touring his third album, Rolling with the Punches, which was recorded in a remote chapel in Pembrokeshire, in his native Wales.

When I say ‘currently touring’ it doesn’t imply he’ll be stopping at some time, pop home and do a bit of ironing, some gardening, put the kettle on and catch up on EastEnders.

Far from it, it’s because it seems he’s been on the road for all eternity with endless dates across the UK, Europe and the US and, over the past few years, wandering through Mali, Guinea and Senegal in the company of musicians from those African countries, a 27-date, 1,200-mile acoustic tour of the UK by bicycle and, amazingly, a place in the Guinness Book of Records for the highest recorded gig, some 21,000ft up a mountain in the Himalayas.

Must have been fun lumping all the gear up there…

So his show next Friday, March 20, at Dorchester Arts Centre will no doubt be a welcome return to a more comfortable altitude for the man recently ranked 16 in the World’s Greatest Acoustic Guitarist poll by the rather prestigious Total Guitar magazine, as well as being nominated in the Instrumentalist of the Year category at the Americana awards 2019.

Anyway, it’s quite a coup for the arts centre to land a musician of this calibre and tickets are £15 from the box office on 01305 266926.

Moving on, and those lovely people at Osmington village hall have been working their collective socks off to bring regular live music to the venue and next Friday, March 20, they’ve excelled themselves with a gig from Dorset/Somerset pairing David Mitchell and Graham Vincent.

The dynamic guitar and fiddle duo have played folk festivals all over the shop as well as supporting such luminaries as Kate Rusby, Wizz Jones and Ralph McTell.

Tickets are £16.50 and that includes a fish and chip supper (which frankly seals the deal as far as I’m concerned…) and are available from 07816 832554.

And finally, make a note in your diary for the next in the ever-popular series of band reunion gigs at the Centenary Club in Weymouth.

Friday, May 1 is the date and once again there’s an impressive line-up of bands who were hugely popular back in the day around south and west Dorset.

This time it’s Crystal Ship, Abacus, Lesley Stewart with XS plus the Brian Cornish Blues Band on the bill, so you know it’ll be a fantastic night of top-notch live music

Over the past few years these gigs have raised something in the region of £10,000 for such charities as the DCH Scanner Appeal, Somerset and Dorset Air Ambulance, Weldmar, the Weymouth Veterans Hub, the Lantern Trust and many more deserving local causes.

Such is the popularity of these reunion gigs, they’re nearly always a sell-out so here’s advance warning to get your £10 ticket NOW from the club on 01305 839310.

And if you’d like to contribute a raffle prize and help boost the coffers even more, contact Chris Dean, one of the event organisers, on 07774 792736.

If you’d like your live music event featured in the Echo Gig Guide, just email your details to echogigguide@outlook.com. Thanks!

Till next time…

NICK HORTON

TONIGHT 13

Chief Lazarus (Finns, Weymouth)

Komakino (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

Rich Baxter (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Glass Spiders (Club Bambooza, Weymouth)

Skinful (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Rexes Hollow (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Sammie (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

The Striking Clock (Ropemakers, Bridport)

TBC (Hardy’s, Dorchester)

Dan and Co (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Rich Cooper (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

The Cubes (King’s Arms, Weymouth)

Speedway Snails (Royal Exchange, Portland)

Studio 55 (Lugger, Chickerell, Weymouth)

Georgie Broad (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Karen (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)

Finnian (Black Dog, Weymouth)

Farrago (RAFA Club, Weymouth)

SATURDAY 14

Big Gunz (Finns, Weymouth)

Leylines, Edd Bleach, Nasty Fishmonger (Tom Browns, Dorchester)

Tequila Mockingbird (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

The Katz (George, Portland)

Kelly Lorraine (Little Ship, Portland)

Balance of Power (Hardy’s, Dorchester)

The Leggomen (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Steve Gill (Weymouth Conservative Club)

Bring Me the Pistols (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Elijah Wolf (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Brass Monkeys (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Vaughan Thomas (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

Zoe Schwarz and Rob Koral (No 10, Bridport) 12-2.30pm.

Jolly Roger plus Jack Humphries (Ropemakers, Bridport)

Georgie Broad (Park Hotel, Weymouth)

Rich Cooper (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth) 2.30-6pm.

Darren H (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)

Biproxy (King’s Arms, Weymouth)

Studio 55 (Sailors Return, Weymouth)

Antigua Joe (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Frankie Finn (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)

The Crack (Black Dog, Weymouth)

SUNDAY 15

Sunday Jam Session (Belvedere, Weymouth) 4-7pm.

Swamp Stomp String Band (Ropemakers, Bridport) 4-7pm.

Lo Numbers (Park Hotel, Weymouth) 3pm.

Stomping Dave (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Sheryl Lee (King’s Arms, Weymouth) 4pm.

Ricky Solo (Sailor’s Return, Weymouth) From 3pm.

Folk, country and blues evening (Old Town Hall, Weymouth) From 7.30pm.

Kipper (Giant Inn, Cerne Abbas) 4-6pm.

Hamish (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

Di's Open Mic (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)

Kelly Lorraine (Black Dog, Weymouth) 4-7pm

MONDAY 16

Sunset Café Stompers (Ropemakers, Bridport)

Acoustic session (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Open Mic Folk Night (Smugglers Inn, Osmington)

TUESDAY 17

Folk Night (Drax Arms, Bere Regis) Featuring Martin Ansell, Becoming Branches, State of Undress and David McKenzie Irish Dan's Open Mic, Frankie Finn (Duke of Albany, Weymouth) From 6pm.

WEDNESDAY 18

Wessex Folk Night (Sailors Return, Weymouth) Acoustic folk, here every Wednesday.

THURSDAY 19

HOWL: Songwriters session (Belvedere, Weymouth) Hosted by Elijah Wolf

Open Mic Night (Drax Arms, Bere Regis)

Traditional Tune Session (Cove House Inn, ChiswelI, Portland)

Ukulele Sessions (Sailors Return, Weymouth) Strum on down from 8pm.

FRIDAY 20

Martin Harley (Dorchester Arts Centre)

Mitchell & Vincent (Osmington village hall) Tickets £16.50 from 07816 832554.

Balance of Power (Finns, Weymouth)

The Shakespearos (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)

TBC (Hardy’s, Dorchester)

Danny Adams (Gloucester, Weymouth)

Under The Carousel (Golden Lion, Weymouth)

Sixteen String Jack, Finnian McGurk (Belvedere, Weymouth)

Hazzard (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)

Paul Williams (Weymouth Working Mens Club)

JC’s Hopeless Sinners (Ropemakers, Bridport)

Long Dog (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)

Kelly Lorraine (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth