That Rossi character is off swanning around the globe again, so I'm called upon to muse upon this week's musical happenings in our dear old shire.

I find myself pondering the enduring appeal of the blues, a musical form first practiced in this country when it was all fields around here, and I had a full head of hair. Yes, dear reader, that long ago. Not that I'm complaining, of course, as I've been knocking out the ol' twelve-bars for several millennia now, making something resembling a living from it.

Mind you, an evening spent in front of Sky TV's music channel recently made the appeal of real music played by real musicians more obvious.

I know, I know, the So Solid Seven and S Club Crew (I think that's what they were called) and their like aren't aiming at people of my - er - seniority (I mean, show me a block that I haven't been around several times), but it does come across as two-dimensional, unchallenging stereotyped blandness designed for a three-minute attention span.

And so the blues prevails, in its many forms, such as that practiced by the Ben Waters Band (Evershot Village Hall, Friday, £5 admission, tickets/enquiries on 01305 812775).

All Ben's ever wanted to do is play boogie and rock'n'roll on anything resembling a piano that might be at hand (well, nearly anything), developing a skill that's taken him from the back streets of Weymouth to Mick Jagger's front room, with the odd world tour bunged in for good measure.

Ben imbues every gig with boundless enthusiasm and energy - once his hands hit the keyboard, it's anyone's guess where the night might go.

Few acts on the blues scene work harder than Ben, but even Upwey's finest musical export has to take his hat of to the work-rate of The Hamsters (Marine Theatre, Church Street, Lyme Regis, Saturday, tickets £9 in advance on 01297 442138 or £10 on the door).

For the last 15 years the band have been plying their wares about 300 times a year, in the UK, Europe and beyond. Guitarist Snail's Pace Slim's Hendrix tributes are said to put those of Stevie Ray Vaughan's in the shade, and the band count Damon Hill (seen at the Hungarian Grand Prix sporting a Hamsters T-shirt) among their fans.

This is a rare opportunity to catch this band's stunning live act, but act quickly if you want to catch them - their gig in Lyme last year was quickly sold out.

Finally, here's your first notice of a double-bill of bluesy goings on featuring the Storey/Henrit Blues Experience and the Robbie McIntosh Band at the Bournemouth International Centre on Sunday, October 5.

John Storey has put together a brass-heavy 12-piece blues showband featuring some of the finest players in this area, and Robbie's band features pianist extraordinaire Geraint Watkins, with whom he first worked in Mark Knopfler's band.

There will be transport to the gig from Weymouth, so watch this space for details.

In the meantime, you can book tickets from the BIC box office on 01202 456456.

The Storey/Henrit Blues Experience can be seen in Weymouth Pavilion Ocean Room on Saturday, September 20, with Steve Peck on bass.