That Rossi character has skived off again, leaving me to write the whole page. And me in my delicate condition.

You hadn't heard? Oh, well, I won't dwell on it.

Right, let's batter on.

I've noticed that my exhumed colleague often uses this part of the page to highlight gigs of note that aren't strictly within our remit, such as the goings on at the Cheese & Grain in Frome, up north over the border in darkest Somerset.

And goings on there are.

This Saturday the venue plays host to one of Britain's most highly rated r&b acts, namely, Nine Below Zero.

NBZ came to prominence during the latter days of the punk revolution, giving their approach to the blues a distinctly spiky edge.

Twenty years later, their power is undiminished - I witnessed this first hand recently, playing support to them at a beer festival with the Ben Waters Band.

Mmmmm, beer festival.....

Still there? Good.

Where were we? Ah yes, NBZ. By way of a bonus, they've also welcomed back into their fold founder member Mark Feltham, surely the finest harmonica player this country has produced.

And guess what? They're coming to Weymouth on December 23, playing at the Pavilion, supported by... the Ben Waters Band!

There's a thing.

Now, I mentioned punk a few paragraphs back. One of the finest bands to emerge from that era was The Damned, an act that combined the energy of that time with musicality and - humour!

They've included the Cheese & Grain in their current world tour, appearing there on Tuesday, November 20.

The band features founder members Captain Sensible and Dave Vanian, plus Patricia Morrison (ex-Sisters of Mercy) Pinch (ex-Janus Shark) and the admirably-named Monty Oxy Moron. There be things afoot up in Somerset, and you can get details by 'phoning the venue on (01373) 455420.

Meanwhile, down south, there's a plethora of goings-on worthy of note.

The Jess Upton Soul Band can be found giving it stacks of Stax, Mowtown and funky groove thangs at Weymouth Pavilion's Ocean Room tomorrow evening, supported by the precociously-talented Chosen Ones, who'll hit the stage at around 8.30.

You can nab a ticket on the door for a mere £7.50, in the certain knowledge that a percentage of your loot will make its way into the Children In Need coffers.

The Children In Need appeal has also prompted the good people at the Kiva, in King Street, Weymouth to put on a multi-band spectacular, showcasing Dorset's emerging young alt. rock/nu metal talent.

Cop this lot: Freak Circus, Harsh Mellow, Minus Blindfold, Dying Day, Coprophilia, Snatch, Lunch and Emphasis.

And that's just for starters!

More bands are being added to the billing as I write.

The whole shebang kicks off at 11am, running through into the early hours of Saturday.

"A living repository of American Music," "a master storyteller," "the best solo act in the business!"

These reviews, from the US music press, come in advance of the visit to Dorset of Spencer Bohren.

Bohren, equally adept on vintage acoustic, one-of-a-kind electric, National and lap steel guitars, appears at Dorchester Arts Centre, School Lane, The Grove, Dorchester, on Friday, November 23.

Perhaps his greatest eulogy comes from no less a figure than John Lee Hooker: "He is one of us." That would do me for an epitaph.

The concert starts at 8pm and tickets (£7) can be booked by 'phoning (01305) 266926.