UPDATED 13:47 Friday 8th Feb

SADLY Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor is ill and has this afternoon announced he will now be NOT appearing with the Ben Waters Band at Beaminster Town Hall tonight.


However, the gig will still go ahead and tickets are £15 on the door.
Ann Waters, Ben’s manager, said: “Ben and the band are going to carry on with the gig and it will be a good evening but for all those Rolling Stones fans who were coming along specially to see Mick we hope they will understand. 

If you know anyone who was coming along we would really appreciate it if you could put the word around.”

 

ORIGINAL STORY 10am Friday 8th feb

THEY say it’s not what you know but who you know, don’t they? For example, the other day my mate Ray did a really good job on my exhaust (that’s the car’s, not my personal exhaust) and for a very fair rate too and another pal, Terry Two Legs (don’t ask), popped round on a Sunday morning to mend our fence that had blown over in the night.

It’s good to have someone you know who’ll do a favour for you.

Take Ben Waters, for example. The piano-playing prodigy is bringing his boogie and a truck full of woogie to Beaminster Town Hall tonight, Friday, February 8.

As well as his usual red-hot band of Chris Rand on sax, Rich Hymas on bass and Ady Millward on drums, Ben will have a mate on guitar. Not Tom from the pub, Dick from the squash club or Harry from over the road.

No, it’s only Mick Taylor. Out of the Rolling Stones. Yep, THAT Mick Taylor.

That’s the equivalent of me having Nigella Lawson pop round to do me a Pot Noodle!

As Ben’s manager and mum – surely the same job? – Ann tells me: “Ben’s been associated with the Stones for a long time now, ever since he did the Boogie4Stu sessions for Ian Stewart, the Stones’ late pianist.

“Ian was a family friend and Mick, Ronnie and Charlie all played at the launch party for the album at the Ambassadors in London and Mick Taylor showed up and played too,” Ann adds.

Tickets are £15 on the door tonight so get there early, it’s bound to be a belter.

HERE'S BEN WATERS AND SOME OF THE ROLLING STONES AT THE BOOGIE4STU EVENT

Now then, it’s good news about the Weymouth Pavilion this week.

The Pavi won’t be demolished to make way for a car park, well, not for a while yet anyway, and it’s likely that a new community group will be running the show.

Hopefully that’ll mean more top bands coming down following the trail recently pioneered by Hourglass Promotions who have proved there is a demand for quality live music down here.

Speaking of which, Hourglass is staging another night of moshing mayhem at Finn’s in Weymouth tomorrow night with Cornish skatepunks Gnarwolves, hardcore rockers Rat Attack, and local heroes Nathan Detroit, Donnie Brascoe and Cycle Schmiechel.

This one is going to get a bit messy, doors open at seven, pay your £2 on the door and Robert is your father’s brother.

And finally, those lovely folks at Air FM have been giving local bands and artists sessions on their radio station ever since they started almost two years ago.

They’ve also given talented musicians and local celebrities the chance to host their own show with the Hijacked programme every Wednesday evening.

Well, they must have had a rethink on their ‘talented musicians and local celebrity’ policy because next Wednesday, February 13, it’ll be my turn to host the show. I’ve got some top choooones lined up, some fabulous guests and it’ll be absolutely flipping jolly marvellous if you log on to aironair.co.uk next Wednesday from 8pm to 10pm. Right, that’s all for this week, pop pickers. Not ’arf..

IF YOU'RE OUT AND ABOUT THIS WEEKEND, LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT AT gigs@dorsetecho.co.uk

GIG GUIDE

Today (8)

Ben Waters Band (Beaminster Town Hall) Featuring Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor. Tickets £15 on the door.

Shooter, Hustle, Pearl (Lazy Lizard, Esplanade, Weymouth)

The Crack (Finns, Westham Road, Weymouth)

North and South (Edinburgh House of Sounds, St Thomas St, Weymouth)

Mark Venus (Royal Portland Arms, Fortuneswell, Portland)

The Sidekicks (Royal Exchange, Portland)

Frankie Finn (Britannia, Fortuneswell, Portland)

Skinful (Golden Lion, St Edmund St, Weymouth)

Wiggie (Weymouth Working Mens Club, Mitchell St, Weymouth)

Jack Harrison and Aiden Simpson (Beach and Barnicott, Bridport)

Paul Anthony (Duke of Cornwall, St Edmund Street, Weymouth)

Jack’s Jam Night (Café Jagos, High East St, Dorchester) Jack Daniels hosts.

Diva Lea (King’s Arms, Trinity Rd, Weymouth)

Billy Solo (Wellington, Arms, Weymouth) Mr Tambourine Man plays a song for you.

Jam Session (The Lounge, School St, Weymouth) Come and have a go from 9pm.

Saturday (9)

Gnarwolves, Rat Attack, Nathan Detroit, Donnie Brascoe, Cycle Schmeichel (Finns, Westham Road, Weymouth) £2 admission.

Stereoironics (Sailors Return, St Nicholas St, Weymouth)

The Crack (John Gregory, Southill, Weymouth)

Mixer (Main Rd, St Mary’s Passage, Weymouth) Lego Men (Lazy Lizard, Esplanade, Weymouth)

Tin Cats (Wyke Regis Working Men’s Club, Portland Rd, Weymouth)

The Silhouettes (RBL Club, Fortuneswell, Portland)

Andy Grant Trio (Tom Browns, High East St, Dorchester)

Speedway Snails (Moby Dick’s, Esplanade, Weymouth) A debut here for the Snails.

Chill (Golden Lion, St Edmund St, Weymouth)

Barry Hobson (Conservative Club, Dorchester Rd, Weymouth)

Cross Wired (Weymouth Working Mens Club, Mitchell St, Weymouth)

The Big Trouble Band (The Star, Gloucester St, Weymouth) Rock’n’roll all the way from Spain.

Finnian (Belvedere, High West St, Weymouth)

Nathan and The Unpredictables (New Star Inn, Fortuneswell, Portland)

Rockin’ Rich (Duke of Cornwall, St Edmund Street, Weymouth)

Sheryl Lee (King’s Arms, Trinity Rd, Weymouth)

Sunday (10)

The Big Trouble Trio (Royal Exchange, Weston Rd, Portland) All the way from Spain, eventually.

Jack Daniels (Springhead, Sutton Poyntz, Weymouth) 3pm.

Finnian (King’s Arms, Trinity Rd, Weymouth)

Ronnie and Johnnie (Royal Portland Arms, Fortuneswell, Portland)

The Decades (Belvedere, High West St, Weymouth) 8.30pm.

Dave V (Edinburgh House of Sounds, St Thomas St, Weymouth) 4pm.

Six-String Steve (Duke of Cornwall, St Edmund Street, Weymouth)

Ricky Solo (Sailor’s Return, St Nicholas St, Weymouth) The Crack frontman, on his own, from 3pm, followed by

Ricky Solo (T-Bar, St Edmund St, Weymouth) From 8pm.

Jam Night (Sailor’s Return, Nicholas Street, Weymouth) Mark Stacey and friends host this regular acoustic jam session. Music from 8pm.

Open Mic Night (Lakeside Superbowl, Weymouth ) Zack and John host.

Monday (11)

Mr Bucket (Lazy Lizard, Esplanade, Weymouth )

Sing songwriter night (Duke of Cornwall, St Edmund Street, Weymouth)

Tuesday (12)

Jazz Fraternity (Coach and Horses, Winterborne Abbas, Dorchester) Jazz, mm, nice… Ansell and Gretal (The Boot, Weymouth)

Lazy Tuesday Evening (The Star, Gloucester St, Weymouth) Jazz on a Tuesday, hosted by Tanya Lonergan with a host of top players.

Acoustically Acclaimed (Lazy Lizard, Esplanade, Weymouth) The weekly unplugged jam session.

Wednesday (13)

Jam with Mark (Wellington Arms, St Alban Street, Weymouth) Mark Stacey hosts this regular acoustic jam session.

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

Dave V (Edinburgh House of Sounds, St Thomas St, Weymouth)

Thursday (14)

Powelly (Lazy Lizard, Esplanade, Weymouth)

Sing with Di (Edinburgh House of Sounds, St Thomas St, Weymouth)

Eclectic Hippy (Golden Lion, St Edmund St, Weymouth) Acoustic jam night.

Open Mic Night (Aura, Esplanade, Weymouth) Open Mic Night (The Cornwall, Dorchester) Big Al Whittle hosts.

Open Mic Surgery (Tom Brown’s, High East St, Dorchester) All backline provided, come on down and have a play.

Steve’s Singalong (Duke of Cornwall, St Edmund Street, Weymouth)

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

Friday (15)

Lo Numbers (Finns, Westham Road, Weymouth)

Stereoironics (The Lugger, Chickerell, Weymouth)

Tom Clements (Royal Portland Arms, Fortuneswell, Portland)

ACBBs (Royal Exchange, Portland)

Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, St Thomas St, Weymouth)

One 2 One (Weymouth Working Mens Club, Mitchell St, Weymouth)

Jack’s Jam Night (Café Jagos, High East St, Dorchester) Jack Daniels hosts.

Billy Solo (Wellington, Arms, Weymouth)

Jam Session (The Lounge, School St, Weymouth) From 9pm.