SINCE Bob Holness played the saxophone solo on Gerry Rafferty’s Baker Street, TV presenters have been following in the former Countdown host’s rock’n’rolling footsteps.
Loyd Grossman fronts The New Forbidden, Moira Stewart plays a mean cowbell with the Average White Band and Mary Berry has been known to play drums with Rick Astley.
Meanwhile, renowned TV film critic Mark Kermode has been quite happily playing bass and harmonica and singing with Americana-obsessed skiffle and blues outfit The Dodge Brothers for a number of years.
The south coast-based four-piece freely admit to an unhealthy obsession with booze, transport, homicide and silent cinema and their foot-stomping hybrid of blues, rockabilly and general jugband yee-hawness has taken them to gigs at London’s 100 Club and Royal Albert Hall, to Cropredy and Glastonbury festivals and, later this month, to Bridport’s Electric Palace.


The BBC and Observer’s cinema connoisseur Mark is joined by Mike Hammond on vocals and banjo, Aly Hirji on mandolin and vocals and Alex Hammond on washboard for an authentic sound of classic Americana with dust in their Levis and a one-way ticket out of a one-horse town.
So authentic and devoted are they that they credit their hair pomade and washboard manufacturers on their website as well the makers of their instruments.
They’re touring their third studio album Drive Train and they’ll be hitching up their wagon at the Electric Palace on Thursday, November 22.
Before the show, Mark will be talking about his new book How Does It Feel?, a riotous and hilarious tale of his doomed bid to make it as a pop star back in his youth.
Tickets at £18.50 are available from the box office on 01308 424901.
Moving on, and The Old Ship pub in Dorchester has seen a bit of an upturn in fortunes over the past few weeks.
Now, it’s very unlikely I’ll ever be invited onto Dragon’s Den but it could be that the venue’s current promotion of live music could have had something to do with this.
The pub’s recent crusty night featuring RDF, Back to the Planet and Culture Shock was a total sell-out and there’s another night of quality live tunes coming up on Saturday, November 24, with folk-rockers Black Water County, northern soul and rockabilly enthusiasts The Hawkmen with support from the force of nature that is Edd Bleach.
Looks like it’s going to be another sell-out so get your tickets at £10 a pop from the venue of fuelledbycider.com
And finally, it can’t have escaped your notice that this year marks the centenary of the end of the First World War.
Remembrance services have always been poignant occasions but this year’s events will be even more so.
Among the many commemorations there’s a special event at Osmington village hall this Sunday, November 11 from 7pm which will be raising money for the Army Benevolent Fund.
Pack Up Your Troubles features music, stories and poetry from the time and tickets are £11.11 (see what they did there?) from 07816 832554.
Artists giving up their time and talent for this worthy cause include The Wareham Whalers, Trumbonium, Dave Bradshaw and Alan Twelftree, so expect everything from Edward Elgar to Eric Bogle.
Till next time…

TODAY (9)

10cc (Weymouth Pavilion)
TBA (Finns, Weymouth)
Mike Sidaway (Gloucester, Weymouth)
Mad Hatters (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)
Southern Sinners (Golden Lion, Weymouth)
TBC (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)
Darren H (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)
Shelby’s Elbows (Ropemakers, Bridport)
Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)
The Undecided (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)
Mike Walker (Weymouth Working Mens Club)
Watkins and Swarbrick (Charminster village hall)
Kathy (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)
Silhouettes (Kimberlin Club, Portland)
Shooter (Thimble Inn, Piddlehinton)
Georgie Broad (Black Dog, Weymouth)
Johnny Mac (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)
Gut and Steel (Britannia, Portland)

SATURDAY (10)

Mutter Slater Band (Evershot Village Hall)
Blind Harvest (Finns, Weymouth)
Zoe Schwarz and Rob Koral (No 10, Bridport)
Mad Hatters (Gloucester, Weymouth)
Cntrl Alt Delete (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)
Hustle (Golden Lion, Weymouth)
Stereoironics (Sailors Return, Weymouth)
Chris Woodchuck (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)
Revolution (Hardy’s, Dorchester)
Sticky Jam Band (Weymouth Working Mens Club)
The Katz (Kings Head, Bradpole, Bridport)
The Curst Sons (Ropemakers, Bridport)
The Silhouettes (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)
Jamie Pinnow (Conservative Club, Weymouth)
Pronghorn (Tom Browns, Dorchester)
Karen (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth) 4-7pm.
Steve P (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth) From 10pm.
Farrago (Duke of Albany, Weymouth)
Ocean Drive (Wyke Regis Social Club, Weymouth)
Kelly Lorraine (Black Dog, Weymouth)
BJ McCabe (Bridge Inn, Preston, Weymouth)
Ollie Coe (Slug & Lettuce, Weymouth)

SUNDAY (11)

Jim Reynolds (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)
Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth) 3pm.
Darren H (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth) 8pm.
Robert Brown (Ropemakers, Bridport) 4pm.
Ricky Solo (Sailor’s Return, Weymouth) From 3pm.
Leanne Jackson (Black Dog, Weymouth) (4-6pm)
Scots Dan’s Open Mic (Duke of Albany, Weymouth) 6pm.
Strings and Reeds (Park, Weymouth)

MONDAY (12)

Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)
Acoustic session (Belvedere, Weymouth)

TUESDAY (13)

Dougie Cooper’s Jazz Night (Star, Weymouth)
Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)
Martin Freed’s Open Mic Night (Duke of Cornwall, Weymouth)

WEDNESDAY (14)

Tim Andrews (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)
Wessex Folk Night (Sailors Return, Weymouth) Acoustic folk, here every Wednesday.
Open Mic Night (Rock, Weymouth)

THURSDAY (15)

Roger Mac’s Singalong (Gloucester, Weymouth)
Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)
Traditional Tune Session (Cove House Inn, ChiswelI, Portland) 
Ukulele Sessions (Sailors Return, Weymouth) Strum on down from 8pm.

FRIDAY (16)

Glass Spiders (Finns, Weymouth)
JK Duo (Gloucester, Weymouth)
Jolly Boys Outing (Wyke Smugglers, Weymouth)
Milk and Two (Royal Portland Arms, Portland)
Ricky Solo (Edinburgh House of Sounds, Weymouth)
Sammie (Weymouth Working Mens Club)
Billy Solo (Wellington, Weymouth)
The Cubes (Wyke Regis Working Mens Club, Weymouth)
Dolmen Acoustic (Park, Weymouth)