A BOB Dylan disciple from Kidderminster will be following in the footsteps of his hero when he crosses the Atlantic for a series of gigs this summer.

Kidderminster College performing arts students Matt Powell is such a fan of Dylan he has named his two-piece band Calhoun Square after the Minneapolis nightclub district where the renowned songwriter, who recently turned 60, played during his college years.

The 28-year-old will be flying out to New York later in the year after being invited to perform a week of gigs by promoter Mark James.

Calhoun Square are also set to release their latest single on the college's record label.

Witchcraft Rebellion, according to a college spokeswoman, is a "pithy, paganistic tale of life's losers and lost souls, brought to life by Matt's gritty gothic guitar riffs and harmonica".

"Matt is an observer first and a songwriter second, picking up half-heard strands of forgotten conversations and using his own special witchcraft to weave the words into a lyrical masterpiece," she added.

Matt will be performing in New York's Greenwich Village after graduating with a diploma from the Kidderm-inster college's music industry management course.

Calhoun Square performed Witchcraft Rebellion at a special event at Stourbridge's Rock Cafe last week along with fellow Kidderminster bands Weak13, Puffin, Phallic and Perverted Science.

Meanwhile, Private Lies will be the subject of a production staged by students from the college's multi-media physical theatre course next Wednesday and Thursday.

It is heralded as "a thought-provoking and amusing exploration of the masks we use in public as well as behind closed doors", and will feature original choreography by A-level dance students.

And it will be the last chance for Kidderminster audiences to see the likes of Nicola Edwards, who is moving on to the Northern School of Contemporary Dance, Chris Gardner, who has been offered a place at Arts Educational, and Cathy Fox, who has won a place at the Laban dance centre in London.

The production takes place at the college, tickets are available by calling 01562 820811.