Added on Monday 15 Mar 2010
So there I was driving down the M6 in a Mercedes Sprinter van with an empty CD player. I'd remembered everything else. Cheese rolls. Mars Bars. The Daily Star. Sat Nav. Bag of smokey bacon crisps (van dashboards have sticky bits on top so that your crisp bags stay put). The only thing I didn't have was music so I had to suffer the radio.
Whether national or local radio stations, the choice was not exactly inspiring. Perhaps the choice is better when you are in a major city but out there on the roadwork filled motorway of life, I soon found myself in musical dire straits. Or was it Dire Straits. Next time I shall be better prepared.
It had been a good week for music otherwise. Jana Peri was over from New York on her UK tour so I introduced her to the pleasures of black pudding. She's a bit of a gourmand but the black pudding was ultimately victorious. Appearing with her that night were three young chaps called Frances and Her Trampoline and they made a good impression on me as well.
On my return from my Mercedes powered trek up the side of some mountain in Lancashire - sat navs have about as much common sense as me - I, on a ludicrously low amount of sleep, went to see Sonny Marvello at Stereo. If ever there was a band to invigorate you it would be Sonny Marvello and they did not disappoint.
Of course, all that invigoration could have been down to seeing my favourite barmaid but that might mean I am not as shallow as I appear. Yes, it must have been the music.
Jana Peri - www.janaperi.com
Frances and Her Trampoline - www.myspace.com/francesandhertrampoline
Sonny Marvello - www.myspace.com/sonnymarvello