I hate having to work Saturday mornings, because I can't really go out on Friday nights. Tonight was no exception. I had to get out of the house somehow, so I thought I'd go to the record shop and use my 10% off coupon before it expires. After the usual dilemmas of deciding what to get, what to put back, and budgetary constraints, I ended up walking out with The CSS' CD (thanks for the tip, Ivan), Otto von Schirach's Pukology record, and the Ellen Allien/Audion 12".

Upon leaving, and realizing I had a few hours to kill before having to go to bed, I decided to go to Back to the Grind, a local Riverside coffee shop, to work on my column for The Rockit News, and have a cup of chai. When I got there, I noticed that there were more teenagers than usual on a Friday night, and the girl at the counter told me there was a benefit show in the basement. I didn't know who was playing, or what the benefit was for, until someone came upstairs and shouted: "Phoenix and the Turtle is about to play!"

Now, that was a pleasant surprise, as they're probably my favorite Riverside band these days. I put my computer away, and proceeded downstairs at once. I found out that the show was a benefit for orphaned children in Darfur, which is something I can get behind. As for the band, well, this was probably my fifth or sixth time seeing them play (but first time in quite a while), and from their first song reminded me why I love them so. Think epic indie-rock, only slightly proggy, with male/female vocals. The only comparison I can really make (and it doesn't even come close) would be My Favorite, but without the 80s influence.) The last song they played, "Bush", featured a guest spoken-word appearance by the singer from Conspiracy of Thought. Their short set was comprised of songs not on their first self-released album, but (as the bassist told me afterwards) will appear on their upcoming CD. I can't wait for it, as I like their newer stuff much more than their earlier songs. I'm definitely going to see them when they play August 5th at The Vault Martini Bar in Redlands.

It's not very often in the IE that one can just stumble upon a great show such as this, but tonight, I'm not complaining.