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Waking Up Musicians and bands scramble to react to last week's tragic events By Sarah Quelland THE DEVASTATING and heartbreaking footage that we woke up to on Sept. 11 sent us reeling with shock and outrage. Concerts everywhere (including Weezer's date at the SJSU Event Center and Trisha Yearwood's performance at the Mountain Winery) were postponed out of respect for the victims or canceled due to transportation and routing complications. The SoFA Street Fair, scheduled for last Sunday (Sept. 16), was put on hold as state government officials called for a week of mourning. In lieu of SoFA, the Cactus Club held a benefit concert that Sunday. Still, despite the magnitude of this tragedy, the overwhelming sentiment heard round the country is that the life must go on. While there's no word on a new Weezer date, Yearwood has rescheduled for Sept. 26. Organizers have announced that SoFA will take place Sept. 30, and they are trying to keep the original lineup as intact as possible. Everything is subject to change, but Zero announced its outdoor stage will remain nearly the same (X, the Odd Numbers, dredg, the Shitkickers and Swarm), with Insolence replacing No Use for a Name. dredg did perform as scheduled last Saturday (Sept. 15) at the Cactus Club to celebrate the rerelease of its self-produced album Leitmotif, which the band's label, Interscope Records, has given national distribution. The show--which included Tenfold, Pressure 4-5 (a band co-managed by Joe Sib of Side One Dummy and 22 Jacks) and the Apex Theory--sold out, and the club was packed with dredg fans raring to see their boys back in town. The Los Gatos four-piece spent the last several months holed up in Palm Desert working on new material. The secluded focus of the collective's desert sojourn allowed for uninterrupted artistic concentration that released a flood of creative energy. dredg has developed and restructured its complex sound and taken its dynamic sound to a whole new level. The band debuted quite a bit of its new material, only playing a handful of songs from Leitmotif. Frontman Gavin Hayes showed more control over his plaintive vocals, and the band played with extra confidence. Live, dredg creates a sense of peacefulness with artwork and wall hangings setting a relaxing ambience that matches the mood of its songs. At Saturday's show, the band added the sound of crickets chirping and a lonely trumpet played by Hayes. After playing the rescheduled date for SoFA next Sunday, dredg heads out on tour with Alien Ant Farm and Pressure 4-5. The bands play Slim's in San Francisco on Oct. 3. dredg's major-label debut is due out sometime next year. Smash Mouth releases its new disc on Nov. 13. The phenomenally successful San Jose band is playing the Catalyst in Santa Cruz on Oct. 23 to give local fans a preview of the new material. The group also has a date scheduled for Oct. 24 at some mystery location in the Bay Area. ... Sacramento's Oleander, Kentucky-based Tantric and Beautiful Creatures hit the road with Rolling Rock's Town Fair Tour, which stops at Slim's on Oct. 16. ... Punk favorite A.F.I. plays three nights at Slim's Oct. 30-Nov. 1, while indie-rock beacon Built to Spill has a five-night stint at Slim's Nov. 8-12. ... Tool has just announced a Nov. 3 date at Shoreline Amphitheatre. . . . U2 returns to this area on its Elevation Tour. The band is scheduled to play the Oakland Arena on Nov. 15, and tickets go on sale this Sunday (Sept. 23). ... The Family Values tour hits the Oakland Coliseum Nov. 21 with Stone Temple Pilots, Linkin Park, Static-X, Staind and Deadsy in tow. While Neil Young, Pearl Jam and R.E.M. have been confirmed for the Bridge School Benefit planned for Oct. 20-21 at Shoreline Amphitheatre, there has been much speculation flying around regarding other bands scheduled to participate: those rumored to perform include Ben Harper, Bob Dylan, Björk, Sonic Youth and the Guess Who, all of which would be very appropriate candidates for the show. PLAN AHEAD: Woodshed, the Secrets and Neon Lobster, Sept. 20 at the Usual; Drunk Punk Night with the Curbs and Whiskey Sunday, Sept. 20 at the Lido; Andalusia and Penny Harlot, Sept. 21 at the Works Gallery; the Brainers, Narcotica and the Secrets, Sept. 21 at Kleidon's; Krenshaw, Luxt, San Resina, G2K and Fellatia, Sept. 21 at the Cactus; Lords of the Manor, Foramen and the Superchannel, Sept. 21 at Gaslighter's Music Hall in Gilroy; M.I.R.V., Comes With the Fall, Divided, Element of Surprise and Sikness, Sept. 22 at the Cactus; Ozma, the Huxtables, the Plus Ones and the Sidekicks, Sept. 23 at the Outhouse in Los Gatos. [ San Jose | Metroactive Central | Archives ]