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San Francisco Event Picks October 10-16, 2002 Picks by Gina Arnold (GA), Todd Inoue (TI) and Sarah Mueller (SM) Plea for Peace/Take Action Tour Thu-Fri/10-11, 8pm. Slim's, 333 11th St., SF. $16. 415.255.0333; www.takeactiontour.com. Big up to Mike Park, the harried leader of Monte Sereno-based record label Asian Man Records, who oversees this rolling benefit for the National Helpline Network, a suicide-prevention hot line. Over the past couple years, the tour name has changed (from Ska Against Racism to Plea for Peace to the Take Action Tour) and taken on a couple other labels (Sub City), but it remains focused on helping youth-related charities and presenting the best in underground punk and emo styles. On Thursday, the lineup features Thursday, Engine Down, From Autumn to Ashes and Cursive. On Friday, the bands include Thursday, Poison the Well, Common Rider (featuring Operation Ivy's Jesse Michaels) and Lawrence Arms. (TI) Gomez Thu-Fri/11-12, 8pm. The Fillmore, 1805 Geary Blvd., SF. $21.50. 415.346.6000; www.thefillmore.com. All rules were made to be broken, and the one that the English band Gomez breaks is my cast-iron law that jam bands are boring. I remember the first time I heard them, in a darkened Gothic building in Glasgow that was being used as an office for BBC Scotland. Gomez, a young quintet from Southport, England, was being featured on John Peel's show, which was playing in the background, and I was immediately struck by how good they sounded there and just how unique. Despite its very English look and lyrics, Gomez plays psychedelic, '60s-inspired blues, and the band is equally fixated on more modern styles, like trance, ambient and acid-jazz. It sounds like Moby Grape, if Moby Grape were crossed with '90s ambient-jazz Tortoise. Live, the band comes across as sincere, musical and unpretentious, three words one seldom hears in conjunction with "young British guitar band," so if you want to hear the best possible scenario of what can be done with a pretty straightforward array of roots-rock sources and a good imagination, you should definitely check Gomez out. I guarantee you won't be sorry. (GA) Litquake Fri-Sat/11-12, Various times and venues, SF. 415.885.0750. www.litquake.org The vibrant spirit of San Francisco's thriving literacy scene comes alive during this star-studded two-day gathering of some of the Bay Area's most famous authors. Among those confirmed are Terry McMillan, Gail Tsukiyama, Bharati Mukherjee, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, James Calder, J.T. Leroy, Don Novello, April Sinclair, Robert Hass and many others. The festival kicks off Friday with a panel session titled "Dystopia/Utopia: Can the Bay Area Uphold a New Generation of Writers?" Then, for six long hours on Saturday, fans can take in 10-minute author readings in the Koret Auditorium of the San Francisco Public Library and the Conference Center Auditorium of the Hiram W. Johnson Building. What promises to be a loud, raucous finisher takes place at the Edinburgh Castle Saturday night with political, anarchist and humorous works being read. Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh, the only nonlocal author involved, will read from his latest, Porno, and adult beverages will undoubtedly flow. The event takes place at multiple San Francisco venues, so check the website for the latest info. (GS) Night and Day Through Sunday, Oct. 20, Wed-Sun performances, call for times. Geary Theater, 415 Geary St., SF. $11-$61, 415.749.2228; www.act-sfbay.org. Playwright Tom Stoppard had at one time hoped to be an international correspondent, and his affection for and frustration with the world of journalism shine through clearly in Night and Day. The story of three journalists competing for a story in a fictitious African country reminds us of the reporters we've watched over the past year in the Middle East and Afghanistan while raising questions about the nature and business of their job. While staying at the home of an African copper magnate right before a bloody coup breaks out, they also find themselves competing for the affections of his wife. This production, the opening of the 2002-2003 season, serves as a showcase for A.C.T.'s core acting company. (SM) Romeo & Juliet Previews run Fri/20, Sat/21 and Thu/26 at 8pm, $20. Performances run Friday, Sept. 27, through Saturday, Oct. 12, 8pm, also on Saturday and Sunday at 2pm. Lorraine Hansberry Theatre, 620 Sutter St., SF. $25-36. 415.422.2222; www.sfshakes.org. The Lorraine Hansberry Theatre's interpretation of the classic love story is presented as part of the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival. If you've never had a chance to experience this work in an intimate setting, you won't want to miss this opportunity to be up close and personal with Mercutio's egotistical speeches, the fight scenes choreographed by Gregory Hoffman, and of course the beautifully crafted language of the two young star-crossed lovers. San Francisco Event Picks | Clubs Events Central | Metroactive