REUNIONS ARE in the air these days. Last November and January respectively saw reunions for two legendary San Jose alternative-music clubs—F/X and Marsugi's—so now it only makes sense that another slice of that same countercultural circle of folks has emerged to get together for a worthy cause. The Sacred Leaf benefit will take place over two nights, Aug. 21–22, at Smoke Tiki Lounge in downtown San Jose.

Several dynamics are at play in this one. "A reunion of club kids from the '80s, '90s and today" are joining forces to raise money for the George Mark Children's House, a facility that treats kids with terminal illnesses. The event is taking place in memory of Franco Louis Bastoni, who at age 4 was diagnosed with a brain stem tumor that affects only 250 children per year.

With so few cases of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (a.k.a. DIPG), it receives little funding for research and remains a mystery with no known cause and no cure. Bastoni passed away last October. The George Mark Children's House is the only facility of its kind in the United States that provides palliative care for children with lifespan-limiting conditions, as well as their families, and is the place where Franco stayed for his end-of-life care. The facility, in order to ensure its care remains sustainable for a long period of time, is currently going through a period of restructuring. It came to the conclusion that a budget reduction of 35 percent was necessary, and as a result, several other benefit concerts have already taken place.

All of this dovetailed nicely with an idea already in the works. Throughout much of last year, several folks were already conspiring to someday find a way to stage a reunion for the legendary club One Step Beyond (OSB), which raged primarily in the last half of the '80s but was reborn in the early '90s. OSB was an all-ages venue that catered to many alternative types: punks, goth kids, '80s New Wavers, mods, metalheads or anyone beyond the pale of mainstream.

One Step Beyond was where many of us habitually went to see shows as teenagers, back in the days when city governments and regulatory institutions weren't pathologically hostile toward the concept of kids watching bands in the same building as adults drinking alcohol. As a result, bands such as the Ramones, Motörhead and Fishbone played there almost every single year during the last half of the '80s, always for cheap. Many now-famous groups—the Replacements, Jane's Addiction, Faith No More, Ministry, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and countless others—played at One Step before they were huge. Located at 1400 Martin Ave in the industrial warehouse part of Santa Clara, OSB hosted many legendary dance nights in addition to the gigs, and the club remains a defining part of many people's youth.

The boy's mother, Corrina Bettencourt, was a regular at OSB 20 years ago, so one thing led to another, and people started talking. Over the weekend of Aug. 21–22, several local DJs and bands who were a part of that scene, many of whom are still in contact with each other, will appear at Smoke Tiki for two nights of fundraising revelry—all to benefit the George Mark Children's House.

Here are just a few of the folks performing: DJs Harry Who and M3 (Manny Alferez) will spin, along with Belladonna from KFJC 89.7 FM. Also on board will be Astronout, which is the pseudonym of '90s Emu sampler tech-support hero Mark Camp, brother of Greg from Smash Mouth. Resident One Step Beyond DJ, Sean Denton, who also helps organize the annual Strangers BBQ & Car Show at Kelley Park, will work the turntables. Local musician and songstress Lisa Dewey will play, as will a reunited version of the '80s San Jose goth band Crimson Ivy, which regularly gigged at One Step Beyond. Each and every person involved is making the entire gig solely to support a one-of-kind facility for children.

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