Fear Nuttin Band, McLovins Headline SoNo Arts Celebration Performances [Video]

Even before the booths are set up for the annual SoNo Arts Celebration in the early hours of Saturday, bands will have been playing for hours Friday night, and they'll be playing right through the weekend.

(For a schedule showing when bands and singers are playing, which also includes links to band websites and video examples of their music. on the arts and crafts booths as well as more general information.)

The 25 acts that make up the performing arts part of the arts fest are headed by Fear Nuttin from western Massachusetts, a group playing at 10 p.m. Saturday, and The McLovins, a very young group based here in Connecticut that will have two sets, one at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, the other at 4 p.m.

Starting in their mid-teens in 2008, The McLovins quickly gained popularity and hit the festival circuit. As The Hartford Advocate recently pointed out, the band has played in concerts headlined by Janes Addiction and Elvis Costello, and it's been mentioned in Rolling Stone. All before the three boys had graduated high school. Only this year are two of them headed off to college.

Fear Nuttin Band's music blends Reggae with Punk, Metal, Rock and Dancehall elements in the band's own unique way, sometimes called "yardcore."

A reviewer for The Pier website called the band's latest album, Move Positive (released in April), "one of the best efforts at a reggae/hardcore mix since the legendary Bad Brains."

Fear Nuttin is part of a strong Reggae theme in the mix of this year's 25 bands or singers at the arts festival, many of which are reggae or reggae-influenced, including Bankie Banx, Fattie Roots, I Anbassa and Wolfman Conspiracy.

"[A]cts are selected for their original music, dance, performance art & theater presentation," festival organizers say on the official website, "and we strive to present a diverse & eclectic array of genres."

Non-Reggae bands include Turbine (an Indie group), The Juicy Grapes (folk rock, jam band and rock), according to their descriptions on Myspace. Doctor Doom Orchestra mixes soul influences with rap, among other genres.

Some singers will be familiar to seasoned festival-goers: Lisa Haile, Don Lowe and Mr. Rusty, for instance, have all played the venue before.

One band gets to return to the festival even more quickly: The Other People plays at both 11 a.m. Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sunday.