The Sacramento News & Review Music Fest and SAMMIES (Sacramento Area Music Awards) Ceremony made its outdoor debut Saturday at Cesar Chavez Park in the sweltering heat but kept music lovers cool with the help of a dunk tank, beer and wine garden and the park's fountain. In the past, the annual event has been held at the Crest Theatre, but this year, organizers of the 19th annual fest chose to celebrate in the sun, with art and fashion vendors and a huge inflatable slide. The mood was celebratory throughout the festival. Children and adults alike splashed in the park’s central fountain as the 14 bands performed on two stages. The beer garden offered shaded areas for the 21 and over to lou

"Exhilarating, like running naked through a bee storm," said music magazine NME of Middle Class Rut, or MC Rut for short. The duo headlines Friday's Concert in the Park in which Lite Brite, Consider The Thief and Early States will also play (click links for MySpace pages). MC Rut's style has been compared to Jane's Addiction and Rage Against the Machine, but the duo evokes a simpler feel than the The White Stripes, a band with similar instrumentation. Even so, the two-piece packs a fury of sound that never lets up. They recently released an eight-song EP entitled 25 Years and completed a tour of the United Kingdom. Lite Brite is a rock and roll trio that exudes a punk attitude, but can