Festival lineup a fan affair

Ninety-some bands, and lots of little golf pencils.

On the big screen, a steady succession of MySpace music pages flash by.

It was a bit past nine last Wednesday night at The Bunkhouse, and the room was starting to accumulate bodies, though it already was filled with a variety of sounds, from bash 'n' crash indie rock to beat driven electro pop.

It was all a part of a listening party for the next installment of the Neon Reverb music festival, where a slew of bands had their tunes played over the PA, and those in attendance voted on who they did or didn't want to see at future events.

It was kind of a novel concept, giving fans of a fest like this -- held twice annually, once in the spring, once in late summer -- an actual voice in how the lineup takes shape. But then again, it fit right in with the spirit of Neon Reverb, which has always cultivated a sense of ownership among its patrons.

"We have so many bands, where do we go?" asks Thirry Harlin, one of the three event organizers behind Neon Reverb, of the growing volume of submissions for the fest and the difficulty of choosing acts. "I just said, 'Let's get a consensus. Let's let people get together and get some feedback.' "

Returning in March for its fourth go-round, Neon Reverb has steadily grown in terms of the number of bands and venues that participate, as it takes over numerous rooms downtown and beyond, landing such notable headliners as The Warlocks and Akron/Family.

But it's still a largely hand-to-mouth operation, financed out of pocket by Harlin and partners James Woodbridge and Jason Aragon, sometimes at a loss. And even though their draw has grown, so have the demands of booking agents, in return.

"Last year we could pull in a band for a thousand dollars," Harlin notes. "This year, it's two thousand. Same band. Same show. But suddenly, their prices are a lot higher. With any festival, they double their price, at least."

Harlin and Co. are trying to secure a big name sponsor for Neon Reverb to underwrite costs and allow them to book even larger bands, but if that doesn't happen right away, the current list of potential fest performers still includes such noteworthy acts as Kinky, Apples in Stereo and We Are Scientists.

And so, Harlin's not complaining. He won't get home until 4 a.m. the morning after the listening party, but a few hours later, he sounds just as eager as the night before.

"We're just like everybody else, we're fans," he says. "All along, we've tried to get people involved in being a part of the festival in some aspect. This just takes it to everybody."

Contact reporter Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476.