Coordinating the schedules, legalities and egos of 18 working bands is never an easy task. Add in the logistics of a live recording and the chore becomes even more daunting. But the forces behind renewing a popular Lawrence music showcase are tackling that mission.

“It just felt like the scene needed a little shot in the arm,” said Pipeline Productions and Bottleneck owner Brett Mosiman. “We talked about doing it the last couple of years. Things are going well at Pipeline, and we have the energy and talent to pull it off again, finally.”

The result is Loaded in Lawrence, a three-night event that takes place throughout next week at The Bottleneck. A gaggle of area bands will perform to a live audience, with a CD compilation featuring songs from each act to ensue in late August.

“It’s good for the scene to bring everybody together,” Mosiman said. “It’s good for the scene externally, too. It just shows people we have a lot going on here.”

Mosiman introduced Loaded in Lawrence in 1993, during a time when the Lawrence music community was vigorously establishing its national reputation. The initial disc featured 16 bands, including favorites such as Kill Creek, Stick, Salty Iguanas, Baghdad Jones and Lonesome Houndogs.

A 1994 and 1995 compilation followed, then the project was shelved.

“I don’t think the talent pool has ever necessarily gotten really bad around here,” Mosiman said. “It seems like there’s been over 100 working bands in town pretty consistently (during the last decade). We go through different levels of popularity. I think in the late ’90s, dance and DJs ruled the entertainment dollar, but it seems like people are paying more attention to music again.”

Cream of the crop

“We just decided it was a good time with everything that’s going on in local music right now,” said Amanda Haase, Pipeline’s production coordinator/promotions director.

Together with KJHK (FM 90.7) DJ Evan Emerson, Haase had the duty of selecting the groups from an assortment of regional standouts.

“We narrowed it down from 30 bands,” she said. “It’s basically bands that have worked hard and built up a good local following. We wanted to make it a variety of music each night, so we tried to mix it up as much as we could.”

On Wednesday, audiences will be treated to The Band That Saved the World, Salt the Earth, Full Feature, Podstar, Fifth Ticket Fraud and Be/Non.

Thursday’s lineup includes Brent Berry and the Roots Crew, Jumbo’s Killcrane, Truth Cell, Ruskabank, Filthy Jim and DJ Not a DJ.

Friday features The Esoteric, Jesse Jackson 5, Last of the V8s, Proudentall, Theta and Ghosty.

The 16 bands are to be recorded by neighboring Mercy Record Studios, which has the ability to run cables from the studio’s mixing console directly to The Bottleneck. Acts have 30 minutes to perform  the original material is of their own choosing. Later, they have final say on which tune to include on the CD.

Mosiman said it is likely to be the last project for Mercy, which plans on closing its doors. Unlike the previous three recordings, the album will not be released on the studio’s in-house label.

“We will either be creating a label or shopping for a distribution partner,” Mosiman explained. “But we’ll deal with that over the summer when we’re mixing it down.”

Getting the songs out there

“We’ve never had a national release,” said Ghosty drummer Richard Gintowt, whose ensemble is scheduled as the last to perform. “Our CD is only available in towns where we’ve played, which right now includes Lawrence, Omaha and Sioux Falls, S.D. So basically it’s a very easy way to release a song across the country.”

Gintowt, who is also music director at KJHK, remembered his indie-rock trio “wanted to do it from the get-go” when learning that the enterprise was being resurrected.

“Loaded in Lawrence has been real big in the past, and I hope it’s the same this year,” he said. “I really don’t know what to expect; I’ve never seen one, since I’ve only been here three years. But any time that you have people acknowledging that there is a vibrant musical community it’s a good thing.”

As for his radio station being a co-sponsor of the event (along with the Topeka music Web site RockKansas.com), Gintowt doesn’t feel there is any conflict of interest for his own group to be a participant.

“A lot of people in this town play dual roles,” Gintowt said, emphasizing he had zero to do with selecting the bands. “The scene is small enough to where I can be promoting and setting up and playing all at once.

Past success

The original pressings of the 1993-95 recordings numbered in the thousands, with about 500 given as comps to radio stations and print publications throughout the country. Sales were strong but not overwhelming.

“My experience has been that by the time you pay for the recording and the studio time for the pressing and the marketing, I don’t think it’s ever made any money,” Mosiman said. “We’re happy to create the project and get it on the streets. Hopefully, by the time we throw a record release party in September, we’ll have paid all our bills and have a little money left over to market it.”

Acts aren’t financially compensated for their involvement in the venture, other than an allocation of free CDs for themselves. However, past participants believe the exposure is worth the effort.

“I thought all the bands were excellent and the recording was awesome,” said former Stick drummer Tim Mohn, whose band appeared on both the ’93 and ’95 editions of “Loaded in Lawrence.”

During that span, the Lawrence quartet was signed to Arista Records. The first disc gave Stick the opportunity to release a tune (“Fade”) that wasn’t included on its acclaimed national debut “Heavy Bag.”

“It was good to put something else out that none of our fans had heard, rather than just recycling one of the standard radio songs we normally played,” he said. “I thought that song was really cool, and it was the only time it was ever recorded.”

Mohn also praised how the whole production was handled.

“It was such a good recording, and that made the difference,” he said. “Usually, with live things like this it’s such a crappy mix  like somebody has set their boom box out there.”

Loaded in Lawrence is an 18-and-over event. Doors open at 7 p.m., and the first band will go on around 8 p.m.

“There’s a reason to be interested in what’s going on in Lawrence,” added Ghosty’s Gintowt. “And here’s a CD that backs that up.”