Well, MRMF showcase manager Steve Smith had to do just that.

The MRMF, which started Thursday and runs through Sunday, brings a diverse line-up of 206 signed and unsigned bands from cities all over the country to play in St. Louis-area night clubs for one amazing weekend of live music.

It also features a conference Friday and Saturday morning on what the essential keys to a band’s success are. It’s titled The business aspect of booking, promoting and signing with a label.

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The majority of the festival, which has featured such popular acts as Tenderloin and Veruca Salt in the past, is located in clubs around Laclede’s Landing and other areas of downtown St. Louis. Some of the clubs participating in the MRMF include the Billiken Club, the Galaxy, Mississippi Nights, Cicero’s and the Side Door.

Popular bands that MRMF festival goers will be able to catch are Hum, N.I.L.8, Fragile Porcelain Mice, the Waco Brothers (featuring members of Poi Dog Pondering, KMFDM and Jesus Jones) and veteran funksters Grandmaster Flash.

Smith’s job of selecting the 206 bands was a mammoth task that was tedious and time consuming, and the beginning of his duties. He also had to assign locations for each of the 206 bands to play at the 18 different venues available.

Basically, we had to find the appropriate bands to play at the appropriate venues at the appropriate time, he said.

Smith said it obviously would not be possible for one person to see every band in the festival, but the accessible locations allow for someone to see a good number of bands new to the area all in one weekend.

You should be able to see five bands a night, but you could see more if you stick around for half sets, he said. If you don’t like one band, you can always jump to another club and see more.

And jumping to other clubs is easy at the MRMF because of each of the venues’ proximity.

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With the exception of two clubs you can walk out of one club and walk right to another one, he said. Everything is really easy to get to because it’s all off Highway 40.

For universal admittance to all the participating clubs, interested people can purchase MRMF wristbands for $15 at Metrotix, Streetside Records locations, the Fox Theatre and Mississippi Nights box offices. Wristbands are $10 for students with valid identification.

Wristbands are not required for admittance into the shows, but Smith said the wristbands could save people some hard-earned cash.

The electronica showcase is $12 by itself. The wristbands are only $10 for students so you save $2 and can still see all the shows you want, he said.

MRMF creative director Louis Jay Myers said the festival’s purpose is to make many bands and styles of music available to the public at a reasonable price.

There’s not a type of music that we didn’t cover, he said. A $15 wristband is going to break down to less than a buck per band. It’s an easy way to enjoy the weekend, and it’s a cheap date.

MRMF public relations manager Rick Hecke said this year’s festival features more diversity in musical styles than in preceding years.

There is a crazy cross section of bands. This year we have hip-hop, electronica and singer/songwriter showcases, he said. This is a much broader scope festival than in previous years. It keeps branching out, and that’s what keeps people coming back.

Another part of the MRMF bringing people back is the informative conference panels and educational workshops at the two-day conference in the Hampton Inn at Union Station.

This years panels include Booking, Management & Promotions, Demo Derby, Internet Promotion and Music Business Basics among others. The panels are designed to aid artists, promoters, managers and labels in all stages of development.

The conference is not just for the bands chosen to perform at the MRMF, but for anyone generally interested in music or gaining publicity for and improving the image of their musical careers.

For bands trying to break, the conference is a great place to be, Hecke said. It’s a handy tool and a great networking device for anyone promoting their own shows or to learn about recording.

Smith said the conference can help musicians avoid undesirable turns in their budding musical careers.

Basically, the conference is about how not to get screwed, which happens so often, he said. The conference can show you how to properly find a good booking agent, how to promote yourself to radio and the process in signing a record deal.

Myers said the conference and the club shows are great opportunities for club owners as well as music lovers to see a wide selection of regional as well as national bands first hand.

It’s so much easier for a club owner to walk around and actually see the bands, he said. Seeing (bands) live, club owners will know in 30 seconds if he wants to book that band.

Myers added that the club shows are key if any bands are hoping to sign with a label or hook up with a manager over the weekend.

Anyone can put together a great album, he said. Our focus is on the artist that can pull it off live.