If you’ve been keeping up with local music festival Neon Reverb, you may have heard the rumor that, in the interest of keeping the lineup fresh, a rule is being enacted that would ban bands from playing three festivals in a row.

However, there’s no need to bite your nails to the nub over the thought of missing your favorite local act in the festival’s spring go-round just yet.

The rule, which came into play during last fall’s third installment, is not exactly set in stone. It’s more of a guideline, really.

“We’d prefer to have it so we’re not having bands that have played every single time,” Neon Reverb co-founder James Woodbridge explained. “We do want the best quality bands to play, so we have to balance that.”

The original goal in enacting a three-strikes rule was to keep audiences interested and exposed to new music. But, with the local band pool being more kiddie than Olympic in size, the Neon Reverb team ran into some issues last time they were booking bands for the festival.

“The real problem is that we cut out some of the better bands,” said fellow Neon Reverb co-founder Thirry Harlin. “There are seriously probably 20 or less really good indie bands [in Vegas] … that really put the effort into being a band.”

Bands’ hurt feelings because of being turned away from the fest also are being taken into consideration by the Reverb team. “It’s not that we’re doing this to not book specific bands,” clarified Harlin. “If we’ve booked you three times, we want you to be a part of it. Don’t think of it as a rejection.”

The acts in question have been understanding the few times the guideline actually has been followed in the festival’s relatively short history.

Timothy Styles’ band, Vegas-based indie-pop group The Big Friendly Corporation, scored its festival hat trick last fall and was not booked for a fourth run. Styles sympathizes with the plight the Reverb marketers are facing. “Me personally, I wasn’t really offended. I have to deal with [The Big Friendly Corporation’s] booking, so I understand what it’s like,” he says. “They don’t want to keep putting on repetitive shows.”

So how do they plan on keeping interest levels and variety up without sacrificing favorite local acts? Woodbridge, Harlin and fellow Neon Reverb partner Jason Aragon plan to focus on fresh faces via the touring bands they book.

“There’s no reason for the larger, non-local bands to be playing repeats,” said Aragon. “We had Dusty Rhodes [and the River Band] to play a couple times in a row, and we didn’t ask them back just for that reason, even though they have a great sound.”

Better to put the burden on out-of-town bands to provide new sounds for Neon Reverb fans, as there is simply a larger pool to choose from. A high-school-sized pool, at least.