SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- If you think a career in music is easier than a desk job, you haven't met Jerry Perry.

Perry is the editor and publisher of Alive and Kicking, a local entertainment magazine, he's the organizer behind many of concerts and happenings in the region, and he has recruited and booked bands for the Friday Night Concerts in the Park for 12 years.

On a recent Thursday night at Old Ironsides, after a long day of doing promotional work for Friday Night Concerts, Perry chatted about some of the tougher parts of his job and how he keeps the momentum of the series going year after year.

The Concerts in the Park series enters its 17th season this year. The first concert is on May 2. Shows take place each Friday night from 5 to 9 p.m. in Cesar Chavez Plaza on 10th and J streets. And best of all, it's free.

KCRA.com: The concerts always feature three bands. How do you go about choosing which bands play together?

Perry: Sometimes it doesn't work out as nicely as I'd liked, and sometimes it's the most beautiful thing ever. I have to take into account broad booking. And I have to take into account things that have been successful and things that haven't.

Oddly enough, Jazz has never really done well at the park. I don't really go out of my way to book a jazz show. I might slip a jazz band in on something they makes sense on, maybe with a blues band, maybe with a jam band or a vibe band. But I don't really create jazz shows like that.

I try to do the best that I can be. Every year bands fall through the cracks and it breaks my heart, but it's simple math. I only have so many slots. It's as booked as it can be.

KCRA.com: How do you choose who plays the park? Is it by genre?

As many as there are, say, great punk bands in Sacramento, I can't really go out and create like four punk shows. I've only got 15 weeks. I've got to get a couple country ones out there -- at least one -- I've got to get blues, and rock and pop and indie and country and jam band and Latin and Mumbo Gumbo's kind of their own thing -- I really don't try to classify them -- but you know.

And I like to have hip-hop bands out there. So I got to figure out what night I can put them on that makes sense. So Crazy Ballhead is opening for Sol Peligro. And Righteous Movement is being backed by Bucho for the first 20 minutes of Bucho's set (May 2).

I make a list that I go off the top of my head. I have a few people I go to, who I respect, who I think will tell me right. That list is amazing because it's completely comprised of bands that I think should play the park. And yet, it's like 200 bands long. But I can't get them all in. And then I have some must-haves, I have some new bands that I just think are just great. It starts to whittle down, it's very frustrating for me. I could book a whole year. Like I said, 200 bands! It's a tapestry. It's totally insane.

KCRA.com: Tell us why the 2008 season is great.

Perry: It's a great season. Sal Valentino is out there -- I've wanted to do that for years -- he's got that new CD out, he's got that great band -- it's Sal's year.

Great rock bands like Prieta (June 20) and Lite Brite (July 25) and We Prick You (Aug. 1). We Prick You was there last year, but Prieta and Lite Brite are new to the series.

Hard Clumpin Litter (May 30), which features a couple of veterans, Noah and Damien from Las Pesadillas, they're backing this girl Fran, who's a friend of theirs. They're doing an old-school swingy, bluesy, country music vibe. And it's the Tip Top Trio's first time (May 30).

This band on the fourth week -- the Definite Articles (May 23) -- it's basically a string quartet. They have this drummer; he's practically John Bonham. You wouldn't expect this guy o be backing like a cello and a viola and a flute player, and there's nothing soft about what they do. They're incredible.

I'm excited about Final Summation (June 13); it's their first time out here.

Baby! (June 13) -- it's got an exclamation point like that -- Baby! -- is Rochelle's -- "Scampi" from the Groovie Ghoulies -- band. And Kortnee from The Devastates. They're a trio and this is going to be one of their first shows. It's just great girl pop. I've been waiting for Rochelle to get this going, I'm very excited.

Ricky Berger (June 27). I think she's just one of the best new things in town. She plays piano and she sings these songs that sound like they were written by Rodgers and Hart, but they were written by her. She's a really big Chet Baker fan. Fantastic piano player, guitarist, ukelele player.

Kate Gaffney (July 11) there's another person that's just really emerged locally in the last year.

The Jugs (July 11) are a fun folk trio. Kinda humorous songs -- like hillbilly country music.

Them Hills (July 25) are the guys formerly from Pocket for Corduroy.

The Generals (Aug. 1) are a new band, and we've got Gillmor (Aug. 15). Ryan -- he's one of the guys from UVR -- and he's solo now. His song got picked up as a theme song. ("Hey," from the Fox show "Unhitched"). He's getting some real attention right now.

The Bathtub Gins -- first time they're out there -- a bunch of old-school guys like Mike Blanchard from the Tatooed Love Dogs (June 6).

KCRA.com: I have a friend who met his wife at the Friday Night Concerts in the Park. And you always hear these kinds of stories. Why is the concert series a great place to meet new people?

Perry: Well, first of all the backdrop is music. It's at a time when virtually everyone can go. You've got this beergarten where literally thousands of people go after work. They're running around, talking to people they haven?t seen in forever. It's really an amazing vibe. It's something I'm very proud of. I've been here long enough that I'm friends with these bands. It's a wonderful event.