Tips to beat the heat

Summer has come to Texas.

Yes, that's right. It's hot.

Seeing as it's June, we can't really complain about the highs now consistently being in the 90s. It was a pretty mild spring here in Texas, so if it's only just now getting H-O-T hot, then we've gotten a reprieve this year - especially since April and May were two of the busiest months in our band's history.

If the connection isn't hitting you, let me explain. We play outside a lot. In fact, we play outside way more than we play inside. And sometimes we play outside in the middle of the day.

I'm not gonna lie - sometimes it's brutal.

But as time goes by, we figure out ways to work around the challenges of playing in such hot weather:

1. Dress right for the weather. Black jeans and long flowing hair - out. Shorts, sandals and hair up - in.

2. Use sunscreen. We're usually on stage for at least a couple of hours. Wherever the sun is when we start, it will be somewhere else when we finish. That means the shade moves, too. So, we should always just assume that we'll be in the sun's line of fire at some point and protect our delicate skin accordingly.

Yeah, well, ain't nobody Chuck Norris but Chuck Norris.

3. Use FANS! Joey has always had a fan, which I suppose makes him the smart one in the band. I almost passed out from the heat a couple of years ago when we played a gig in parking lot where the temperature was 108 degrees. (For realz. 108.) And Johnny almost went down last month when he was in direct sun for two hours with temps in the upper 90s. So, now we ALL have fans.

4. Wear a hat. Johnny has at times sported a cowboy hat, but I rarely wear one - until now. I've traditionally had trouble finding hats that fit and look good, but I'm making it a mission this year to find me some damn hats and wear them. And not one of those visor things - I'm not a golfer. Besides, those save your face, but your scalp gets burned. Ever tried to brush your hair with a sunburned scalp? No, I'm going to find me some cool hats.

Let's do this.

5. Towel off. Another thing we all have on stage is towels to wipe our faces - or any other body part that needs it. Don't get dirty - for me that usually means my arm. My arm anchors on my guitar as I play, and if I get sweaty, it can slip around, making it hard to play. But mostly, it's our faces. And it's not just for aesthetics. Sweat dripping down your face is distracting, and sweat in your eyes is downright painful.

6. Wear shades. Sunglasses are a must. I feel sometimes like wearing shades on stage keeps you from connecting with the audience, but squinting for two hours (or more) will give you a splitting headache, especially if it's bright AND hot. So don those specs.

Sure - multitask. Why not?

Those are the main defenses against an angry sun. If we ever figure out how to bring our own shade sails, that'd be sweet.

I don't think they'd fit in the van, though. And as I said in point #2, the sun has a way of finding its way around the shade, so it might be an awful lot of work to set up with marginal reward. But I'd sure be willing to try.