Summer doesn’t last forever. In Austin there’s only about 250 days of it, give or take. Then comes fall, a day or two of winter, and that week of spring that always happens during South by Southwest. Sometimes late summer is mistaken for fall because all the grass dies and the leaves turn brown and start dropping from the trees. This might appear to be a seasonal phenomenon, but the rest of the world knows it as drought. Fortunately, this year there has been a lot of rain, so it still looks a little like spring – not to mention that there are still plenty of musicians hanging around. Very confusing, but rest assured that in 90 days or so temperatures will plummet into the low 70s and that fine sheen of sunblock and sweat you’ve been wearing like pheromonal lip gloss will dry up and leave an embarrassing array of goose pimples. Shrinkage: Never good for getting your mack on. This doesn’t mean you should spend the weekend thumbing through your J Crew catalog but rather that you should seize the day: Oil up and rub elbows (and assorted other body parts) with all those active, energetic, hardbodied types you see in those sports drink/beer (is there a difference, really?) commercials. Come on, people who work out should be appreciated and admired (though not necessarily conversed with), and summer is the perfect time to just do it. But wherever does one go to find such people? Indeed. Well, you probably want to start somewhere where people wear a minimum of clothing. Titty bars are out because, unless you’re on the payroll, you have to keep your shirt on. Hippie Hollow certainly fits the bill, but nudists tend to be a bit stuck-up. No, what you really want is more of a Girls Gone Wild scene. This weekend that would be Devil’s Day in the Cove, a daylong concert sponsored by 101X featuring powerhouse rockers Nooner and Columbia recording artists the Riddlin’ Kids (who used to be the Ritalin Kids until lawyers pissed in their Wheaties). Sure, you can see great bands just about anywhere in Austin on a given Saturday, but the difference with this deal is that it’s entirely on/in the water. The bands will be throwing hair and guitar picks from an 80-foot houseboat in Devil’s Cove. Admission is free if you have a boat or are a strong swimmer and can tread water all day, otherwise you can pay $15 and get on one of the party barges. Whatever way you kick it you’ll want to grease up good, because even though summer doesn’t last forever, skin cancer sometimes does.
