Chevelle Drummer Urges Kids to Wear Straw Hats to Carnival of Madness

We're counting down to the start of the Carnival of Madness Tour. The moving festival kicks off July 16 in Jacksonville, Fla. and features Shinedown, Chevelle, Puddle of Mudd, Sevendust and 10 Years.

You already received some noble beat-the-heat advice from Shinedown's Zach Myers. But what do the guys in Illinois-based Chevelle do to keep cool while rocking out? We're not sure about the whole band ... but drummer Sam Loeffler likes his drinks.

"I like my tropical drinks with an umbrella!" Loeffler tells Noisecreep. "I have a mixer and some shaved ice behind me for those really long hot sets. [My tech] Tony P. is a great bartender."

While the rest of us might not live large like Loeffler, we can still heed his advice about "wearing a big straw hat and a linen long-sleeve shirt." Loeffler swears to us this look is "cool." We're not so sure.

The inaugural Carnival of Madness trek will hit more than two dozen cities all across America -- and all in the dead heat of summer. While outdoor shows are certainly not revolutionary, the bands on the Carnival of Madness bill are doing their part to switch it up.

"We change at least two or three songs in each set," explains Loeffler. "We don't have a rehearsed mantra like so many other people."

Carnival of Madness tickets are on sale now. The fest wraps up Aug. 27 in Kennewick, Wash.