Social Cig returns to Madison at the High Noon Saloon on Dec. 17

Parker Schultz's Milwaukee indie-skate-rock project plays its first Madison show since spring 2023, with Paperback and James Norcross. Tickets are $13.40.

The last time Social Cig played Madison, it was April 2023 and the room was the Majestic. More than three and a half years later the band is back, this time at the High Noon Saloon on Thursday, Dec. 17, with Paperback and James Norcross opening. Music starts at 8 p.m.

The show was announced Oct. 19. Tickets are $13.40 through Ticketmaster. That's a small price for a band with this kind of in-state following, and the last Thursday before the holiday break is a good night to catch up with friends who are about to scatter.

Social Cig is the project of Parker Schultz, a Filipino American songwriter who calls the sound "indie-skate-rock," according to Shepherd Express. The band is based in Milwaukee, and the Milwaukee Record has called it one of the most enjoyable, and popular, local DIY acts to emerge from the pandemic years.

A lot has come out since the band's last Madison visit. The third album, *Cheesehead*, came out in August 2022 with nine songs drawn from Schultz's Wisconsin upbringing, per the Marquette Wire and Shepherd Express. Then, later in 2023, came the *Breezy in the Pocket* EP, which closed out that year for the band, per the Milwaukee Record. For Madison fans who last saw the band in spring 2023, that EP will be new live material.

The last time Social Cig played Madison, it was April 2023 and the room was the Majestic.

The room is a good fit for a homecoming-style show. The High Noon Saloon, at 701 E. Washington Ave., opened in May 2004. Founder Cathy Dethmers built it after a fire destroyed her previous club, O'Cayz Corral, and named it after the Gary Cooper western, according to Wikipedia and the venue's own history. Dethmers sold the club in 2017. It marked its 20th anniversary in 2024 and has won several "Best Live Music Venue" awards from Madison media over the years. For a band that came up playing DIY shows, the High Noon is the kind of all-ages-friendly club that plays a big role in a state scene.

Practical notes: it's a weeknight, and early-winter weather in Madison is a coin toss, so leave time to get across the isthmus. Doors usually open before the 8 p.m. start; check the ticket page for exact timing and age policy.

Bands that come up in Milwaukee's DIY scene don't always make it back down I-94 often. When they do, it's worth showing up.

Sources: Shepherd Express — Social Cig: From the Stereo to Your Screen (shepherdexpress.com); Shepherd Express — Shepherd Setlist, January 11, 2023 (shepherdexpress.com); Milwaukee Record — Social Cig closes out 2023 with breezy In The Pocket EP (milwaukeerecord.com); Marquette Wire — Review: Social Cig takes front stage at The Back Room (marquettewire.org); Wikipedia — High Noon Saloon (en.wikipedia.org); High Noon Saloon — About (high-noon.com); Ticketmaster — Social Cig, Paperback w/ James Norcross (ticketmaster.evyy.net); JamBase — Social Cig at High Noon Saloon (jambase.com)