<\/p>\n
When it comes to creating music, Milwaukee\u2019s Social Cig creates big-hearted skate rock anthems that sound best with the volume turned way up. A typical Social Cig song includes a healthy dose of guitars, drums and bass. There\u2019s little electronics, just pure, unabashed DIY rock and roll.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s somewhat indie surf rock, but I don\u2019t surf,\u201d says singer-songwriter Parker Schultz, who started the group in 2019. \u201cI’ve grown up skateboarding, so that definitely fit my identity a little bit more. It just sounds like it\u2019d be in a Tony Hawk Pro Skater game. I just love catchy melodies, so anything that’s really catchy and fun to sing, and just getting weird with it as of lately too, just really fits into the idea of skate rock or Midwest skate rock.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sound has evolved over the course of several releases, as Schultz and the band have gotten better at writing and playing. The group has grown from a solo project during college to a full-fledged band. Their latest evolution can be heard on their fourth studio album Patchwork: A Road Dog Story<\/i>.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve been definitely experimenting more with different sounds and just kind of having fun with it,\u201d says Schultz.<\/p>\n
For Schultz, each release represented a new chapter in his life. The songs for the band\u2019s 2020 debut Prettier in Person<\/i> were written while he was in college and made initially purely for fun and a way to share music with friends. He\u2019s always \u201cgravitated mostly towards writing\u201d songs \u201cfrom my perspective.\u201d He calls subsequent albums an \u201cevolution of expression where it’s always changing, maybe getting better with trying different things, changing different ways of writing songs and just grabbing from its personal experiences. It sort of brings me back to that era of my life of what was going on,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
For example, the band\u2019s sophomore album Nothing Is Ever for Sure and Everything Is Always Changing<\/i> was written during COVID and a breakup. 2022\u2019s Cheesehead<\/i> is \u201ca lot about the post-college adjustments to life and friends moving away and thinking about how things used to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
For its part, Patchwork <\/i>focuses on the past two years. In that time, Schultz became a full-time musician and has gone on many tours with the band. \u201cIt’s been a very different lifestyle compared to the last albums and my life in general,\u201d he says. \u201cI’m grabbing a lot from the experiences of being on the road and just seeing the world through the lens of a DIY musician.\u201d<\/p>\nA Road Dog\u2019s Life<\/b><\/h3>\n
Schultz, a West Bend native, moved to Milwaukee in 2017. He continues to grow confident in his abilities with every song, performance and encouraging words from family, friends and fans.<\/p>\n
Touring has been a big part of his and the band\u2019s growth. Schultz says that lyrically the band\u2019s new album is a \u201ctour diary of my travels and experiences on the road or being back home in Milwaukee.\u201d He picked the \u201croad dog\u201d part of the title in reference to the toughened mentality he\u2019s gained as a touring musician. It also is fitting as he is a \u201cdog dad\u201d to a dog named Crab Cake, who often accompanies him and his girlfriend on solo tours.<\/p>\n
\u201cRoad dog encapsulates being on the road and road dogging it, getting dirty, maybe not showering for a few days and ripping shows and just keeping on moving and going from city to city,\u201d he says. \u201cI’m on the road playing gigs, being a traveler amongst being a dog dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
He always enjoys seeing different parts of the country and cities he hasn\u2019t been to before. It\u2019s a chance to see different people and share his songs with new fans. It\u2019s also a chance to reconnect with family and friends who are scattered around the country. \u201cThat definitely fulfills me a lot and just brings me back to my roots,\u201d he says. \u201cIt just makes being on the road feel a little bit more like home.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being on the road has taught Schultz and the band valuable lessons of how to navigate everything. For example, he says they\u2019ve had some tours where they\u2019ve gone in and \u201cnot known where we were going to spend the night\u201d and others where some of the shows were booked a week prior.<\/p>\n
\u201cStaying present amongst it all is a big one because when you’re on the road time moves differently. It’s like each day, just waking up, driving for a few hours and then unloading, it’s just a pretty monotonous cycle of being. But to me it really feels like living and it’s a whole lot of fun. But also, you can get pretty disoriented,\u201d Schultz says.<\/p>\n
Lessons of the road are detailed on new Social Cig songs such as \u201cMidwest Cowboy.\u201d Schultz wrote it in fall of 2024 when they were \u201cheaded to a show in Fort Wayne and the check engine light popped on.\u201d After an unsuccessful attempt to get it fixed, they got back on the highway and were t-boned by another car.<\/p>\n
\u201cI literally thought the whole tour was going to be over,\u201d he recalled. \u201cWe had seven or eight shows in a row, so I was like, \u2018this is canceled.\u2019 But we managed to get the rear wheels replaced, the van was still drivable, and we kind of figured it out with the help of some friends. Just being very vulnerable on the road and making it work and just trying to get to the next destination. That song is about that tour and getting through it.\u201d<\/p>\n
There are also many lighthearted moments of touring, such as countless times goofing off with his bandmates. The band also features Elias Dorsey on bass guitar, Kai Dee on drums, Isaac Repinski on lead guitar, and, occasionally, Anthony Kopczynski on keys.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a little party in the van,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have fun. I’m fortunate that the band guys that I’m with right now, we all get along pretty darn well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schultz enjoys the flexibility of having a rotating lineup of the band that allows them to perform in different configurations.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve been friends with these guys for years, so it just was natural to have them on,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s just more of a vibe thing than a musician thing. And they’re all just the craziest [talented] musicians on top of that too. But first they’re friends.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n