High Noon Saloon was founded in 2004 by Cathy Dethmers, former owner/manager (1994-2001) of Madison’s revered O’Cayz Corral. On January 1, 2001, O’Cayz was destroyed in a fire that started in a neighboring bar, thus ending its twenty-year reign as Madison’s most infamous and beloved rock club. Sometimes called “the CBGB’s of the Midwest”, O’Cayz became a live music venue in 1980, and hosted a veritable who’s who of burgeoning rock, punk, and grunge bands.
A few of the greats who graced the O’Cayz stage over the years include The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Nirvana, Firehose, Killdozer, Soundgarden, D.R.I., Queens of the Stone Age, Nashville Pussy, Fu Manchu, At The Drive-In, The White Stripes, and Elliott Smith. Immediately after the fire, Cathy began an arduous search for a new space. After three years and many obstacles overcome, Cathy found a new home for the club in the old Buy and Sell Shop building at 701 E. Washington Avenue. In May of 2004, High Noon Saloon opened its doors, finally bringing about the rebirth of the spirit of O’Cayz Corral, and adding a much-needed piece to the puzzle of the Madison music scene.
Cathy retired as a club owner and sold High Noon to Madison-based promoter, FPC Live, in 2017. Now firmly on its feet after 15 years in business, High Noon Saloon has become well-known not only as a premier live music venue, but as a comfortable and welcoming space for fundraisers, community events, music festivals, kids’ shows, craft fairs, wedding receptions, and private parties. Since its inception, the venue has won several annual awards for “Best Live Music Venue” via various media organizations in Madison. High Noon Saloon’s eclectic live music schedule and friendly atmosphere have worked to keep it in the forefront of the music scene in Wisconsin.
A few of the noteworthy bands who have played at High Noon Saloon:
Father John Misty, Built To Spill, Ty Segall, Thee Oh Sees, Babes In Toyland, The National, Royal Blood, Local Natives, Shovels & Rope, Pokey LaFarge, Caroline Smith, Railroad Earth, Cannibal Corpse, High On Fire, Murder By Death, Elephant Revival, Wax Tailor, Phox, Waxahatchee, Dessa, Mac Demarco, Mitski, Watsky, Danny Brown, G-Eazy, Dillinger Escape Plan, mewithoutyou, Foals, Screeching Weasel, Masked Intruder, Savages, Yob, Chuck Ragan, Bill Calahan, Prof, FIDLAR, Metz, King Khan, Charles Bradley, The Breeders, Superchunk, Patty Griffin, Lucius, Stephen Malkmus, Future Islands, Shakey Graves, Pizza Underground, Har Mar Superstar, Temples, Granger Smith, Cloud Nothings, Sage Francis, The Ghost Of A Saber Tooth Tiger, Deafheaven, Nikki Lane, Black Lips, Pomplamoose, Dum Dum Girls, Brother Ali, Ty Dolla $ign, Powerman 5000, Hamilton Leithauser, Strand Of Oaks, Alvvays, PRhyme, The Growlers, Machine Head, Helmet, Misterwives, Cursive, Fleet Foxes, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Dan Deacon, Sepultura, Kate Tempest, Dale Watson, Tortoise, Southern Culture on the Skids, Jucifer, The Vandermark 5, Carbon Leaf, Michelle Shocked, Kongos, The Wilders, Afroman, BR-549, Dead Moon, The Black Keys, Nebula, Sarah Harmer, Josh Ritter, Mike Watt, The Black Heart Procession, Th’ Legendary Shack*Shakers, Antibalas Orchestra, Holly Golightly, The Dirtbombs, Drive-By Truckers, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Dave Alvin & the Guilty Men, Matthew Sweet, Gaelic Storm, Luna, Pedro the Lion, Jonathan Richman, Mr. Dibbs, Ray Lamontagne, The Ditty Bops, Clem Snide, Lou Barlow, Asylum Street Spankers, Crooked Fingers, John Doe, NoMeansNo, The Handsome Family, Neil Hamburger, The Gourds, Eyedea and Abilities, Tift Merrit, El Vez, Unsane, Hot Buttered Rum, Oliver Ho, The Atomic Bitchwax, Mofro, Okkervil River, The Knitters, Joe Ely, Jorge Drexler, Thor, The Redwalls, Bottle Rockets, North Mississippi All-Stars, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, King Wilkie, The Perceptionists, Black Mountain, Ladyhawk, Fleshtones, The Posies, Mike Doughty, Amy Ray, Immortal Lee County Killers, Rhett Miller, The Bellrays, Amos Lee, Alejandro Escovedo, Bob Mould, Detroit Cobras, Reverend Horton Heat, Over the Rhine, Melissa Ferrick, John Eddie, Feist, Avett Brothers, Andrew Bird, Pnuma Trio, The Sword, Heartless Bastards, The Itals, Peelander Z, Caroline’s Spine, Perpetual Groove, Low, The New Pornographers, Charlie Robison, Jack Ingram, Dick Dale, Tea Leaf Green, Bernie Worrell, Don Caballero, Local H, Hank III & Assjack, Jolie Holland, Wanda Jackson, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Heavy Trash, The Sadies, Melvins, Nashville Pussy, Mojave 3, Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers, Andre Williams, Rev. Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Split Lip Rayfield, Robbie Fulks, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Sparklehorse, Apples in Stereo, Richard Buckner, OK Go, Pigeon John, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Exene Cervenka and the Original Sinners, Lotus, everybodyfields, Particle, Doug Stanhope, Brother Ali, Joseph Arthur, Los Straitjackets, Califone, John Butler Trio, Radio Birdman, Cloud Cult, The Sea and Cake, Brett Dennen, Qui, Mason Jennings, Red Stick Ramblers, Electric Six, Bassnectar, Architecture in Helsinki, Melt-Banana, Del Tha Funky Homosapien, Cracker, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Meat Puppets, Eric Church, Poi Dog Pondering, The Walkmen, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Sara Bareilles, Dub Trio, Trampled By Turtles, The Gutter Twins, Leslie & The Ly’s, Vampire Weekend, Glen Phillips, Man Man, The Bravery, EOTO, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Von Bondies, The Nels Cline Singers, The Duhks, Bob Log III, Deadbolt, We Are Scientists, Supersuckers, Great Lakes Swimmers, Killdozer, Zion I, Bang Camaro, Dr. Dog, State Radio, Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Pinback, MURS, Wayne “The Train” Hancock, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Eagles of Death Metal, Devin the Dude, Pelican, The Hanson Brothers, The Figgs, Monotonix, Appleseed Cast, Cornmeal, Shemekia Copeland, Justin Townes Earle, The Thermals, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Pretty Lights, John Vanderslice, White Rabbits, Fountains of Wayne, Japandroids, Ra Ra Riot, Joshua Radin, The Weakerthans, Bell X1, and many more…
