Michigan Rattlers Release Second Studio Album & Prepare for National Tour

It’s an exciting time for the Michigan Rattlers, a young band from Petoskey, Michigan that just released their long-awaited second studio album, “That Kind of Life.” But that’s not all, this July they are set to go out on a national tour as well. The Michigan Rattlers, whose music captivates listeners with hard-hitting lyrics and a unique blend of rock, folk, and country influences, had to postpone the release of the album for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, after a trying year, the album was released on May 19, 2021.

“Knowing we had this record, it was definitely a huge disappointment to have to cancel that,” Lead singer and guitarist Graham Young said. “But as time went on we were actually able to take a closer look at the record than we would’ve been able to otherwise. We were able to use the time to our benefit in some sense, in terms of refining the record a lot more than we would’ve been able to otherwise.”

“That Kind of Life” explores topics such as relationships and time, love and loss, and perfectly epitomizes the time we’re living in. The Michigan Rattlers also feel that the album was a step forward as the group aims to improve and expand their sound.

“A lot of it was gaining confidence in the studio,” pianist Christian Wilder said. “When we recorded ‘Evergreen’ (Michigan Rattlers first album), we were all pretty ‘green’ into recording and the whole studio process. After the first record and touring from there, we started to figure it out. We wanted to expand the sound and think about the arrangements more.”

“There was a lot of banging on guitars in the last record.” Upright bass player Adam Reed added.

While everyone in the group are proud to call themselves Michiganders, exemplified by the group combining to wear three hats donning Detroit sport team logos during the interview, the Michigan Rattlers were officially formed in the Los Angeles area. Young and Reed formed the band while Wilder and drummer Tony Audin joined the group later on. The group acknowledges that initially there was a balance between loving their hometown of Petoskey while also feeling the need to move away.

“Growing up here in Petoskey has this weird dynamic where you just feel like you're stuck and need to get out, and you kind of lose sight of what’s beautiful,” Wilder said. “Early on, when they (Young and Reed) were forming the band, we didn’t want the weight of that Michigan label. There is a phenomenal scene of Michigan artists here and we all grew up seeing them. We just always felt the need to expand beyond that. We all knew that meant we had to get really far away from here initially but once we were able to get away and grow the band and mature as artists, we were much more comfortable with the label of being from Michigan and existing in that sphere.”

“We had to get away but we named the band ‘Michigan Rattlers’” Young said as the group laughed along, acknowledging the irony.

The Michigan Rattlers have certainly accomplished their goal, as they are about to embark on a 64-date tour all across the country and into Canada. After a long year of not being able to play live shows, and sitting on a new record for over a year, the band is excited to play their new and old hits for their fans once again.

“We’re stoked,” Young said in reference to their tour. “We’re excited and it’s going to be cool to play the new songs because we recorded the record a year and a half ago and the songs were written before then. These are songs we’ve been workshopping for almost two years, without the chance to share them and play them live. To do so now is really exciting and feels pretty rewarding at this point too.”

The band has earned a loyal following throughout the years, and despite having numerous heavy-hitting records in their set, have a lot of fun with their fans.

“There are points in the record where we’re trying to make you cry,” Reed said. “As for the live shows, you can cry, and that’s ok but that’s not really the goal. We want to make it kind of like a party.”

“I feel like our shows have a strong sense of comradery,” Wilder added. “I feel like the people who know about us as a band, they really like us. It’s almost like a cult kind of thing. Everywhere we go there is a really strong sense of comradery between us and the audience. It almost feels like when we talk to someone at the show that we’ve been friends before.”

Luckily for us Michiganders out there, the Michigan Rattlers will be making multiple stops in the State of Michigan throughout the tour. They will be in Grand Rapids on August 5th, Cadillac on August 7th, at the Hoxeyville Music Festival August 13th, in Marshall September 11th, and Saint Andrews Hall in Detroit on November 26th. Coming back home is always extra special for the group.

“It’s like that ‘coming home for Christmas feeling’ with you and over 400 friends.” Wilder said.

“The Michigan shows are always fun,” Young included. “Get vaxxed and come to our shows.”

This piece was written by Clayton Skinner, Communications Intern at Fresh Coast Perspective.