MICHIGAN RATTLERS

BY COLLIN BREAUX , DANA POINT TIMES

When Michigan Rattlers take the stage at The Coach House on Sunday, Aug. 6, the concert will be their first time playing at the San Juan Capistrano venue.

Guitarist Graham Young said the upcoming show is part of a West Coast tour for the band—who, in case it wasn’t obvious from their name, are indeed from Michigan.

The rock band will play in a “fair amount” of places they haven’t previously performed during their coastal stretch on the road.

Young said Michigan Rattlers have been a band for “a little while,” having formed in 2015. The band members grew up together in northern Michigan and initially played Creedence Clearwater Revival covers while still in high school.

From there, Young’s bandmates went their separate ways in college. That was until he reunited them after crafting original music.

“I had a batch of songs and wanted to get the band back together,” he said.

Young describes the band’s sound as firmly rock and roll. They’re not hard rock or heavy metal, though. Their sound is calmer and has folk and country touches.

Young even admits that aspects of their songs can be considered to have singer-songwriter touches—a trait evident on their 2016 song “Illinois Sky.” With a rollicking but mellow energy, the tune would make a great soundtrack when driving through country back roads.

The band members like to have fun with their music and aim to take songs and expand on those tunes for live shows.

“That’s the reason why we started in the first place, to play live,” Young said.

The symbiotic relationship the band has with audiences, who react to the songs and provide ambience, makes Michigan Rattlers’ job easy, he added.

The band played outside of Detroit before the San Juan stop and will perform in the Midwest after The Coach House show. Getting the chance to tour the United States is “awesome,” Young said.

As if that won’t keep Michigan Rattlers busy enough, the band is also in the mid- dant, is spiritually appropriate to his roles in Jon Favreau’s Elf (2003) and Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s The Lego Movie (2014).

There are plenty of clever references for pop culture junkies, particularly on ’90s culture. The catchy soundtrack is filled with stars including Cyndi Lauper, Indigo Girls, Spice Girls, Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Charli XCX and Billie Eilish.

Maybe it’s my age or the fact that I watch a ton of movies, but I didn’t think the gender politics or commen - tary was fresh and, if anything, felt dated.

As an older millennial, much like Gerwig, who grew up when Amy Heckerling’s Clueless (1995) and Robert Luketic’s Legally Blonde (2001) were initially released, I feel that if Barbie had been made 20 years ago, the execution would have been exactly the same.

Nevertheless, Gerwig and Co. must be doing something right to have made the biggest movie in the world. DP dle of recording a new album. Young said they’ve already laid down some tracks in Nashville.

“It’s really good,” Young said of the upcoming album. “It’s been a couple of years since our last release.”

Working on new material is always simultaneously exciting and a little scary, he continued.

Young attributes the Michigan Rattlers’ success in such a short time to their grassroots efforts and building a fan base through their concerts. DP

Show Details

What: Michigan Rattlers

When: Sunday, Aug. 6. Doors open at 5 p.m.; concert starts at 7 p.m.

Where: 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano

For tickets or more info: thecoachhouse.com. Tickets are $20.