MILTON — One of the interesting things that happens when you grow up in the same small city with the same kids is that eventually you will cross paths with those same people, especially if you have similar interests.
"That is what happened to us," said Austin Forman, lead singer and spokesperson for the Rated R Band. Forman said that in some form or another, he and bandmates Jon Cuerrette, Timmy Hall, and Jeff Craven have played together in different variations of bands through the years, but they had never considered playing together until November 2018.
The band is a group of accomplished musicians who like to play what Forman calls "outlaw country." Their talents were on display as part of a celebration of local music store A Joyful Noise. Forman said the group tris to support the store as much as possible and was happy to play at the 20th Anniversary celebration.
Dave Marchlewski, owner of the shop, said they had a great day and all the musicians that played did an excellent job. He said about 250 to 300 people came out to the celebration.
According to the website SavingCountryMusic.com, playing outlaw country has nothing to do with tattoos, motorcycles, or how much you cuss or reference drugs in your music. "It has nothing to do with rock influences in your music, nothing to do with if you 'party' a lot or live an 'outlaw' lifestyle. Being an outlaw has very little to do with the music itself. You can play traditional country, neo-traditional country, and country-rock. There is no definable outlaw country sound. As long as it is country music, it can be outlaw country music," the website explained.
That leads to an explanation from Forman about the Rated R Band.
"It's not what you think," Forman said. "The "R" stands for rowdy, said Forman and not anything that is just for adults.
Forman says he has a day job that pays the bills very well. However, Forman who writes songs for the group, has a longing for his band to start recording and he is working with local studios to get things on the way.
Forman recorded a solo single called "The Yellow Brick Road" before the Rated R Band. He said those interested in hearing the single can go to YouTube and enter his name or the song and can take a listen.
While that single is part of Forman's past, he focused on the future. He and his fellow band mates continue to working on something they really love — playing and recording music and continuing to press toward their goal of becoming country recording artists.
The group plays from Biloxi to Panama City; for booking information or more information on the band go to ratedrpensacola@gmail.com
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Rated R band performs at A Joyful Noise celebration