Artist Profile: Love and Theft
Its a "World Wide Open" For the Band Behind the Hit Single "Runaway"
Nov 8, 2009
Brian Bandas, Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson came together in Nashville in 2006 to form Love and Theft. Since then they have been making waves in the country music community and leaving tons of fans in their wake.
Brian Bandas
Brian was born into a musical family in Austin, Texas and was influenced at an early age by his father and his uncle, both of whom are accomplished jazz musicians. He grew up playing both the piano and basketball as well as singing in church. After listening to the Goo Goo Dolls, he started his first band. After his second year of college, his parents brought up a career in music and soon after he jumped on a plane to Nashville.
Stephan Barker Liles
Growing up in Palm Harbor, Florida, Stephen's musical tastes ranged from gospel and contemporary Christian music to the music of Michael W. Smith and Elvis, and Later he began listening to artists like Johnny Cash, George Strait, Tim McGraw and MxPx and everything in between. He was in his third year of being Head Student Assistant for the University of South Florida Men's Basketball with the hopes of becoming a college coach, when he reached the state finals of the Colgate Country Showdown. He decided that he needed to persue his music career and headed to Nashville. He is also the guy at the heart of Taylor Swift's song Hey Stephen where she admits her crush on him.
Eric Gunderson
Eric's childhood in Charlotte, North Carolina was filled wit the sounds of Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison (introduced to him by his grandfather, a banjo player for several bluegrass bands) as well as the Beatles and the Eagles (his father's influence). While studying at the University of North Carolina- Charlotte he began writing songs and playing in bands. After he moved to Nashville, he played bass on a six-week college tour and when their lead singer dropped out, Eric took over and has been singing ever since.
The Beginning of Love and Theft
Not long after they each had moved to Nashville, they met through several different people and soon started making music together. They decided to rehearse and write for six months before they started playing for people. And when they were finally ready to let people experience their sound, they only had to go as far as Doug Howard at Lyric Street Records (only the fourth record company they played for) who begged them not to play for anyone else. They were signed with Lyric Street's sister company, Carolwood Records not long after. The name Love and Theft comes from the title of a book by Eric Lott, but it was also the name of a Bob Dylan album.
World Wide Open
Love and Theft released their debut album, World Wide Open on August 25, 2009 and it worked its way into the Top Ten of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. A lot of the success of the album can be contributed to the first single off the record, Runaway, which has also made it into the Top Ten of the Billboard Hot Country Song charts. Besides laying down three part harmonies so pure they give the listener chills, the guys flexed their writing muscles by co-writing every song on the album. Their first concert tour together came in 2008 when they opened for Taylor Swift, which was also around the time they made their Grand Ole Opry debut on March 28, 2008.
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