Love and Theft Strike a Perfect Balance

When you're in a band, typically each member brings a certain strength to the table to complete that signature sound and style. In Love and Theft's case, that stands true, especially when it comes to the trio collaborating on a song.

"I think Eric [Gunderson] is a really good lyricist when we're writing," Brian Bandas tells The Boot. "He'll sit there and be real quiet for a while. You're not even sure if he's thinking about a song or even there! Then he'll spit out, 'How about ... ' You're like dang! [laughs] I've had that experience with him many times."

"Stephen [Barker Liles] comes up with some really cool melodies," adds Eric. "He'll tell you he's more of a melody guy."

When it comes to Brian, besides him being the only guy in country music who has an eyebrow ring (as pointed out by Stephen), he is responsible for stringing together the musical parts to many of the band's songs. "When the three of us write, that's usually how it pans out," explains Eric. "As far as our 'training' in our backgrounds go, I'd say that Brian has the most knowledge of music theory. That's nice to have in the band."

"It's cool because we have those strengths, but we all contribute to all those areas," Brian interjects. "Eric's not only lyrics, and Stephen's not only melody ... we all do those things. We know we can lean on one another for specific things. I don't have to worry about if I don't come up with this then we're screwed. If I don't come up with it, one of them probably will. It's really cool to be able to lean on one another. I think we have a lot of faith in each other musically."

Love and Theft are currently out on the road with Tim McGraw and Lady Antebellum as part of the Southern Voice tour.

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