J-14 just talked to the country trio of Love and Theft. Name sound familiar? Well one of the three lead singers just happens to be Stephen Barker Liles, the guy who inspired Taylor Swift to write "Hey Stephen." We talked to Stephen, Brian Bandas, and Eric Gunderson about their music, Taylor Swift, and more! Check out the Q & A below, then enter J-14's contest to win a CD prize pack from Love and Theft!
J-14: How did you guys decide to have all three of you sing lead vocals?
Eric: We never really fight about it at all. When we're writing the songs, usually the writing, melodies, and lyrics blend themselves to one voice or the other. It happens very organically and naturally. We try to structure it so it's equally distributed, but there's no fighting over who's going to sing lead vocals on the first verse or chorus or anything.
Brian: It's almost like the songs take care of themselves. It always makes sense and rarely is it any sort of situation where we have to contrive any ideas. Whoever ends up singing while we're writing usually is what makes sense. It's surprisingly easy most of the time!
J-14: Favorite track off the new record?
Brian: Mine changes from week to week, my favorite songs to listen to are different from my favorite songs to play. A particular favorite of mine is "Can't Go Back." I love that song. It's got three part harmonies all the way through, it's got a very old-school feel to it and this bluesy undertone to it. It's very fun to play. It's got a lot of attitude.
Stephen: Track number eight, "Freedom." It's like a story about my life - it's about the dreamers out there. I love playing "Runaway," "Dance in Circles," and "Can't Go Back" live right now.
J-14: What was it like to tour with Taylor Swift?
Eric: We all became close friends with her, and she was so supportive of us and our music. At one point, she said on film -- I don't know if it was just to be nice -- that we were her favorite band. She put us out on the road with her, and it was just the experience of a lifetime to be an unknown act and get up there in front of 10,000 people and to perform our songs acoustic was really cool. We felt extremely fortunate that she would take a chance. I guess she liked us because she kept having us back!
J-14: Stephen, what did you think when you heard Taylor Swift's song, "Hey Stephen?"
Stephen: It was one of the nicest things that anybody's ever done for me. She wrote it by herself, she made sure everybody knew that she wrote it about me, and she didn't have to do that! We went with her at midnight to buy her "Fearless" album, and I still hadn't heard it! She's like, "Listen to this track." So on my way home I listened to it, and I was like, 'Oh thank god it's a nice song!"
J-14: What's one thing you have to bring with you on the road?
Eric: I have got to have my iPod.
Stephen: I gotta have my Trident whitening gum on the road -- I'm hardcore addicted! I probably chew a pack a day. I swear it keeps my teeth white.
Who are your celeb crushes?
Brian:Rachel McAdams!
Stephen: Rihanna and Megan Fox.
Eric: Sophia Bush!
Love and Theft's debut album, Whole Wide World drops Tuesday, August 25, and you can check them out on MySpace, too!
