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Love and Theft ready for the “World”

Posted Aug 11, 2009 by Clarisa Gerlach

Updated Aug 11, 2009 at 02:38 PM

Stephen Barker Liles probably will never forget shooting his first music video, even if he wishes he could.

The Palm Harbor native is one-third of rookie country group Love and Theft, and he was reeling from food poisoning while filming a clip for the tune “Runaway.”

“We went to one of my favorite restaurants, and then a couple of hours later I started throwing up and threw up all night,” Liles recalls by telephone from a tour stop in Memphis, Tenn.

“I slept for two hours. I was trying to sleep between takes,” Liles says. “That’s the most sick I’ve ever been.

“But, you know,” he adds, “it turned out all right.”

Things definitely are turning out for Liles and his band mates, Brian Bandas and Eric Gunderson. The trio has toured with Taylor Swift, been featured in People and its music has been used in ads for ABC.

All this before the release of its debut, “World Wide Open,” which is out Aug. 25.

“We’re so blessed,” Liles says. “A lot of people don’t have this much stuff for their first album. We’re very excited.”

Liles was a student assistant with the University of South Florida men’s basketball team and would take his guitar with him on road trips.

“Late at night I’d work on my guitar and write,” he says. “I was really progressing with my songwriting.”

He sought out The Warren Brothers, Brad and Brett, Tampa natives who have made their mark as writers and performers in Nashville, and whose mother taught Liles math at Oldsmar Christian School.

Liles met with Brett, who gave him some sage advice.

“He said, “If you want to be a country music songwriter you have to be in Nashville,”” Liles recalls.

Liles moved to Nashville in 2005 and hooked up with Bandas and Gunderson through fellow songwriters Robert Ellis Orrall and Canaan Smith.

“As soon as we first started hanging out we found out we had so much in common,” Liles says. “We were all born in 1984, all grew up singing harmonies in church, Elvis and the Eagles are huge to all of us, we’re all Christian guys,” Liles says. “It was just really natural from the beginning.”

Love and Theft will perform Thursday night at Bright House Field in Clearwater following the 6:30 game between the Clearwater Threshers and the Lakeland Flying Tigers. Suite Caroline also will perform.  Call (727) 467-4457 for more information.