Getting their start in Nashville, Tennessee, country band duo Love and Theft will be making its Juneau debut March 21 at the Juneau Arts and Cultural Center. Co-lead singer and musician Stephen Barker Liles shared in a phone interview what he and fellow musician Eric Gunderson hope to bring to the Juneau community.
“We’re trying to grow our fan base up there. We love Alaska and have some connections and made some friends up there, and really want to make it a priority to go up there as much as we can,” Barker Liles said. “There’s this pureness to the air and to the people and to the beauty of (Alaska), and you feel pretty close to God when you’re there. It would be hard for someone to go to Alaska and deny that there wasn’t a God and somebody didn’t create that because it’s so beautiful.”
The son of a preacher man, Barker Liles got his inspiration for music from a somewhat unlikely place: alternative rock and grunge.
“I started playing guitar when I was around 15. I heard ’Smells Like Teen Spirit’ by Nirvana and was like ‘oh my gosh I have to learn how to play guitar,’” Barker Liles said. “I learned, and started leading the worship at my church, and started doing some National Star and competitions.”
Some personal connections Barker Liles made in Nashville told him if he wanted to make it in the country music scene, moving to Nashville was a must. To this day, he tells any aspiring musician the same. Love and Theft has been signed onto multiple labels, made it to the Top Ten of Billboard’s Country Songs, and world-toured with Taylor Swift.
There are some stereotypes to country music Barker Liles hopes Love and Theft can dispel. For starters, the band name does not have a deeper, inner meaning but instead is named after a Bob Dylan album to pay homage to a musician who has significantly influenced their work. According to Barker Liles, musician Sam Hunt (singer of “Leave the Night Out” and “Take Your Time”) and Thomas Rhett would not have been aired 10 or 15 years ago but now country music has many different subcultures like pop-country, traditional, rock country, and harmony-driven, which allows the genre to be welcoming to different styles.
“Back in the 90s you had to be exactly a certain way,” said Barker Liles. “Everything sounded like Alan Jackson or else you weren’t getting played.”
Because of this evolution, Love and Theft’s biggest inspiration — the Eagles — would have been considered country today instead of just American rock, he said. With this modern take on country music, Juneau can expect to listen and dance to some Tom Petty, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Allman Brothers along with Love and Theft’s lead hits “Runawy” and “Angel Eyes.”
Love and Theft’s performance will also include guests Elvis Monroe and Ken Peltier. The show is on Wednesday, March 21 at the Juneau Arts and Culture Center. The doors open at 6 p.m. and the shows starts at 7 p.m. Must be 21 or older to attend unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. General admission seating costs $26. A special, limited VIP tickets is $50 (includes a pre-show meet and greet with the artists and autographed poster). Applicable fees may apply. Purchase tickets online at Brownpapertickets.com.
Ray Friedlander is a freelance writer living in Juneau.
• Ray Friedlander is a freelance writer living in Juneau.
