Love and Theft

Just like you, country music's biggest stars look forward to visiting with family, eating and maybe bickering across the table this Christmas. They carry on traditions that are heartfelt, funny, strange and flat-out unforgettable.

Learn about five country stars' memorable Christmas traditions.

The title track of Love and Theft's new 'Whiskey on My Breath' album lists seven songwriters. Seven! Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson recently sat down to talk about that and fatherhood, and to play a game you may recognize from grade school.

It's a fair question for Love and Theft, given that both Stephen Barker Liles and Eric Gunderson are fathers who are in committed relationships. It's also fair because the duo has built a pretty good reputation for being one of country music's most "celebratory" acts...

Boondocks in Springfield, Illinois has become well know for bringing in great country acts, and they'll do it again in April with Love & Theft and Craig Campbell taking the stage.

Country duos Love and Theft and Florida Georgia Line pranked Jake Owen in a way he's sure not to soon forget. During a recent stop on the CMT tour, the four men showed up onstage in just boots and underwear -- or 'adult diapers' -- with pacifiers in their mouths and 'bottles' of beer, meant to celebrate Owen's new baby.

Yesterday's song battle between new singles by Dustin Lynch and Love and Theft was a dogfight, with both artists calling upon fans to vote until the final minutes of Taste of Country Nights radio. In the end, 'Runnin' Out of Air' grabbed 57 percent of the vote, sending the duo on to face a country music superstar today.

The five nominees for the 2012 CMA New Artist of the Year award reached their current levels of fame in very different ways. Thompson Square might be the only true "new artist," meaning an act that was previously unheard of before releasing a smash debut album. The others are no less deserving, however. This is an interesting category that will be fun to watch on Nov. 1. Who do you think

Jake Owen has been named the headliner of the this year’s CMT on Tour package, which will also feature rising stars Love and Theft and Florida Georgia Line as supporting acts. The 2012 CMT on Tour: The Summer Never Ends trek is set to kick off on Oct. 10 in New York City and wrap on Dec. 15 in Owen’s hometown of Vero Beach, Fla.

For Love and Theft, it’s addition by subtraction. The loss of a record label and a band member resulted in a project that is tighter and more accessible than anything on the group’s 2009 debut album. The best songs on ‘Love and Theft‘ are those that tell simple stories and those that rely on simple melodies. That’s most of the album.