Meet fast-rising Vegas band Most Thieves

Corlene Byrd

Koch (second from left) and Most Thieves.

Leslie Ventura

Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2011 | 5:12 p.m.

It’s 1 a.m. at Beauty Bar, and Most Thieves’ first song has already captured the crowd’s attention. The newish local band’s layered guitars and breathy vocals—think U2 meets The Airborne Toxic Event—are especially resonating with the guy standing next to me. He’s been to all of Most Thieves’ Vegas gigs and assures me the group keeps getting better.

Eric Koch (vocals/guitar), Bobby Lee Parker (guitar), Rob Whited (drums), Steve Bonacci (bass) and Sam Daniel (keys/guitar/vocals) have only been together eight months, but they’ve already made a splash on the scene, even earning a rare local slot on the schedule at Cosmo’s Book & Stage lounge. The early success could have something to do with the pro musicians onboard; Parker and Whited have worked as guitar/drum techs for The Killers on two world tours, and the rest of the guys have been involved in a handful of their own music projects.

And if you think Most Thieves are moving fast now, they’re about to take off on a U.K. tour opening for Killers’ drummer Ronnie Vannucci’s new project, Big Talk. “We like to move really fast and we like to try to pull off stuff that sounds really uncanny,” Koch says. The guys have been working hard to record a full-length record, which Koch says should be out in September. More big news? Actress/singer Bijou Phillips is featured on the Most Thieves track “Empty Chambers,” available now on iTunes.