Singer-songwriter Dave Hause is currently on his European tour to showcase the upcoming release of his album, "Drive It Like It's Stolen," due at the end of April. On his latest release, the punk rock turned Americana artist delves into a more fictional type of storytelling to create what he terms "post-apocalyptic Americana."

Before he went on to perform a great sold-out intimate show at The Deaf Institute in Manchester, I caught up with Dave to find a little more out about him as an artist.

So is this the first port of call in Manchester, in Europe, for your tour?

“We actually were in Glasgow yesterday. We did a record store, and then we played a pub show that we organized at like 3 p.m. And so there was a record store show that we had scheduled, and people bought the record in advance and filled up the record store, but it just didn't feel like enough for Glasgow. So we did an impromptu last-minute pub show that was rammed and really fun at nighttime. So this is the third show. But it's the first one we announced, the Manchester show, and it should be cool. I've never played at The Deaf Institute before. I wanted to do a preview of the new record in small venues, and so this feels really like a singer-songwriter kind of night.”

Yeah, it's a good venue!

“Yeah, it's really cool. So I'm excited. I was supposed to be here with my brother, but his father-in-law passed suddenly, and his wife's father passed right before we were supposed to start. So he's there with his side of the family, like her side of the family. He was supposed to open the show and then play with me.”

I've noticed you play with your brother, because you're in another band as well, aren't you?

“Well, it's Dave Hause And The Mermaid, so that's just when we play with the whole band. When we play with a whole band, we let people know that it's Dave Hause And The Mermaids. We're a rock and roll band and sometimes we play solo very rarely. Now mostly I play with Tim, so yeah it's unfortunate to not have him, it's very strange, it's like we've really grown accustomed to playing more as a duo than anything else, It adds a little bit more pressure. I haven't done solo gigs in a long time.”

I'm sure you'll be fine. I've noticed you've got many shows around Europe as well, and I was checking, and most are sold out. How have you built the audience and fan base around Europe, being so far away?

“Well, it was the first thing, I put out my very first record in 2011 and I did a tour called the Revival Tour and it was Brian from Gaslight Anthem, Chuck from Hotwire Music, Dan from Alkaline Trio, and myself. And that really, we did that as all four of us would take the stage together and we would play each other's songs, and that was on my very first record, so it was really kind of an introduction to a wide audience right away. And then after that, I opened for Alkaline Trio and Gaslight Anthem one after the other and did a tour with my friend Joey Cape. Those guys were all old friends from my old band, The Loved Ones. And so I was given a lot of opportunities early on between the first and second record to play to a lot of people. And then it just kind of grew from there. So we've been over quite a bit and started a long conversation with the audience.”

One of your latest songs, Hazard Lights, that sort of explores the idea of being sober and the temptations. Is it ever tempting to get on the beer, especially when you're touring?

• “There's a small temptation. I mean, I've been sober since 2015, so yeah, I would say that it creeps up. I mean, that song is kind of an examination of that feeling, closer to when you first make the change, and really it's about making any difficult change, you know, anything that's uncomfortable. You feel like you're not quite in the traffic and you're not quite parked.”
• “You're just kind of sitting there unsure of what's next with hazard lights on. And so, yeah, there's a temptation at points, but the older I get, I mean, I have two kids and a wife and, you know, I have a fairly busy life and I feel like if I were to go back to that, it would maybe be fun for a little while, but I think it would cause a lot of trouble.”

Drive It Like It's Stolen, that’s your upcoming album isn't it, out in April? 

“It comes out at the end of April, and yeah, and that's what essentially we're here to kind of preview for people. So yeah, it's pretty exciting. This is the third album that we've put out on our own label. Fourth, really, but third full-length solo release. So Blood Harmony was my last record, and then my brother Tim put out his debut. And then now this one. So we've kind of figured out some new tricks and we actually have the vinyl with us two months early or no I guess it's about a month early now. So it's been exciting to preview the songs and then people can buy the record early before it even comes out.”

It's great you're releasing it on your own label as well. I've noticed that?

• “It's really exciting we get to kind of call our own shots and release it when we want and not really have to answer to as many people and you know, also if it does well, we're the main recipients of the reward of that risk. So exactly. It's a great thing for independent artists to have control of their intellectual property, I've found. So it's really kind of changed the way we've done things. I made four solo records between 2011 and 2019 and we've put out four records since 2020. So you know, we're able to move a lot quicker. You can get them out quicker.” 

Have you got a most memorable gig you've ever played at? Or, you know, like one of the ones that stand out?

• “There's one on every tour. I mean, we were here in September touring on our last record with the full band. And you know, there was a really small show in Switzerland that was really passionate and exciting that really surprised me. And that really stands out.”
• “And the Glasgow show from that tour was really special. And then as far as Germany, there's always one or two really good ones. I'm trying to think that my favorite night was probably Cologne on that tour. But yeah it's hard to kind of judge them from the perspective of favorite ever because there are certain mountaintops you get to. I remember in 2018 my brother and I played two shows at the Ringkirche in Wiesbaden Germany and that was like a round, beautiful, ornate church that we played in. And that felt like a mountaintop. But then, you know, this is my job. So you can't really put too much importance on what you just did. You've got to look ahead. So I always try to think of my favorite shows as upcoming. Like tonight, maybe this will be it. I don't know.”

I've listened to quite a bit of your music. I like the influence of punk rock and Americana. It's a great mix.

“It's just kind of what comes out these days, out of me. It's some mix of what I was brought up on, and then the punk rock thing is kind of how I came into performing. And so there's a certain energy there and it's just kind of the synthesis of all the things that I like. And the goal is to try to make up a song that you haven't heard, that you would like. And so that's all I'm trying to do. My brother and I are just trying to impress each other when we're writing these things.”

Have you got a message for your fans and followers around Europe and America?

“Just thank you for giving me and my brother this and my band this life, you know, where we can come here and to a place that's pretty far away from what we're used to and consistently people come out and listen and support what we're doing. And it really does feel like a childhood dream come true. It's like the job that you hope for and then when you get it, it's pretty exciting and special every time. For me it's living in that gratitude while pushing forward towards some next exciting artistic thing.”

Well thank you very much, and I will look forward to hearing you!

Listen to the interview below on Youtube.

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and Managing Director of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.