Dan MacIntosh (Songfacts): I'm always curious when people have an evolution in their music. You started out in more of the hardcore punk scene. And what you're doing now is very different from that. Has that always been a part of the music that you make? Have you always had sort of the folk, more acoustic roots in your sound, or was this really an evolution where you changed styles?

Dave Hause: Well, honestly, I don't really claim a whole lot of folk. I think it would be a little bit unfair to say that I'm a folk artist in any respect. I definitely just think of myself as a guy who makes up songs and it's essentially in the rock paradigm. I was raised with The Beatles and Springsteen and Tom Petty and Neil Young - all those kinds of songwriters were always on in my parents' house. My dad and mom were always huge, huge fans of music, so I was exposed to that throughout my life. Then my evolution of my own taste went from being a fan of pop and stuff like that as a kid, and then into heavy metal and then punk rock and then hardcore punk. As I developed, writing songs with a punk band, I got less and less interested in playing that kind of music, as a lot of people do as they age. With the Loved Ones, the band that I did for two records before concentrating on solo work, that was where I wanted to pepper in all of my influences from The Clash to Tom Petty - all over the map. Obviously, I'm a fan of folk and certainly a fan of the singer/songwriter tradition in America, but I wouldn't say I'm a folk artist. I just sometimes play an acoustic guitar.

Songfacts: So it's more of a punk rock attitude, just with an acoustic guitar.

Dave: I don't know. I just make up songs and hope they connect with people. I just try to do things that are comfortable to me and feel natural and try to get my own truth out of what's going on. I don't really think too much about whether or not it's punk or whether or not it's folk. I'm just happy to be able to make up songs and to have people listen to them.

Songfacts: I was watching the video for the song "C'mon Kid," which I really liked. Did you have a particular person in mind when you wrote that?

Dave: Yeah, I did. It's about a friend of mine who had gone through some really rough struggles with addiction. So it was about someone specific. But I guess one of the things you try to do is sometimes be specific and sometimes pan out enough so that people can relate. So that person could be anybody. Everyone knows someone who struggles with addiction in this day and age.

Songfacts: Does this friend know that you wrote the song about him?

Dave: Yeah, he does.

Songfacts: And does he like the song?

Dave: I think he likes the sentiment that I put behind it. I don't know if he likes the song, actually. He's never said so. I don't know. I hope he likes it. But he seems to be doing well, so that's encouraging.

Songfacts: Is it easier to put that in a song than it is to actually confront a person about their issues?

Dave: In that instance, it certainly was, yeah. It all depends. But I think oftentimes those conflicts are easier met in a song, because obviously you don't have a person's retort or reply. [Laughing] But yeah, I find songwriting to really be an easier way to get across what I'm trying to say.

Songfacts: Did you feel better when you wrote it? Like, okay, I've gotten this off my chest?

Dave: Yeah. You always feel good when you get one done and when it has that kind of gravity to it, it feels good. A friend of mine knows the whole situation, and there's the line in the song, "I'm reaching out to you." He said, "So how are you going to reach out to him?" I said, "Well, I just did. I just wrote the song." [Laughing] And it was funny, because it was a very working class, nuts and bolts way to respond to it. He said, "Oh, that song's fine, but how are you going to actually help him?" "Well... I thought I just did."

Songfacts: I read that the video for your song "For Time Will Tell" is homage to the 1967 Martin Scorsese short film The Big Shave. Is that accurate? And secondly, are you a big Scorsese film nut?

Dave: Yeah. The answer to both of those questions is yes. It was intentional. I definitely wanted to pay homage to that. And he's a huge influence on me and always has been since I was a kid. Well, maybe a teenager. But yeah, it's almost a shot for shot remake of that video, of that student film set to the song "Time Will Tell."

Songfacts: If I were in your shoes, I'd be really nervous doing a video tribute to one of the greatest living directors.

Dave: We had fun doing it. We were able to do it in an afternoon. You'd have to see the video to see what the premise is, what the idea is. It's not like we tried to remake Goodfellas or Raging Bull. Not to say that his student film isn't beautiful and amazing, but it's a really simple idea. I don't know how it would read in the film world, but I think he would think it was a cool idea to pay tribute to him. It's definitely a tribute. So I would hope that he would know that I and the guy who directed it are fans.

Songfacts: I remember reading this book where it was talking about the making of the movie Woodstock, the documentary. And I guess Martin was one of the cameramen.

Dave: Yeah, he was.

Songfacts: It's pretty amazing. Because I think it won an Academy Award for best documentary, or at least it was nominated. And here he was just this young kid.

Dave: Yeah. It's interesting how often when you go back through in any capacity, music, movies, anything like that, how often great people, even when they're young, are attached to great projects. It's interesting how often I've noticed that over the years. Like, Oh, wow, that guy worked on that movie at that age?

Songfacts: Speaking of rubbing shoulders with greatness, I notice a lot of times that you either work with or play with the Gaslight Anthem. How did that relationship form?

Dave: We don't work together in any capacity. We've toured together quite a bit, but we haven't actually made music together other than on the Revival Tour where we collaborate. That's a collaborative tour. But yeah, what happened was The Loved Ones, the band that I was in - I mean, the band still exists, we just don't really play that often - when we were touring hard, we brought the Gaslight Anthem out on tour, and then they broke with The 59 Sound the following summer. We stayed friends with them and certainly come from a similar part of the world and a similar perspective, and have been friends for years and years. And so they've returned the favor many times by either taking The Loved Ones back out on tour or taking me out solo. I guess they're fans of the work that I do, and also we're good buds. So yeah, it's been interesting to see how great they've done. And nice of them to spread the wealth.

Songfacts: You're one of the artists that's been on the Revival Tour in the past. What makes you want to come back?

Dave: Well, for me, the tour itself is like being inside Chuck Ragan's brain. It's the closest thing you can get to it. His spirit and his passion for it and his sense of camaraderie and the lack of ego that goes into it, it's just so exciting to be around, and how focused he is on music and making it about just a collaborative, exciting night is really infectious. And I think what you'll find over the years is that many people who have done the Revival Tour have come back to do it multiple times. And I think you'll find that will continue, because it's a great idea, there's no headliner, everyone just plays together, peels on and off, peaks, lots of risks, it's really a great way to get better at what you do while having a great time and delivering a show that's compelling to the audience. One of the best tours I've ever done, if not the best, was the one in Europe with Brian and Chuck and Dan from Alkaline Trio. And so basically when Chuck calls and asks me to do anything, I say yes.

Songfacts: I've talked to a number of people that are on the tour already, and I've actually talked to Chuck before, but I really didn't know that much about him. But I just really get the sense that he is just one of the most loved people in that genre.

Dave: He's a wonderful human being. He's just a beating heart in a sometimes dark world, he's one of the lights. And I would take a bullet for him. He's a wonderful human being, a guy who just has been continually inspiring in every capacity that he's set his mind to. With Hot Water Music, with being solo, with even his carpentry and stuff like that, we share a lot of similar background talking points, if you will. But ultimately he's a hero and a friend. So I'm really just excited to get back out there and do it. And everyone on the tour that I know is going to be out there are people I respect the most. So it's going to be a good time.

Songfacts: I want to wind things up by asking one last question: is there one song that you're most looking forward to performing on this tour?

Dave: On the Revival Tour? Yeah, it's a new song that I'll be recording right after this tour, leading up to the Revival Tour. I'm recording the follow-up to Resolutions. And I'm really excited to play this song called "The Shine," that will definitely end up on the record. So I'm excited to share that with people and get that one bubbling.

Songfacts: And what's it about?

Dave: That's just one of those songs about music and its healing power, how it can uplift you and make your life better. That's one of the more positive songs on the record. The record's pretty dark, but that song's sort of like the ray of light on it.

Songfacts: And do you have a title for the new album?

Dave: I do. But I haven't announced it yet. But it's coming, man. Definitely coming.

June 19, 2013. Get more at davehause.com.

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