Music

JOSEPH HUDAK For The Times Leader

Many musicians talk about the fear of dying on stage, but for Dave Hause, frontman for Philadelphia rock-punk outfit the Loved Ones, the real fear is cashing out while on the road.

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Dave Hause, frontman for Philadelphia rock-punk outfit the Loved Ones, launches his solo tour Sunday at Caf� Metropolis in Wilkes-Barre

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If you go

Who: Dave Hause (of the Loved Ones, playing acoustic) with Captain We’re Sinking, Glory Bound and Choke Up

Where: Caf� Metropolis, 94 South Main St., Wilkes-Barre

When: Doors at 6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Sunday

Tickets: $8 (all ages)

Hause even wrote a song about it, the transfixing “Pray for Tucson,” which he’ll likely perform on Sunday night when the 31-year-old singer-songwriter launches an acoustic solo tour at Caf� Metropolis in Wilkes-Barre.

The stark new song, set to appear on Hause’s upcoming solo record, was inspired by a fatal car accident he and his bandmates witnessed while driving through the American Southwest.

“We were pulling into Tucson, and it was a beautiful drive through the desert, with the sun setting. All of a sudden we saw all these cars stopped on the opposite side of the highway and a body underneath a sheet,” he recalls. “Sometimes when you’re running along, playing music and having fun, you get these stark reminders of your mortality. The song was born out of that. And a lot of people have responded positively to it.”

Clearly. At a recent solo show in Philadelphia with his pal Brian Fallon of buzz band the Gaslight Anthem, Hause received just as enthusiastic a reception for “Tucson” as he did for such Loved Ones’ favorites as “Drastic,” “Pretty Good Year” and “Player Hater Anthem.” And Hause says fans can expect a similar set on Sunday at Metropolis.

“Some people are coming to see me because I’m in the Loved Ones, so I try to give them some Loved Ones songs. But it’ll probably be heavy on songs from the upcoming record, and I’ll play some cover tunes.”

Hause’s choice of covers might surprise audiences, who might expect rough rock fare by the Clash and the Replacements, two of Hause’s primary inspirations. Instead, the singer often interprets songs by female singers, including Canadian Kathleen Edwards and American chanteuse Patty Griffin.

“She’s an American treasure. I’d challenge anyone who loves music to not give Patty Griffin a fair shake,” says Hause, who credits his wife with instilling a little sensitivity into a punk-rock guy. “We started trading music, and I was trying to play her the softer side of punk, like ‘Lifetime’ and ‘7 Seconds,’ while she was trying to play me the more intense singer-songwriter.”

That singer-songwriter aesthetic informs Hause’s solo CD, he says. He plans to release it this year.

“It’s acoustic-based, but with a full band. Some of the hallmarks of the Loved Ones’ sound are taken out. None of the music is fast, and there is no distorted guitar or screaming. It’s not as punk-influenced. It’s much more influenced by the singer-songwriter genre.”

But Hause stresses that he’s not leaving his punk roots — or the Loved Ones — behind.

“By no means are the Loved Ones shut down,” he says emphatically, explaining that the group will team up with alt-rock band AFI for a March tour, where, with some luck, they’ll road-test new songs. “A new record is next on the agenda. I’m looking forward to this (solo) tour because I won’t have the distractions of a rock ’n’ roll show. I’ll just play my songs and go back to where I’m staying and continue to write the next Loved Ones record.”

Perhaps he’ll find some inspiration in Wilkes-Barre, where Hause remembers playing once before with the Loved Ones, also at Caf� Metropolis. It’s a city with its own unique musical identity, he says. “It’s interesting what you find in various areas outside of major cities. There are these little pockets where there’s a scene for music, and Wilkes-Barre has always been one of them,” Hause says. “It’s always had something going on.”