Dave Hause announces Patty Griffin & Paddy Costello (Dillinger Four) covers EPs

Thursday, September 24, 2020 - 16:53

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Thomas

Philly-bred singer-songwriter Dave Hause is excited to announce the Friday, October 23 release of his two brand new EPs, Patty (pre-order) and Paddy (pre-order). Reimagining songs by two of his favorite artists, Patty Griffin and Patrick “Paddy” Costello of Dillinger Four, the forthcoming EPs feature an array of contributors including Brian Fallon, Will Hoge, Jake Blount, Lilly Hiatt, Laura Stevenson and Bartees Strange.

Fascinated by the idea of artists dedicating full records to covering an artist that has shaped their work – Bruce Springsteen’s The Seeger Sessions, Steve Earle made a Townes Van Zandt and a Guy Clark record, the band Discount put out an EP of Billy Bragg covers, etc. – Hause, after careful consideration, decided to create separate collections honoring the work of two songwriters that have inspired his own. Check out “Long Ride Home” from the Patty EP featuring Brian Fallon below.

“With the pandemic rolling in and all of our touring plans cancelled, it seemed like a great time to try some home recording, and to do this project that I’ve always wanted to try,” Dave Hause says of his upcoming releases. As diverse as his own personal tastes, the forthcoming Patty and Paddy EPs shine a light on the music of two very different songwriters from two very different genres.

When approaching the music of Patty Griffin, Hause’s brother and songwriting partner, Tim Hause, cautioned him early on that trying to record Griffin’s songs the way she recorded them might be too big a hill to climb as Griffin is always able to showcase her singular vocal talent, an attribute that Hause personally admits to not having. Tim suggested maybe trying to record them the way Dave would’ve performed them when he first started to play solo, with an electric guitar and the vocal as the basis for the track. “I’ve loved her songs for so long, and have covered a few of them over the years and turned people on to her work, so I’ve had it in the back of my head for years that I would eventually see this project through,” he says.

Dillinger Four has been a favorite of Dave’s going back to the late-Nineties, and Paddy’s songs in particular always felt like folk anthems for the working class, just played maniacally. “Getting to live inside Paddy’s songs was a big inspiration, and the frustration, humor, sadness and truth that he wrote into those lyrics was cast into a new light when they were played more gently and slowly,” Dave explains. “As we started moving along, we were really enjoying the process, and by virtue of recording songs by both songwriters at the same time, certain parallels emerged,” he continues. “These are two of my favorite songwriters on Earth. I hope we did them proud.”

Patty EP track listing: