The 2025 album from Dave Hause, titled …And the Mermaid, pays tribute to one of the most famous lines in movie history, Henry Hill’s opening salvo in Goodfellas: “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” Well, Hause realized that as far back as he could remember, he wanted to be a rock star. …And the Mermaid is the musical manifestation of that vision, from the opening horns of “A Knife in the Mud” to the stomping, swaggering venom of “Mockingbird Blues.” Hause, who was born in Philadelphia but calls Los Angeles home, takes his inspiration from all sorts of rock music on …And the Mermaid, from the post-Springsteen Americana à la The Gaslight Anthem on the narrative-driven opener to the contemplative harmonic folk march of “Bible Passages.” On “Enough Hope,” he transports his band to the local bar to cook up something akin to The Hold Steady, proving that no matter where he heads, Dave Hause will always return to where the rock is.