Michael C. Hall of 'Dexter' fame takes a stab at a new gig: indie band frontman
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Correction: This article has been updated to show that the performance venue has changed to Skully's Music-Diner.
You might know him best as Dexter Morgan. Or as David Fisher from “Six Feet Under.”
But Michael C. Hall is also making a name for himself as a musician, and his three-member band, Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum, will be appearing at Skully's Music-Diner on July 27 as part of an eight-city tour.
The band isn't Hall's first musical outing. He took over the title role in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch” from Neil Patrick Harris on Broadway in 2014.
It was when he was performing in “Hedwig” that he met Matt Katz-Bohen, who played keyboards and guitar in the show, and who now plays keyboards for the group.
Katz-Bohen, who also plays with Blondie, knew drummer Pete Yanowitz, who played with the Wallflowers and is now the drummer for Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum, from the New York music scene before they started playing together on a tour of Hedwig in 2016. When they returned to New York after that tour, they kept playing together, and Katz-Bohen introduced Hall and Yanowitz.
Hall listened to their music and liked it.
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“I told them If you ever want a singer, just let me know. I didn't have any ambitions of being a frontman for a band,” he said, speaking on a Zoom call with all three band members.
After its members played together sporadically for several years, the band released a self-titled EP in 2020 and an album, “Thanks for Coming,” in 2021.
Videos for the songs, including one for the band's breakout song, “Ketamine,” make use of Hall's talent for subtle creepiness.
What to expect at the Princess Goes to the Museum concert
In concert, fans should expect some drama along with music with an '80s New Wave feel.
“People always say, 'I didn't know what to expect, but this isn't what I expected,'” Katz-Bohen said.
“By the end, you'll have had an experience, but it's not a narrative. It's not like a rock opera,” Hall said.
The three of them make a good fit.
“We thought about adding more musicians, but it just didn't work,” Yanowitz said.
“I've never played in a three-person group before, but it works well. It's like a triangle, very stable,” Katz-Bohen said. “We take a computer so we can add sounds.”
“We travel light,” Hall said.
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Yanowitz and Katz-Bohen appreciate the point of view Hall brings to the band.
“Having Michael involved made this something fresh,” Katz-Bohen said. “We had been doing this so long that it was hard to think of doing something new. But because he hadn't been in a band before, that made it new. We just keep writing new songs.”
While all the band members are also involved with other projects, they plan to continue on with Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum.
“We have enough songs now to make another album in 2023. And maybe another album beyond that,” Hall said.
This tour marks the first time the band has played in the mid-section of the United States.
“We're looking forward to playing in that part of the country,” Yanovitz said. “It's always great to play in Columbus.”
At a glance
Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum will perform at 7:30 p.m. July 27 at Skully's Music-Diner, 1151 N. High St. Tickets: $25 (https://skullys.org/)
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Michael C. Hall's indie band set for Skully's Music-Diner stop
