In flight: Michael C. Hall’s band Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum headlines the Big Dipper

It’s not surprising that actor Michael C. Hall is the vocalist of the eclectic art-rock band Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum. The star of Showtime’s “Dexter” has starred in musicals such as “Lazarus,” the music and lyrics by David Bowie, and “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.”

Regarding the former, the Thin White Duke has inspired Hall and his bandmates, drummer Peter Yanowitz (Wallflowers, Morningwood) and multi-instrumentalist Matthew Katz Bohen (Blondie), who were part of the latter production.

“Michael was Hedwig, and we had such a connection musically that we continued to work together after the production was finished,” Yanowitz said.

The members of Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum, who perform Saturday at the Big Dipper, checked in from New York to detail how their band came to fruition and how fans are surprised at Hall’s versatility. The trio also asked how to pronounce Spokane.

(Incidentally, the band got its name from Katz Bohen’s daughter. He asked her what she would name her band if she ever had one in the future, and that’s the name she created. The three of them loved the name and asked her if they could take it.)

Generations ago, actors sang, danced and delivered comedy, but we live in a one-dimensional era.

Hall: Back in the day, people were just entertainers. They could do all kinds of stuff, and it didn’t surprise anyone, but people today are surprised that I can do more than one thing. People today associate you with one thing or a particular character. They imagine you live in there, and they see you in three dimensions. Maybe it bends their brains a bit that I can do more than one thing or two things. But I’m happy to bend people’s brains if it comes to that.

Some fans only want to put you in a box as Dexter.

Hall: People are rigid. They want to put me in that box, but I won’t put me in that box.

How did your band form?

Yanowitz: After “Hedwig,” it was where can we take this? We were a pretend band onstage on Broadway. That was the first time I met Mike. I knew Matt for years from being in New York bands. Matt and I decided to make some music together. Mike heard our demos and said, “Do you need some vocals on these?” He wrote some melodies and added some vocals. We started making music, and the songs started piling up.

It sounds like an organic project.

Yanowitz: It is. This was the first time a band formed underneath me.

David Bowie, Bauhaus and Nine Inch Nails come across as influences, but there are so many other seminal recording artists who have an impact on your group.

Katz Bohen: We definitely pull from different musical eras. We’re not confined to a particular genre. We’re not just goth or punk or post-punk or synth rock. We have acoustic songs we throw at people.

Yanowitz: We’ve all been around the block. We all love such different styles of music, and we incorporate that into our sound. We don’t want to be stuck in a box as creators. We want to see how vast the music can be.

It has to be exciting for you, Michael, since a tour fronting a band is a new experience.

Hall: It’s exciting to step into a new room every night with strangers who might not be familiar with our music. Seeing us live is an experience. It’s hard to describe us live since we’ve never seen our band live.

Is it difficult to fit the Princess project into your busy schedule, Michael?

Hall: Nah. I’m not that busy. If I’m shooting something, I’m completely consumed by it, but I have plenty of time when those projects aren’t happening. I’ll make time for this project whenever I can.

Are you like Johnny Depp, Michael, since music was always his first love, but he took off as an actor and that became his primary vocation?

Hall: Not really. I’ve always been a fan of music. I sang as an actor in “Lazarus,” “Hedwig” and “Cabaret.” As an entertainer, I focus on the acting angle. Anyone who loves live music fantasizes about making music and performing it. I never had it as part of my conscious plan. It just happened.

Your videos are reminiscent of the quirky and elaborate clips from a generation ago. It looks like you guys are having as much fun with videos as your music.

Yanowitz: I love that since it’s true, and I’m a musician who is not an actor. With my band Morningwood, the best days ever were making the videos. It’s a different medium. I know what you mean about how videos today aren’t the same as they were years ago.

We are attracted to a similar aesthetic from that era. Videos for us are like a playground. Like Mike said, we never saw us perform live, but when we’ve watched the videos we’ve made. It certainly looks like it’s fun because it is fun.

Are there more releases in your future?

Hall: Yes. We’re continuing to write. We have a full-length album mixed and mastered and an EP of remixes. We have another video. We want to keep it rolling.

Have any of you ever been to Spokane?

Katz-Bohen: Yes. I was there with Blondie. How do you pronounce Spokane?

It’s Spo-CAN. Don’t say Spo-CANE unless you can incorporate it into a song in a clever fashion like the Music of Cream did when they performed at the Bing Crosby Theater just prior to the pandemic.

Ed Condran can be reached at (509) 459-5440 or at edc@spokesman.com.