Amanda Mack
I don’t think I hate the musical projects of actors as much as the world generally does. I reviewed Scottish actor Peter Capaldi’s 2021 debut album, St. Christopher, very favorably. It is probably worth mentioning that Capaldi started as a serious musician who accidentally landed himself an acting career in the early 80s. But even when it happens the other way around, I feel more willing than most to admit that there are plenty of gems in the land of celebrity vanity projects. I consider “Four on the Floor” by Juliette Lewis’ project, Juliette and the Licks, one of the best albums of the mid-aughts. Get me drunk enough and I may even declare her and The Licks the most exciting things happening in rock ‘n’ roll from about 2005 to 2009. I give myself a lot of space to fall in love with music with dubious elements. I think it’s the best way to go about things.
Hearing about Michael C. Hall, perhaps best known for his roles on “Six Feet Under” and “Dexter”, and his band Princess Goes (formerly Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum) immediately drew curiosity from me instead of any kind of snark. The trio formed from Hall’s run in Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway in 2014. After jamming together for a few years, Hall along with keyboardist and guitarist Matt Katz-Bohen and drummer and bassist Peter Yanowitz decided to make it official in 2018 as an avant-indietronic trio. The band would release “Ketamine”, their first single in 2019 and their first E.P., Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum, in 2020. In support of their second LP, “Come of Age”, the band swung their tour through the oft-skipped city of Savannah, Georgia.
Serving as the opener for the tour is Turbo Goth, an electronic art goth duo from New York by way of the Philippines. Even though they’ve been at it for about 15 years, there’s a vitality to them that I usually find in new bands — an excitement for performance and the chance to make new fans at each stop. From the response they got, I predict they left Savannah with many, but I’m absolutely certain they won the heart of at least one very enthusiastic woman in the front row who declared her new love for them between each song of their set.
The most striking thing about Hall is how even-keeled of a performer he is. There aren’t any legs propped onto the monitor as he sings. There’s no between song banter where he regales the audience with tales from Hollywood. As a matter of fact, he doesn’t seem all that interested in doing anything that will put more attention on him than the fact that he’s the lead singer of a band already does.
Even at their ultra-grooviest — songs like the title track from their new album “Come of Age” — he was content to stay behind the microphone and let his two bandmates have the spotlight entirely. I actually found myself looking more at Yanowitz, who wore a very Tommy Lee-inspired headset mic and stood up from his drum stool several times to get some audience involvement going.
I highly recommend seeing them live if you get the chance, and giving yourself some space to also fall in love with something a little dubious.
Princess Goes 2024 Tour Dates:
Friday, January 5
Music Box @ 7:00pm
San Diego, CA, United States
Saturday, January 6
Troubadour @ 7:00pm
West Hollywood, CA, United States
Sunday, January 7
Great American Music Hall @ 7:00pm
San Francisco, CA, United States
Friday, January 19
The Grey Eagle @ 7:00pm
Asheville, NC, United States
Saturday, Jan 20
Exit/In @ 7:00pm
Nashville, TN, United States
Sunday, January 21
Headliners Music Hall @ 7:00pm
Louisville, KY, United States
Below, you can watch the Princess Goes video for “Blur”
Check out the full photo gallery from the Princess Ghoes show below:
