Phantom Planet
| Phantom Planet | |
|---|---|
Phantom Planet performing in August 2008
|
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Los Angeles County, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1994–2008, 2011–2012 (on hiatus) |
| Labels | |
| Website | phantomplanet |
| Members |
Alex Greenwald Sam Farrar Darren Robinson Jeff Conrad |
| Past members |
Jason Schwartzman Jacques Brautbar |
Phantom Planet is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald (vocals, rhythm guitar), Darren Robinson (lead guitar), Sam Farrar (bass guitar) and Jeff Conrad (drums). The band is best known for its track "California", which became the theme song for the TV series The O.C.. The band featured actor Jason Schwartzman on drums until 2003 and continued to release well-received albums in his absence.
On November 25, 2008, the band announced in a blog entry on their website that they are going on "hiatus, and will not be playing any more live shows or making any new records, indefinitely." They played their last pre-hiatus show on December 12, 2008, in Los Angeles, but have since reunited for handful of shows.
Phantom Planet was named in 1994 after a 1961 B-movie called The Phantom Planet. They played their first show in 1994 at The Troubadour in Hollywood, California. Most of their friends could not attend because they were still in high school. Two of the songs they played are featured on the bonus material of the Chicago, Chicagogoing, Chicagogone DVD. Among the songs performed were "My Friend Liz's Dad" (misprinted as "My Friend Liz Is Dead" on the DVD) and a cover of the Beastie Boys 1994 song "Sabotage".
While still in their teens, the group played frequently in and around the Hollywood area, finally catching the eye of Geffen Records executives. Phantom Planet signed with Geffen in 1997 and released their first effort, Phantom Planet Is Missing in 1998. Phantom Planet is Missing showed musical similarities to the popular band Weezer, with influences ranging from The Beach Boys to Electric Light Orchestra, but the album failed to gain any significant ground with either critics or fans. However, as some group members started to make appearances on both the small and large screen and the group pressed on, Phantom Planet gradually built momentum.
...
Wikipedia