Phantom Planet

Phantom Planet
Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1994 in Los Angeles, California, United States
Headquarters	Los Angeles, United States
Products	Music albums, live performances

Phantom Planet is a rock group originating from Los Angeles, established in 1994. The current members are Alex Greenwald (vocals and rhythm guitar), Darren Robinson (lead guitar), Sam Farrar (bass guitar), and Andrew Parker (drums). Their most recognizable song is "California", which served as the opening theme for the television series The O.C.. Actor Jason Schwartzman played drums for the band until 2003.

On November 25, 2008, Phantom Planet declared an indefinite break, halting both live shows and new music production. Their final concert before this pause took place on December 12, 2008, in Los Angeles. The band ended their hiatus and reunited in 2019.

Formation and Phantom Planet Is Missing era (1994–1999)

The band’s name was inspired by the 1961 cult film The Phantom Planet. As teenagers, they began performing around Hollywood. In 1997, they secured a deal with Geffen Records, releasing their first album, Phantom Planet Is Missing, in 1998. While the album did not achieve major chart success, the single "So I Fall Again" was featured on the soundtrack for Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Album.

The Guest and self-titled album period (2002–2004)

After Geffen Records merged into Universal, Phantom Planet signed with Epic Records. Charlotte Froom, daughter of producer Mitchell Froom, introduced the band to her father, who agreed to produce their sophomore album with engineer Tchad Blake assisting.

Released in 2002, The Guest led to an extensive 18-month tour, including opening slots for Elvis Costello. The album gained widespread attention when its track "California" was selected as the theme for Fox’s popular show The O.C., resulting in a reissue of the album in 2003 featuring additional tracks.

Their third album, titled Phantom Planet and released in 2004, marked a stylistic transition toward a garage rock sound away from their earlier pop rock influences. Lead vocalist Alex Greenwald highlighted the band's commitment to musical growth and experimentation with each release. During these sessions, founding drummer Jason Schwartzman departed to focus on his acting career and was succeeded by Jeff Conrad. The album received mixed critical responses. Shortly after its release, guitarist Jacques Brautbar left to pursue photography full-time. To promote this record, the band performed "Big Brat" on the Late Show with David Letterman.

Raise the Dead and subsequent hiatus (2007–2008)

While beginning work on their fourth studio project, Phantom Planet’s contract with Epic ended; they then signed with Fueled by Ramen. Their fourth album, Raise the Dead, was released on April 15, 2008. Greenwald described it as a concept album influenced by iconic records such as The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's and The Rolling Stones' Their Satanic Majesties Request. The lead single from this album was "Do the Panic".

On November 25, 2008, Phantom Planet announced they would enter a hiatus period, culminating with a final performance on December 12, 2008 at The Troubadour venue in Los Angeles.

Initial reunion phase (2011–2013)

On December 20, 2011, Phantom Planet shared a rehearsal clip of "Knowitall" and revealed plans for a reunion involving several shows and potentially an EP. Their initial reunion concert was set for June 13, 2012, at The Troubadour in Los Angeles, with an additional performance added for June 14. Former member Jacques Brautbar joined the lineup on June 13.

In August 2013, under the name Alex Greenwald & Phriends, the group debuted a new track titled "Balisong." This song appeared on Greenwald’s solo album and was later released by Phantom Planet as a single in 2019. Bassist Sam Farrar was unavailable due to commitments touring with Maroon 5, so Stuart Zender from Jamiroquai stepped in as his replacement.

Second reunion and Devastator (2019–present)

Phantom Planet announced their comeback by launching an Instagram profile on January 19, 2019. Members shared the band’s logo across social platforms and performed a private gig in Los Angeles that same day.

On March 18, 2019, the band officially ended their hiatus with the statement "Hiatus. Over." They revealed plans for their first public show in over seven years at Hanson’s "Hop Jam" Music and Beer Festival in Tulsa on May 19, preceded by several concerts in Southern California.

The single "Balisong," a revamped version of Greenwald’s solo piece and their first new release in 11 years, arrived on May 7. In March 2020, Phantom Planet announced their fifth studio album, Devastator, scheduled for May 8 release—marking their first album since Raise the Dead (2008). The launch was postponed to June 19 due to the COVID-19 crisis but was then rescheduled earlier to June 18 as a gesture of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Side projects and related work

Original drummer Jason Schwartzman, part of the Coppola family and now primarily recognized as an accomplished actor, began his film career while still active in Phantom Planet. He made his acting debut in Wes Anderson’s 1998 film Rushmore. Schwartzman departed from the band in 2003 to pursue acting full-time but maintained musical involvement through his project Coconut Records, which produced two albums released in 2007 and 2009.

In September 2009, Alex Greenwald announced his solo album by sharing its tracklist on Twitter. His debut solo effort, Yo, was released on May 5, 2014. Greenwald co-produced and contributed to former Panic! at the Disco members Ryan Ross and Jon Walker's band The Young Veins’ debut album Take a Vacation!, and also produced songs for The Like. Additionally, he collaborated with Mark Ronson & the Business Intl., providing guitar, keyboard, and vocal contributions. Greenwald is also involved with Phases and supports fellow member Darren Robinson’s side project Twin Terrors.

Sam Farrar joined Operation Aloha alongside members of Gomez and Maroon 5. Their self-titled album was recorded over a month-long session in Maui, Hawaii, and released on May 12, 2009. Since 2012, Farrar has toured with Maroon 5 as an auxiliary member, playing various instruments as well as co-writing and co-producing tracks across most of their studio albums. He also created a remix of "Woman" featured on Call and Response: The Remix Album (2008). On August 31, 2012, during Maroon 5’s Overexposed World Tour stop in Argentina, Farrar substituted on bass for Mickey Madden before becoming an official band member in 2016.

Darren Robinson toured with Miniature Tigers in early 2009 before joining John Graney’s Southern California surf group The Californian. Robinson leads three projects: Twin Terrors and Dead Honcho—both available on SoundCloud—and Fist Fright with Andrew Parker, whose songs can be found on Bandcamp.

Former drummer Jeff Conrad heads the musical project Vibe Mountain.

In popular culture

Phantom Planet has served as the opening act for a variety of renowned musicians such as Guns N' Roses, Sting, Elvis Costello, Incubus, Blink-182, Maroon 5, Ludacris, Panic! at the Disco, and Paramore.

The band made a guest appearance on Sabrina the Teenage Witch, performing "So I Fall Again," and portrayed the British rock group The Zombies on American Dreams, where they performed "Tell Her No". Their track "Lonely Day" was featured in an episode of Smallville. In 2005, Phantom Planet depicted a fictional skate punk band in the film Bad News Bears and recorded a cover of CSNY's "Our House" for the soundtrack of The Chumscrubber. They also contributed a rendition of Jackson Browne's "Somebody's Baby" to Not Another Teen Movie. The song "Big Brat" appeared across multiple media including the video game Driver 3, an episode of One Tree Hill, and the movie The Amazing Spider-Man.

Greenwald and Farrar teamed up with British DJ Mark Ronson to produce a funk and R&B interpretation of Radiohead's "Just" for the 2006 tribute album Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads. Originally attributed solely to Greenwald, the track was re-released in 2008 under Phantom Planet’s name, achieving improved chart success in the UK. Farrar also played a role in Hanson’s album Underneath, contributing to the song "Lost Without Each Other".

In 2008, their song "Raise the Dead" was featured in season two of Gossip Girl, while "Do the Panic" was included on the show's soundtrack, OMFGG – Original Music Featured on Gossip Girl. The band’s music has gained significant exposure on television, most notably with "California" serving as the theme for The O.C.. Additionally, tracks like "Do the Panic" and "Dropped" have been utilized in various advertising campaigns.

Band members

Current

Alex Greenwald – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboards, occasional bass (1994–2008, 2012, 2019–present)
Sam Farrar – bass guitar, backing vocals, occasional guitar and keyboards (1994–2008, 2012, 2019–present), drums (2003–2004)
Darren Robinson – lead guitar, backing vocals (1994–2008, 2012, 2019–present)
Andrew Parker – drums (2024–present; touring member from 2022 to 2024)

Touring

Chris Lorentz – bass guitar (2022–present; substitutes when Sam Farrar is performing with Maroon 5)

Former

Jason Schwartzman – drums and percussion (1994–2003)
Jacques Brautbar – rhythm and lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, occasional bass (1994–2004, 2012)
Jeff Conrad – drums and percussion (2004–2008, 2012, 2019–2024)

Discography

Phantom Planet Is Missing (1998)
The Guest (2002)
Phantom Planet (2004)
Raise the Dead (2008)
Devastator (2020)

Filmography

Phantom Planet filmography
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Sabrina the Teenage Witch	Themselves	Episode: "And the Sabrina Goes to..."
2004	American Dreams	The Zombies	Episode: "A Clear and Present Danger"
2005	Bad News Bears	The Bloodfarts

External links