Lonely Day

I always hate reading news like this. It's been confirmed that one of my favorite bands is taking an "indefinite hiatus" (aka breaking up). Phantom Planet, the band that I've seen more than any other in college, is calling it quits after an amazing 15 year run. You probably know these guys best for the theme song they contributed to The O.C. ("California"), but this song really doesn't do them any justice. Every album they've put out has been phenomenal, including this year's Raise The Dead. "Do The Panic" has my vote for catchiest single of the year.

The first concert I ever saw in college was American Hi-Fi/Phantom Planet in September 2001. It was about a week after 9/11, and people were still hesitant to go out and have a good time in the wake of such tragedy. The bands were playing this obscure club called Metropol (RIP) in the Strip District of Pittsburgh and I'm pretty sure I got lost trying to find it. One of the seediest joints imaginable -- literally adjacent to a seaport just to give you some imagery. This was probably the first intimate show I had ever attended -- the kind where an already tiny venue is nowhere near capacity. Phantom Planet rocked it out in front of about 30 people, and at that point I knew I'd be hearing from these guys again (I'd go on to see them 2-3 more time during my college era). There was literally no one there, so when Jason Schwatzman (yes, THE Jason Schwartzman) threw his drumstick into the crowd following the set, there was no one else to catch it other than me. Some girl came gushing over begging for the drumstick and I happily obliged. I got a big hug, and put it together a few months later that the drummer just happened to be the same guy from one of the best movies of all time -- Rushmore.

Phantom Planet will be playing their final show on December 12th in LA.