Okay, okay, everyone calm down. Jason Schwartzman is no longer in the band, having decided to focus on his film career. But Schwartzman's departure may be the best thing for Phantom Planet's artistic cred, leaving the group with only one motion-picture actor (Alex Greenwald, Donnie Darko ) and helping fans concentrate on the music rather than the novelty factor. Phantom Planet has been releasing solid pop rock for about 10 years now, but it was the hit single “California” off 2002's The Guest that lodged them firmly in the footnotes of Orange County history. Selected as the theme song to Fox's The O.C., the lilting and (frankly) lovely piano line will forever be associated with the beaches, wealth and scandal that Orange County is known for. Even without a Coppola relative, Phantom Planet seems to be getting by just fine.
Sat., June 14, 7 p.m., 2008
