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Alex Greenwald | |
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 Greenwald with Phases in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, producer, actor |
| Instrument(s) | |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | |
Alex Greenwald is an American musician, actor, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist of the California rock band Phantom Planet.
Greenwald is Jewish. In 1994, Greenwald formed Phantom Planet in his teens with four friends – guitarist Darren Robinson, bassist Sam Farrar, guitarist Jacques Brautbar, and drummer Jason Schwartzman. The band is best known for producing the song "California", which was used as the theme song of the teen drama The O.C. , which lasted four seasons. Phantom Planet announced their hiatus on November 25, 2008.
In 2006, he collaborated with DJ Mark Ronson, to cover the Radiohead song, "Just". The cover appears on the compilation album Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads , as well as the Mark Ronson album, Version . He appeared with Ronson at the 2007 Glastonbury Festival where he climbed up on to the lighting rig of the John Peel stage during the performance of "Just", and also sang "California". In 2010, he collaborated once again with Ronson on the album "Record Collection", on which Greenwald shares writing credits on six out of the eleven tracks. He became part of Ronson's band, The Business Intl. for this record. He was also a member of Los Angeles band blackblack, until 2007. At live shows, he was known for 1980s-style dance moves, which were inspired from watching David Byrne of Talking Heads.
Greenwald is a vegan and has appeared in at least two ads for PETA. He told PETA his reasons for going vegan: "In college I stopped eating red meat on a bet with my girlfriend at the time. She bet she could stop smoking, and I bet that I could stop eating red meat. She started smoking again, so I won, which I'm always proud of.…I had been a vegetarian as a child for whatever reason. I guess kids sometimes follow their instincts…My friend dared me to go vegan as I was reading this book Fast Food Nation , which opened my eyes to a lot of cruelties.…Ever since then, I've been vegan and enjoyed it daily." [1]
Greenwald co-produced and appeared on ex – Panic! at the Disco members Ryan Ross and Jon Walker's new band, The Young Veins debut record, Take a Vacation! .
He played bass and produced several tracks on The Like's second studio album Release Me .
He is currently part of the group Phases (previously named JJAMZ), and signed to Warner Bros. Records.
JJAMZ was a band composed of Greenwald along with James Valentine (Maroon 5), Jason Boesel (Rilo Kiley/Conor Oberst), Michael Runion (solo), and Z Berg (The Like). The group was started at karaoke night at Guys in Hollywood. The band name is an acronym, using the first letter of each member's name. The group was a means of escape from each member's respective band at the time. "JJAMZ started at an interesting time in all of our lives. We all needed some kind of escape from relationships or our other bands. It was a tumultuous time, and the lyrics just came out. It was like word vomit. I can't remember," said Z Berg in one of their first interviews as a band. The band played their first concert at the Echo Plex on January 27, 2009. The band released their first and only album, Suicide Pact , on July 10, 2012. It was released through Dangerbird Records. [2]
Following Valentine's departure from JJAMZ, the band changed its name to Phases. Signed to Warner Bros. Records, Phases is composed of Greenwald, Z Berg, Jason Boesel, and Michael Runion.
Greenwald is the executive producer and one of the musicians in The Business International. He also helped to write several of the songs on their album Record Collection. He is one of the lead singers in the song 'The Night Last Night', and appeared in the music video for "The Bike Song".
In addition to the commercials for the Gap and his appearance in the 2001 film Donnie Darko , Greenwald appeared in two music videos for the electronica band M83 – "Don't Save Us From the Flames" and "Teen Angst", the video for Uffie's "ADD SUV" and also in videos for Mark Ronson, including the video for "Just".
In 2013, Greenwald began a relationship with actress Brie Larson. In May 2016, Larson's representative confirmed that the pair was engaged. [3] On January 10, 2019, it was reported that Greenwald and Larson had called off their engagement. [4] [5] In June 2020, it was confirmed that Greenwald and Australian actress Phoebe Tonkin were in a relationship. [6]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Halloween Tree | Ralph Bengstrum (voice) | TV movie |
| 1993 | Recycle Rex | (Voice) | Short |
| 1994 | A Pig's Tale | Von Hofferman | |
| 1994 | No Dessert, Dad, till You Mow the Lawn | Corby | |
| 1998 | Sabrina the Teenage Witch | Himself (as Phantom Planet) | Episode: And the Sabrina Goes to... |
| 2001 | Donnie Darko | Seth Devlin | |
| 2005 | Bad News Bears | State Band Member | |
| 2017 | Unicorn Store | The Composer | |
Phase or phases may refer to:
Phantom Planet is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald, Darren Robinson, Sam Farrar 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.
James Burgon Valentine is an American musician who is the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the pop band Maroon 5.
Phantom Planet is the third album by the rock band Phantom Planet, released on January 6, 2004. The album marked a change in the band's sound, shifting from radio-friendly pop rock to garage rock, comparable to the sound of the Strokes. Produced by Dave Fridmann, it is their first album to feature drummer Jeff Conrad.
Brianne Sidonie Desaulniers, known professionally as Brie Larson, is an American actress. Known for her supporting roles in comedies as a teenager, she has since expanded to leading roles in independent films and blockbusters. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2019.
Samantha Judith Ronson is an English DJ, singer, and songwriter who lives in Santa Monica, California.
The Like was an alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California. Its final lineup consisted of Z Berg, Tennessee Thomas (drums), Laena Geronimo (bass), and Annie Monroe (organ). The band released three extended plays (EPs) and two studio albums.
The Guest is the second studio album by American rock band Phantom Planet, released on February 26, 2002 by Epic Records. It was reissued in November 2003 with four additional bonus tracks, music videos, photos, and lyrics scanned from the notebook in which the album was originally written.
"Just" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, included on their second album, The Bends (1995). It was released as a single on 21 August 1995 and reached number 19 on the UK Singles Chart.
Jason Lyon Boesel is an American musician, songwriter and producer based in Los Angeles. He was the drummer for Rilo Kiley and has also played with The Elected and Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band.
George Ryan Ross III is an American musician, singer, and songwriter best known for his work as the former lead guitarist, backing and lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of the American rock band Panic! at the Disco before his departure in 2009. He alongside former Panic! bassist Jon Walker formed the Young Veins later that same year, in which Ross was the lead vocalist and guitarist. They broke up in 2010.
Exit Music: Songs with Radio Heads is a tribute album to British band Radiohead released in 2006 on Rapster Records and Barely Breaking Even Records. The album features reworked songs from Mark Ronson, Alex Greenwald of Phantom Planet, Sia, Matthew Herbert, Sa-Ra, The Cinematic Orchestra, RJD2 and many others.
BlackBlack was a rock band from Los Angeles, California, consisting of Diva Dompe (vocals/bass), Lola Dompe (drums), and Clark Schädelkopf (guitar).
Raise the Dead is the fourth studio album by rock band Phantom Planet. It was released on April 15, 2008. The CD includes reworked versions of "Leader" and "Geronimo", both of which appeared on the Limited Edition Tour EP, as well as a reworked version of "Do the Panic", which originally appeared on the band's 'bootleg' fanclub CD Phantom Planet: Negatives.
"Do the Panic" is a song by the band Phantom Planet, which first appeared in the 2001 film Don's Plum and was first released in 2004 on their album Phantom Planet: Negatives. In March 2008, the song was re-released with different lyrics on their album Raise the Dead and also as a single. The 2008 version also featured in a first season episode of Gossip Girl, as well as its soundtrack OMFGG and was used as part of the Fox Broadcasting Company's fall 2008 ad campaign. The song also appears in EA's NHL 09 and for the TV spots for 50/50.
Elizabeth Anne "Z" Berg is an American musician. She was a founding member, guitarist, and lead vocalist of the indie rock group the Like. Berg's father is former Geffen Records A&R exec/record producer Tony Berg.
Phases is an American indie pop band from Los Angeles, California composed of Jason Boesel, Alex Greenwald, Michael Runion, and Z Berg.
Suicide Pact is the debut album by Los Angeles–based band JJAMZ, released by Dangerbird Records on July 10, 2012. It was released on CD and vinyl on July 17, 2012. A free download of the single, "Heartbeat" can be obtained on their website.
For Life is the debut studio album by American indie-pop band Phases, after their first, Suicide Pact, was released under their old name of JJAMZ in 2012.
Devastator is the fifth studio album by American rock band Phantom Planet. It was released on June 18, 2020 by Gong Records and preceded by the singles "Balisong", "Party Animal", "Time Moves On" and "Only One". This is their first studio album in 12 years since Raise the Dead (2008). The album was originally scheduled to be released on May 8, 2020, but was pushed back to June 19, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The release was later moved up one day earlier, as a sign of respect to the Black Lives Matter movement so it would not fall on the same day as Juneteenth.
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