Believe it or not, it’s been 20 since the iconic series, The OC, first aired, folks. Admittedly, I missed the boat when it first premiered, probably because I was too busy trying to be the world’s biggest Slayer fan and that guy just didn’t have time for teen dramas. I did, however, binge-watch the entire series over the course of like 3 weeks when I was 24.
My musical tastes were a lot more diverse at that time, so I certainly appreciated the musical cameos who appeared on the show, especially because so many of them became massive after their Bait Shop performances.
To celebrate The OC’s 20th birthday, let’s remember some of the best musical guests the show hosted.
Rooney
The first band to appear in person on the series, Rooney are an alt-rock group most-known for their single, “When Did Your Heart Go Missing”. The band is still active today but didn’t take off as much as some of the other guests.
Appearing during the first season, both Marissa and Oliver spoke to the band is if they knew them personally, which was kinda weird.
Modest Mouse
Modest Mouse formed in 1992, but became massive with the release of their single, “Float On” in 2004. Playing at the Bait Shop during The OC’s second season, the scene famously featured a wasted Seth Cohen making an adorable idiot of himself, because that was his schtick.
Death Cab For Cutie
Ahh, Death Cab, both the soundtrack to my first breakup and Seth Cohen’s favourite band. Originally formed as a solo project by singer/guitarist, Ben Gibbard, the indie group is popular for their moody tunes and brilliant lyrics.
The band played “Title and Registration”, as well as the slightly more upbeat, “The Sound of Settling”, both from their 2003 album, “Transatlanticism”. The most frustrating part about this scene is that there’s far too much talking and not enough watching the fucking band.
The Killers
While still pretty new at the time, The Killers certainly gained a shitload of momentum after their Bait Shop performance in the show’s second season.
We’re talking “Hot Fuss” era Killers, folks, which of course means they played their iconic single, “Mr Brightside” featuring a baby-faced Brandon Flowers.
The Subways
The Subways were a big deal here in Australia back in the days of Homebake, but the indie punk band haven’t really done much since their self-titled 2015 album.
The Thrills
An Irish rock band who had a couple of big singles in the early 2000s, but have been on hiatus since 2008. There are more drunk characters in this scene, which was definitely par for the course at the old Bait Shop.
BONUS: Peter Gallagher
For those who may not know, Peter Gallagher, the actor who plays Sandy Cohen, is also a musician. Singing as Sandy at the Bait Shop, Gallagher used the opportunity to launch his singing career, releasing his first album, “7 Days in Memphis”, in 2005.
Yep, The OC definitely helped launched some pretty successful bands back in the day. While the live performances were the most memorable, the show also premiered a number of massive songs for the first time ever, including Coldplay’s “Fix You”, The Beastie Boys’ “Ch-Check It Out”, U2’s “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own”, and Gwen Stefani‘s “Cool”, among a bunch of others.
Happy birthday, The OC, you beautiful son of a bitch.
