Old school night for ‘The O.C.’

Beck may be the godfather of the Silver Lake music scene, but to launch his upcoming album “Guero,� he’s making a stand behind the Orange Curtain.

The album, due in stores March 29, will receive in essence a world premiere on an episode of “The O.C.,� the weekly Fox TV teen drama that has gained a reputation as a showcase for hip music discoveries.

Beck’s will be the only music featured in the series’ March 10 installment, which will incorporate five songs from the new album plus Beck’s version of Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You In the End.�

“It’s our ‘Beckpisode,’ � says Josh Schwartz, the hit series’ creator. “We’re huge fans of Beck. When we heard this album we liked it so much we didn’t want just one song.�

Schwartz says it’s unprecedented for the show to feature this much from one artist, let alone exclusively, even on episodes that have had acts perform in the fictional hangout the Bait Shop.

There was never discussion of Beck’s performing on this episode. There had been talk of a cameo walk-on, but that didn’t pan out.

Alexandra Patsavas, music supervisor of “The O.C.,� says that while the basic outline of the plot for the episode -- titled “The Mallpisode� and focusing on some characters trapped in a mall -- was set before the Beck music was chosen, the actual writing by Stephanie Savage was done with the songs specifically in mind.

“It gives the episode such a cohesive, interesting feel,� Patsavas says. “Beck’s voice is so unique and strong. The songs are used as score, as source music, used how we often use music.�

“The O.C.� has become known as a place to find new or obscure artists. Modest Mouse and the Killers are among the five acts that have performed on the show, and a series of albums of music featured on the show has been spun off via Warner Bros. Records, with a fourth volume due April 5.

Beck, though, is neither new nor obscure.

“We don’t want this attitude where we only play something new and British and no one’s ever heard,� says Schwartz. “We premiered the Beastie Boys’ single last year. We played U2 this year. And with this whole kind of indie music movement sweeping the scene now, Beck was at the forefront of that a decade ago. So we’re excited to play his music and shine a light on the new record.�

That light is clearly an attraction for a veteran artist as much as for a new act. But can “The O.C.� help Beck regain the sales power of his peak, which came with his 2.2-million-selling 1996 album, “Odelay�? His three subsequent albums have each sold less than one-third of that figure, according to Nielsen SoundScan data.

“They have done an incredible job of placing music that matters over the past two seasons,� says Tony Seyler, vice president of film and TV marketing for Interscope Geffen A&M; Records, who first met with Schwartz and Patsavas to present the new music for consideration. “We feel that this record and the show are an incredible match.

“Giving ‘The O.C.’ early access to ‘Guero’ made so much sense to us. I think that there are kids out there that are really into new bands like Death Cab for Cutie and the Postal Service that will discover this album through the show.�

“To this point it’s been mostly developing acts featured on the show,� says Geoff Mayfield, director of charts for Billboard magazine. “After the band the Walkmen appeared on the show their sales tripled the following week, and it had much more impact than an appearance on David Letterman’s show did for them a week later.

“From what we’ve seen, this can be a clever way for Beck to get word out that he has a new album. And it’s a younger audience than we might attribute to him, but that may be the thinking.�

Can’t we all just get along?

The ADORED is one of the new crop of Los Angeles bands getting a lot of attention. Amoeba Records in Hollywood is one of the best places to find music from independent local acts. But the band’s new debut EP isn’t being carried at the store -- all because of a barroom brawl, according to the Adored’s singer Ryan George.

It seems that George was at the Hollywood hangout Star Shoes in November when a tussle started. Believing that a woman he was with was about to be hit by a man, he struck the man first. The victim, who needed reconstructive facial surgery as a result, turned out to be a staff buyer at Amoeba.

“It was a huge free-for-all in a bar with people going crazy,� says George, who adds that he cannot comment further on the incident because there has been discussion of a lawsuit being filed. “But the bottom line is they won’t carry our record because of a personal issue with one of their employees.�

An Amoeba representative confirmed that the EP is not in the store, but would not give the reason. No arrest was made or charges filed in the case, but the Amoeba representative confirmed that a lawsuit was possible and refused to comment further for that reason.

George does say that he personally called the injured party to apologize and that some of his bandmates have also had positive conversations with him.

But whatever the legal situation, the Amoeba representative said that forgiveness may be in the offing, at least on a business level. Plans are for the store to carry the band’s first full album when it is released by V2 Records this summer.