Uniform Choice
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1, 1982 in Newport Beach, California, United States |
| Founder | Myke Bates, Hanson Meyer, Eric Hanna |
| Headquarters | Orange County , United States |
| Products | Hardcore punk music |
Uniform Choice—initially known as Moral Sin—was an American hardcore punk group originating from Orange County, California.
History
The band Uniform Choice came into existence in the spring of 1982 in Newport Beach, founded by guitarist Myke Bates, bassist Hanson Meyer, and drummer Eric Hanna. Bates, who had been active in the Palm Springs punk scene and was credited with composing "Rodney On The ROQ" for KROQ-FM DJ Rodney Bingenheimer, relocated from his skateboard shop to Orange County to form a new ensemble. He joined the local punk outfit Moral Sin, which featured Meyer, Hanna, guitarist Dave Marriott, and vocalist Scott Brandon. Following Brandon’s departure, Bates assumed both guitar and lead vocal responsibilities and rebranded the band as Uniform Choice to reflect a new artistic direction.
After Marriott left, the group continued as a trio. Bates and Meyer collaborated on tracks such as "War is Here" and "Don't Take the Car You'll Kill Yourself." When the Cuckoo's Nest venue closed, Uniform Choice performed early gigs at its successor, The Concert Factory. Initially handling vocals himself, Bates was succeeded by Elliott Colla—who had been classmates with Meyer and Hanna—as lead singer. The band also briefly experimented with other frontmen including Eric Whittick and 14-year-old Jennifer Harper.
Their debut studio demo, the Orange Peel Sessions (1982), featured Colla on vocals and was produced by Tom Springston. In 1983, Brent Turner joined temporarily as a second bassist before departing to record with The Vandals. During this era, Uniform Choice shared stages with notable punk bands such as Black Flag, SIN 34, Circle Jerks, Channel 3, Shattered Faith, Bad Religion, Circle One, and Angry Samoans.
Early in 1983, both Hanna and Meyer exited the band; Bates then assembled a new lineup including vocalist Pat Dubar, drummer Pat Dyson (formerly of Plain Wrap), bassist John Lorey, and guitarist Vic Maynez. Meyer moved on to projects like the Finks and Peace Corp., while Bates left later that year for Hollywood. Dyson and Dubar made an effort to reintegrate Eric VonArab into the group.
This formation—comprising Dubar, Dyson, Maynez, and David Mello—furthered Uniform Choice’s mission by creating some of the first O.C. Straight Edge demos and building a national presence through performances across California. Their most celebrated release is Screaming for Change. They also produced Staring into the Sun, which attracted less acclaim; their demo tapes have been extensively bootlegged. Pat Dubar, an alumnus of Pepperdine University, established Wishingwell Records, which issued albums by Unity, Uniform Choice, Blast, Youth of Today, among others. Uniform Choice is widely regarded as a foundational Straight Edge hardcore band from Southern California.
Members
- Pat Dubar – vocals (1983–1990)
- Victor Maynez – guitar (1983–1990)
- Pat Dyson – drums (1983–1986)
- David Mellow – bass (1984–1990)
- John Lorey – bass (1983–1984)
- Patrick Longrie – drums (1986–1990; 1991–1994)
- Jim Viviano – vocals (1991–1994)
- Mike Hanes – guitar (1991–1994)
- Rich J Weinrauch – guitar (1991–1994)
- Trent Ober – bass (1991–1994)
- Myke Bates – guitar (1982–1983)
- Hanson Meyer – bass (1982–1983)
- Dave Marriott – guitar (1982)
- Eric Hanna – drums (1982–1983)
- Elliott Colla – vocals (1982–1983)
- Eric VonArab – guitar (1982)
- Brent Turner – bass (1983)
- Scott Brandon – vocals (1982)
Discography
- Orange Peel Sessions demo (recorded in 1982, issued in 2015)
- Uniform Choice demo (1984)
- Screaming for Change (Wishingwell Records, 1986)
- Region of Ice (Giant Records, 1988)
- Staring Into the Sun (Giant Records, 1988)
- Getting the Point Across (live in SF 1988) (Lost & Found Records LF247/CD, released 1996)
- Rainmaker demo (1991)
- Consider This demo (1992)