Bates left his skateboard shop, Bates Skates, behind in Palm Springs and moved to Newport Beach in early 1981. He looked to start a new band in Orange County and found Meyer and Hanna who were playing with guitarist Dave Marriott and singer Scott Brandon in a local punk band called Moral Sin. Bates had originally joined the line-up of Moral Sin as a second guitarist but soon after, Scott Brandon left the group leaving it without a singer. Bates then moved into the dual role of guitarist/singer and suggested the group change its name to Uniform Choice with the explanation that it represented our right to do whatever we wanted to do.
After about two months, Marriott left the group to pursue other endeavors and the remaining members pressed forward as a power trio. Meyer and Bates wrote a number of songs together over the course of the next year including "War is Here" and "Don't Take the Car You'll Kill Yourself". After the Cuckoo's Nest in Costa Mesa closed down, there were limited places for the band to play in the Orange County area. Not too long after the closure of the Cuckoo's Nest, the club reopened as "The Concert Factory" and it was there that Uniform Choice played most of their early shows in 1982. Bates played guitar and sang lead vocals in the beginning until the group landed on lead singer Elliott Colla, a former classmate of Meyer and Hanna's from Corona Del Mar High School. When Colla wasn't fronting the band, they experimented with other singers including, Newport Beach local Eric Whittick who sang for a short while, and later in the tradition of X-Ray Spex, 14-year-old Jennifer Harper fronted the band for a short time along with second guitar player Eric "Arab" Groff (Love Canal). The band made its first studio demo in September 1982 (Orange Peel Sessions) with Colla heading up vocals. The recordings were engineered and produced by Tom Springston (Tom Tom) of Burnt Party Host and were recorded in Corona Del Mar, California. In late 1982 the band experimented with an additional second lead bass player, Brent Turner. Turner only played several shows with the band and left the group to record the album When in Rome Do as the Vandals with The Vandals (punk). Over the course of the first two years the group performed with other established punk acts such as Black Flag, SIN 34, Circle Jerks, Channel 3, Shattered Faith, Bad Religion, Circle One and Angry Samoans.
In 1983, Hanna and Meyer decided to leave the band and Bates enlisted an entire new line-up which would be fronted by Pat Dubar and drums being played by Hanna's friend and classmate Pat Dyson (who had played with Plain Wrap 1983). Meyer went on to play with other groups such as the Finks and Peace Corp. while Bates left the group later in 1983 to pursue other endeavors in Hollywood, California.
The group with this final line-up of Pat Dubar, Pat Dyson, Vic Maynez and David Mello went forward with a new vision as Uniform Choice and continued to record and create what was considered the first O.C. Straight Edge Demos. The group gained momentum nationally while performing throughout California and beyond bringing the group to their existing level of fame and recognition in the Southern California punk subculture.
Screaming for Change is their most acclaimed album. They also recorded another less well received LP called Staring into the Sun and their demo has been bootlegged several times. Pat Dubar was a graduate of Pepperdine University and created the label Wishingwell Records, which released albums by Uniform Choice, Blast, and Youth of Today, among others. Uniform Choice is historically among the first five Straight Edge Hardcore bands to emerge from Southern California.
Uniform Choice is a straight edge hardcore band from Orange County, California fronted by Pat Dubar. Screaming For Change is one of their records. They also recorded another less well received LP called Staring Into The Sun and their 1984 demo has been bootlegged several times. Pat Dubar was a graduate of Pepperdine University and the had created the label which their albums were distributed on by the name of, "Wishing Well Records." Members also played/play in Unity, Mindfunk and Ignite.
Vocals- Pat Dubar,
Guitar- Vic Maynez,
Bass- Dave Mello,
Drums- Pat Dyson
EARLY MEMBERS:
Guitar/Vocals- Myke Bates
Bass Guitar/Vocals- Hanson Meyer
Drums- Eric Hanna
Vocals- Elliott Colla
fan site's & mp3's myspace.com/uniformchoicefans, myspace.com/uniformchoice, myspace.com/uniformxchoice
Early band information, photos, etc: http://blackflagnervousbreakdown.blogspot.com/2014/08/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html#comment-form
In Time
Uniform Choice Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Why do I scream?
Why do I yell?
Because you don't try to understand the way I feel
No one ever listens to a word I have to say
Blind in their own minds
Tell me there is no other way
This day I screm as one
Tomorrow we stand one in all
Tomorrow's when we get things done
Once the feelings there
The emotions are inside
I've got to scream to express
The feelings I just can't hide
Now it's gone too far
It's finally to the point
To where I have to fucking scream
For everything I want
I scream to get my point across
I scream because I have faith
I scream because you lock me out
And it's the only way I can relate
In time…
Finally you open your eyes
Think you've figured out why I scream
You say I'm immature
Trying to live out a hopeless dream
You ask me why I do it
Does it have a meaning
I know someday I'll get through to you
Until then I'll just keep screaming
In time
, Uniform Choice's song "In Time" speaks to the frustration of feeling unheard and misunderstood. The lyrics express the singer's need to scream in order to be heard and to express emotions that can't be hidden. The first verse addresses the singer's feeling that no one listens to what he has to say, and that people are "Blind in their own minds" and don't try to understand him. He turns to screaming as a way to get his point across, and because it's the only way he can relate to people who have locked him out.
The chorus repeats the phrase "In time…" which adds to the overall sense of frustration and hopelessness. The second verse continues with the theme of screaming being the only way to communicate: "Once the feelings there, the emotions are inside / I've got to scream to express / The feelings I just can't hide." The singer acknowledges that things have gone too far, and that it's necessary to scream in order to get what he wants.
The bridge of the song provides a glimmer of hope, as the listener is told that someday the singer will get through to them, and that until then, he'll keep screaming. The song concludes with another repetition of the chorus, emphasizing the passage of time and the continued need to scream.
Overall, "In Time" is a powerful expression of frustration and need for connection. It speaks to the universal experience of feeling unheard and misunderstood, and the way that screaming can sometimes be the only way to break through and communicate.
Line by Line Meaning
In time…
As time passes...
Why do I scream?
Why do I raise my voice so much?
Why do I yell?
Why do I shout so much?
Because you don't try to understand the way I feel
It's because you don't attempt to comprehend the emotions I'm experiencing
No one ever listens to a word I have to say
No one ever hears me out
Blind in their own minds
People are close-minded
Tell me there is no other way
They tell me that there is no other possibility
Today, I stand by myself
Right now, I'm by myself
This day I scream as one
Today, I raise my voice in unity
Tomorrow we stand one in all
Tomorrow, we will join forces
Tomorrow's when we get things done
That's when we will accomplish what needs to be done
Once the feelings there
If the feeling is there
The emotions are inside
The emotions are contained within me
I've got to scream to express
I have to shout to convey
The feelings I just can't hide
The emotions that I can't conceal
Now it's gone too far
Now it's too late
It's finally to the point
We're finally at the stage
To where I have to fucking scream
Where I have to raise my voice aggressively
For everything I want
For everything I desire
I scream to get my point across
I shout to make myself clear
I scream because I have faith
I shout because I believe
I scream because you lock me out
I raise my voice because you block me off
And it's the only way I can relate
It's the only way I can communicate
Finally you open your eyes
You finally understand
Think you've figured out why I scream
You believe you have deduced the reason for my yelling
You say I'm immature
You claim that I'm childish
Trying to live out a hopeless dream
Pursuing a dream that will never come true
You ask me why I do it
You inquire as to why I shout
Does it have a meaning
Does it serve a purpose?
I know someday I'll get through to you
I know that someday you'll understand me
Until then I'll just keep screaming
Until that time, I'll continue to raise my voice
Contributed by Ethan H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.