according to the official project 86 documentary "xv," project 86 formed in mid 1996 by vocalist andrew schwab in orange county, california. guitarist randy torres, who was a sophomore in high school, was the first member recruited. the original lineup included schwab, torres, ethan luck (demon hunter, relient k), and bassist matt hernandez (unashamed, the dingees). drummer alex albert was added when hernandez left the band after a few rehearsals, then luck moved to bass from drums. luck left the band to join the dingees in summer 1997, after which high school senior steven dail joined in late 1997.