Once upon a time there were 2 kids from San Antonio who hated the standard of their home state. Both loved Motley Crue and both had a dream to start a band. When these 2 kids collided their dreams combined. They envisioned themselves in lights. They formed a great friendship & began to go with their dream by writing songs and music to go along with their writing. This was the beginning of what is now The Union Underground.
Bryan Scott & Patrick Kennison began finishing songs around 1995. They already had full tracks finished before the addition of a permanent drummer & bassist. Through the course of 1996 & 1997, Bryan & Patrick sought the perfect line-up. They came across Josh Memolo who took the position of playing the drums. Still seeking the final spot for the band, a talented bass player from Austin was found by the name of John Moyer. The Union didn't start out as a 4 piece. Bryan was originally playing guitars while another unamed person was doing vocals. Once demos were recorded, though, Bryan's small vocal parts were beginning to sound very good. The original "lazy" vocalist was kicked out and Bryan took over singing. For a while he even played most guitar parts while singing but later forced Patrick to actually WORK live and be the sole guitar player minus a song or two.
Once the line-up was solid the band began somewhat of a small tour playing local clubs. The Union Underground quickly gained popularity and became one of the hottest underground bands in the southwest. After playing many shows, James Jeda took notice of the band. He was working for a small indie label. He approached the band but did not want to sign them. He believed the band needed to be signed to a larger label to help them achieve their dream. He had faith that the UU could do it too.
Jeda eventually became their manager. He began playing demos and trying his hardest to get only the best for the band. Finally after a year & a half the band caught the attention of Sony. The band was signed to the Columbia/Portrait label.
Working with a big record company wasn't too bad for the band. They got their say in on how they wanted their record to be & even got some good suggestions. The opening track on An Education in Rebellion was originally slated to be a hidden track until it was suggested to the band to put it at the beginning. They agreed & the result was amazing. They finished recording their album & began touring to help build up its release.
While playing a live show the UU have certain standards. The most important one is that they have to have 2 large video screens on both sides of the stage which display images which the band finds essential to their music. Images can range from Charles Manson to clips of independent films. The screens aren't flashing images for the entire set. Usually half of the songs played will get the clips. The rest of the time they display a large UU logo. The screens also range in size depending on the size of the club.
After the release of their debut album the UU continued touring. The band is happy to be out on the road. They have actually stated that they feel out of place in Texas and tend to get a lot of shit from local rednecks and hillbillies, while they tend to blend in with the culture of L.A. or N.Y.C. In fact they've also said that the only other band from Texas that they listen to is the almighty Pantera.
Being from south Texas may be tough but this band keeps fighting. After receiving airplay with their first major single "Turn Me On 'Mr.. Deadman'" the band began to rise in popularity. Record sales increased and the turn up at live shows was growing. The Union Underground began to tour with other hot new acts such as Disturbed, KiTTie, SpineShank, Dust for Life, Slaves on Dope, Flybanger, and not to mention others such as the not so new masters of manufactured metal, Fear Factory. This also helped the band get noticed. Not long ago, the second single, "Killing the Fly" was released on the radio. The band is now touring even more!
The Union Underground have gotten publicity at last! They are already one of the hottest new bands around & they are now on the rise to be one of the greatest bands of all time!
Special thanks to Patrick himself who helped me out with the end of that second paragraph! I get this feeling that he wanted to do the vocals as he claims to be no slouch with them himself! (Patrick-- I'm dying to hear you sing!!! And no, unlike most of my sentences there is no sarcasm expressed in that one!)
