The Union Underground

The heavy metal outfit the Union Underground originated in the partnership between singer/guitarist Bryan Scott and guitarist Patrick Kennison, who first crossed paths in junior high school in San Antonio, TX. Once they completed secondary education, the pair founded their own facility, Studio Underground, and began issuing cassettes of their material. An EP that sold 5,000 copies soon drew major-label interest, with Portrait—the hard rock imprint of Sony’s Columbia label—securing the contract as Scott and Kennison rounded out the roster by adding drummer Josh Memelo and bassist John Moyer. The group delivered its debut album, Education in Rebellion, in July 2000. The record stayed on the charts for four months, and the track “Turn Me on ’Mr. Deadman’” remained on the mainstream rock charts for six months; after two years its reported sales reached 350,000 copies. The band supported Marilyn Manson in fall 2000 and secured a place on the 2001 Ozzfest tour.

The Union Underground’s next release was the song “Across the Nation,” included on the World Wrestling Federation various-artists album Forced Entry, which appeared on SmackDown!/Columbia in March 2002. That single earned the group another extended run on the mainstream rock charts. In June 2002, Portrait issued the six-track EP Live...One Nation Underground, drawn from concert recordings made in 2000 and 2001 while the band prepared its second album.