VOX had seen the name many times: The Union Underground. We hadn't heard them, but fans from all over have been sending us e-mail telling us they were a band that needed to be heard. We're not the types to ignore our readers. One listen to The Union Underground's debut release, …An Education In Rebellion (Portrait/Columbia) and it's no wonder we had heard so much about them. Filled with driving rhythms provided by drummer Josh Memolo and bassist John Moyer backing the grind-it-out guitar work of Patrick Kennison, the music is at once pure heavy rock and yet very melody-conscious at the same time. Singer/guitarist Bryan Scott rounds out the lineup and provides the prefect front man persona for The Union Underground.

Scott is careful to note that this isn't some fly-by-night operation. He and Kennison go back over ten years and have been paying their dues. They live with a 'take no prisoners' mentality, and won't let things stand in their way or hold them back from their desire to play. "I've never looked back," he told us. "We just hit the edge of the cliff and jumped in." Scott is also quick to explain that they aren't attempting to cash in on the lasted trend and jump on whatever bandwagon happens to be passing by. "We're a rock band," Scott explained. "Not metal, not hip-hop, not rap-metal, not anything other than a rock band."

What Scott and his band mates are is well on their way to success. They've got quite a buzz going, and new fans are joining the Union all the time. Count us in. With "Killing The Fly" currently getting play on stations with the guts to play it and "Turn Me On Mr. Deadman," the album's first single, having already gotten lots of attention, The Union Underground aren't going to stay underground for long. Pay your dues and join the Union now.