The roots of heavy metal band the Union Underground lie in the relationship between singer/guitarist Bryan Scott and guitarist Patrick Kennison, who met in junior high school in San Antonio, TX. After finishing high school, the two launched their own recording studio, Studio Underground, making cassettes of their music. Sales of 5,000 copies of an EP brought interest from major labels, with Portrait, the hard rock imprint of Sony's Columbia label, winning out as Scott and Kennison completed the band's lineup with the addition of drummer Josh Memelo and bassist John Moyer. The Union Underground released its debut album, Education in Rebellion, in July 2000. The disc spent four months on the charts and the track "Turn Me on 'Mr. Deadman'" was on the mainstream rock charts for six months. (After two years, the album's sales reportedly stood at 350,000.) The band opened for Marilyn Manson in the fall of 2000 and earned a slot on the 2001 Ozzfest tour.