It was 1992 when Union 13 played their first show. The world was much like it is today beset with war, corruption and poverty.Right from the start Union 13 chose these harsh truths along with a progressive hardcore style of music as the basis for their socially conscious lyrics. At first the band dispersed its message through simple means. The band was perfectly happy playing backyard parties and never actually approached a club or recorded anything until 1996 when Epitaph Records caught word of this East Los Angeles phenomenon and decided to put them in the studio for a six song demo.Having never been in a studio, the band decided to just go for it. Shortly after the band was quickly signed by Brett Gurewitz owner of Epitaph Records. This led to Union 13 debut record entitled " East Los Presents..." which was produced by Tim and Lars of Rancid. The band hit the road and gained a new perspective of the world. Never really taking any time to rest the band then released " Why are we destroying ourselves?" their second record which dealt with the internal battles within the band as well as those from without.In 2000 Union 13 released " Youth, Betrayal and the awakening" which was the last recording they made for Epitaph. As I recall they finished recording on a Friday and on Monday they were off to Canada were they would begin a world tour that did not end until 2003 when they decided that it was time to slow down enough to make a new record."We truly earned the title Road Dogs" says Louie the drummer of the group. On November 12, 2003 Union 13 released their fourth album "Symptoms of Humanity" which was recorded for Disaster records, a Los Angeles based indie label owned by Duane Peters who is a legendary skateboarder and sings for the U.S. Bombs and Die Hunns.The current Union 13 line up consists of 4 members: Edward - vocals, Balti - Bass, Louie - Drums and Eddie - Guitar. The band proclaims that they have never been happier as a group and for see no changes. The core song writing team remains to ensure that Union 13 never deviates from its sole purpose of playing the truth. As always many things are in the works. Along with a new record Union 13 is getting ready to sign some bands to its new recording label " East Los Presents" that’s right, named after the city they love and the record that introduced them to the world. Union 13 continues to work hard for their great fans. Its all about the music, right?
