Just wanted to follow up with my findings.
I wanted to get this done on my own so that knocked out any sandblasting and I also had a budget to worry about.
I read more about the self etching primer on some hot rod car forums and decided that there was a good chance I could skip it for this project.
Josh you were spot on with your Rustoleum hammered finish. I went with the Rustoleum black hammered finish.
I used steel wool on the stands until the rough areas were smooth. I then thoroughly cleaned the stands prior to starting the spraying.
I could not be more pleased with the results. They came out really well and are waiting for me to finish building my monitors.
Thanks to everyone for the advice and suggestions. I really appreciate all of you.
This is one of the reasons why AC is my favorite forum on the web.

-Nick