Revolution Mother - "Glory Bound" release 24.08.2007

Revolutuin Mother - "Glory Bound"
VÖ: 24.08.2007
Label/vertrieb: Cement Shoes Records/Soulfood
Presse/Online Promotion

“If you’re always up and you’re always willing to go out there to make things happen, you’re glory bound,” says Revolution Mother vocalist and pro skater Mike Vallely. “It’s a general statement about the life that I’ve lived and that I’ve chosen for myself. And it’s very direct about where we are with the band.”

The aforementioned positive philosophy Mike V. speaks of also happens to be the story behind the title of the Long Beach, Calif.-based rock act’s striking Cement Shoes debut full-length, Glory Bound. With an array of tracks produced by Mudrock (Avenged Sevenfold, Eighteen Visions) and Andy Johns (Godsmack, Led Zeppelin), Glory Bound is the most accurate musical snapshot of Revolution Mother circa ‘07 — and one that has been constantly evolving since the act’s inception.
Formed in late 2005 by original members Vallely and guitarist Jason Hampton, Revolution Mother immediately picked up where the pair’s former project — Mike V and The Rats — had ended. With Hampton holding a penchant for blues-based overdriven riffs and Vallely’s proven vocal delivery, the act slowly eased away from its former all-hardcore foundation, instead cutting loose with extended guitar solos, sweeping tempo shifts and more substantial arrangements.
Revolution Mother made its initial recorded mark with the summer 2006 release of its debut five-song EP, Enjoy The Ride, which had garnered significant praise from the indie music press. With its fresh material showcasing Hampton’s now-signature fretboard fury and songwriting direction, bolstered by the conviction of an act hungry to carve its own niche in the rock underground, Enjoy The Ride became a well-received debut. That same summer, the foursome embarked on a pair of national tours in promotion of the EP, including the Zumiez Couch Tour (supporting CKY) and its own headlining slot on the Mike V. Rebel Music Tour. Upon returning home to Southern California, Revolution Mother retooled its line-up, adding bassist Colin Buis (Twilight Transmission, Mean Season) to the fold. After forging an alliance with a reputable management team, the band quickly began to write and record tracks for Glory Bound with the assistance of studio drummer Mike Fasano. “We had a handful of songs to get started,” Vallely recalls. “The rest, we wrote as the process went along. And we kind of just threw everything at the wall.”
After some initial recording dates and introducing drummer Brendan Murphy (also from Twilight Transmission) to the line-up, Revolution Mother simply couldn’t leave good enough alone. Hampton, the band’s primary songwriter, moved forward and continued to write additional material, eventually penning and recording one of its most pivotal, poignant tracks, “Above The Crawl.” The doomsday buzzsaw guitar leads and slamming snare intro instantaneously signaled the band’s transition into its current, more straightforward rock ‘n’ roll course — think more AC/DC, and a little less Black Flag.

“While we were in the studio is when the light at the end of the tunnel really came into focus,” says Hampton. “More specifically, while we were recording ‘Above The Crawl.’ I was just thinking, this is it. Fast songs are great. Slow songs are great. But there is something that grabs a hold of you when you can tap your foot and bob your head to it. For me, that is what draws me to a band.”Additionally, the message behind “Above The Crawl” found Mike V. forgoing his well-treaded finger-pointing messages of the past, instead opting to aim for a larger lyrical target.
“My initial experiences of music that mattered to me were things like Minor Threat,” says Vallely. “I definitely have been influenced and inspired by that, which came through in my songwriting. And between Mike V and the Rats and the Enjoy The Ride EP, I feel like I’ve kind of got that out of my system. I felt like I was moving in this direction and my writing’s getting broader. Our vibe is just straight rock ‘n’ roll. We’re moving away from any radical statements — we just want to entertain and put on one hell of a show. I’m about something, so I just can’t turn that off, but we don’t want to be overbearing.”
Vallely also credits the guidance of Mudrock for Revolution Mother’s updated sonic direction. “Mudrock was really good with the arrangements,” he says. “I listened to what we demoed out, and I thought it was really cool, but Mudrock made things into more of a song. He tightened things up and definitely had an ear for that.”After recording nearly 20 tracks from which the band chose for its album, Glory Bound is a fine-tuned, carefully selected set, highlighting all facets of the incredibly diverse Revolution Mother songbook.
“The one thing I am really shooting for is a well rounded record,” says Hampton. “Fast songs, slow songs, peaks and valleys. All my favorite records deliver in this way. For example, when you get on a roller coaster, the drop is the best part, right? What people forget is, the part that makes the drop so great is the long, drawn-out clicking sound on the way up. The set-up. Right when you’re feeling comfortable, the floor drops out. That’s how a record should feel to me.”
Revolution Mother has also tightened its live set for the forthcoming summer’s Vans Warped Tour, and will be performing on its own stage, courtesy of the tour’s founder and longtime skateboarding advocate Kevin Lyman. The act will be appearing in support of Glory Bound on the entire summer tour, performing adjacent to the ramp on which Mike V. will skate. In fact, Revolution Mother likely has the best scenario of any band on the tour, with the ability to establish their our own set times and perform as many times as they wish.“Warped is like diving in the trenches and banging it out,” says Hampton. “We are fired up to get out there and prove ourselves.”
“I’ve been doing music for seven years now, and I’ve always felt the music speaks for itself,” adds Vallely. “I don’t expect an instant audience. I’m down for going out there and proving ourselves. And I think the Warped Tour is a great opportunity for us to do that.”In fact, the members of Revolution Mother have always succeeded thanks to their relentless drive (“No band is more focused and hungry as Revolution Mother,” says Hampton) and by taking advantage of the excellent opportunities before them.
“It’s really up to us,” says Vallely. “What we do is in our hands. I want to be able to go out there and deliver on all this, and hopefully that’s what we’ll do. The main thing for me is that at the end of the day, the music’s got to stand up for itself. And I think it does.”