Revolution Mother's debut Cement Shoes record is nothing short of being straight up skate rock (if such a term exists). And obviously that has something to do with vocalist Mike Vallely and his background.

It's a well known fact that most skaters tend to skate to a punk rock backdrop. There are exceptions, and sometimes the music varies to a degree, but there's that certain something about Revolution Mother that just has "skate rock" painted all over it. As with most bands, you make the music that you want to hear, that hopefully no one else is really making. In this case, that would be some straight up music to skate to.

There are songs on the album that are more of a mid to slowed tempo, and are more along the lines of straight up southern fried hard rock. But overall, the underlying rebellious punk rock party vibe shines through. Not necessarily "pop punk" in scope, but there are also a few tracks where a slight bit of that influence shows up as well.

Their cover of 'Hole In The Sky' is given a whole different treatment here. It's pulled off quite well, only there's more of a skate punk meets Zakk Wylde 'Pride and Glory' era cajun rock vibe to it, than the typical semi-aggro metal versions that usually tend to surface from bands paying homage to the legendary Black Sabbath.

Going from skating to doing music isn't necessarily typical. Most times we see actors attempting to sing, or vice versa. And while most forms of rock, metal, and extreme music overall go hand in hand with 'extreme' sports through tours and music compilations, Mike Vallely has taken it to a whole new level with Revolution Mother. The good part of it is that he doesn't do too bad in the vocal department, as there isn't a whole lot required of a punk rock vocalist. Nothing too technical going on musically either.

Revolution Mother isn't exactly a simple three chord punk band, but their overall style easily lends itself to that, as it's stylistically closer to that specific genre than any other. Whatever it ends up being, or whatever the band decides to call it, it's just good for what it is. At the end of the day, this is music to skate to, period. And chances are, that's exactly what the band was going for.