Born in 1970, Vallely saw Black Flag in 1984 in Trenton, NJ (not far from his hometown of Edison), and was an immediate convert to punk rock. He also took up skating that year, and turned pro in 1986, going on to become a member of Stacy Peralta's "Bones Brigade" team before striking out on his own in 1989 to form his own skateboard company, World Industries. In the 21st century, Vallely, now based in California and married with two children, decided to move into the equally high energy but less physically punishing world of rock & roll, and after cutting some solo tracks in 2002 with heartland rocker Joe Grushecky, Vallely formed the punk band Mike V & the Rats with guitarist Jason Hampton. The group released an EP on Indecision Records in mid-2002 and toured extensively on the West Coast. Vallely was also invited to sing with former Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn in Ginn's solo band, and in 2003 Vallely participated a series of Black Flag reunion gigs in Los Angeles. By 2005, Vallely and the Rats had parted ways, and he and Hampton founded a new project, Revolution Mother. Merging the aggressive punk attack of their previous band with the big guitars and emotional swagger of hard rock, Revolution Mother also features Colin Buis on bass and Brendan Murphy on drums, and the group released their debut EP, Enjoy the Ride, on Vallely's own Mike V label in 2006. In 2007, Revolution Mother returned with a full-length album, Glory Bound, which featured production from Murock and Andy Johns and was released through the independent Cement Shoes Records imprint. Revolution Mother hit the road to celebrate the album's release, with the group playing both rock clubs and skate parks (the latter with Vallely also displaying his skills on the board), and in the spring of 2007 they were added to the bill for that summer's Van's Warped Tour. ~ Mark Deming