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Reviews

The Man from RavCon — Snakeskin Symphony
(Bandcamp no#, 2026, CD / DL)

by Jon Davis, Published 2026-07-06

Snakeskin Symphony Cover art

For each of his instrumental albums, The Man from RavCon chooses a theme, an idea backing the tracks. It’s not that they’re really concept albums, just sets of tracks with a similar feeling behind them. Following up the science-fictional The Time Traveler (2024), he moves to the American West, though not in a historical way. Snakeskin Symphony has a country blues underpinning without going wholly retro. Harvey Mandell’s solo albums are a good reference, though without the more pyrotechnic aspects of the guitar playing. Multiple guitar parts come together to form the majority of the music, with backing from drums and bass and some tasty variety from keyboards. This is rock and roll music with a touch of twang, catchy melodies, and a sound that could originate any time from about 1970 on. And there are nice twists like the occasional Mellotron sounds. Mike Brown is in the driver’s seat for Snakeskin Symphony, and he’s also riding shotgun, relaxing in the backseat, and probably tied up in the trunk as well — he plays all the instruments and programs the drum parts, doing a highly capable job all around. The tunes are simple enough to be accessible, complex enough to hold interest, and just all-around fun. The Man from RavCon says, “We don’t need no stinkin’ odd meters, let’s just rock!” And you should listen to what the man says.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Mike Brown (The Man from RavCon)

More info
http://manfromravcon.bandcamp.com/album/snakeskin-symphony

 

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