Born and raised in a small rural town in southeastern Connecticut Michael picked up the guitar at an early age. He played in various "below the radar" bands and in his early twenties embarked on a life changing cross country soul search which eventually landed him back on the east coast in Rockbridge County Virginia. It was here that he began to experiment with loop technology and also fulfilled a long held desire to play the lap steel. It was also here, ironically, that he was irresistibly drawn to the art of stone masonry. He was fascinated to observe that by pushing the boundaries of his creative potential in a physical direction with the stonework a hidden pendulum would often swing and draw out melodious gems from somewhere deep in his psyche. Enter his debut - On The Road To North Mountain. An instrumental odyssey that defies simple description. Organic acoustic guitar and atmospheric lap steel make up the core of this remarkable album. Progressive Ears amply stated, "Very rarely does something knock me off my feet like this disc from Virginia guitarist Michael Barry-Rec. This is music that needs to be heard and experienced." 2008 brought the release of Streams In The Desert. A carefully crafted album revealing a maturing artist. Showing outstanding potential for film this disc was awarded "Acoustic Film Score of the Year" at the 2008 Los Angeles Music Awards. His most current full length effort, Continuum, once again exposes an artist refusing to be confined by external influences. Featuring special guest contributions from George Winston on lead single Sanctum and bassist JD Foster who has toured with Emmylou Harris, Lucinda Williams, and Dwight Yoakam. Additional stellar contributions were made by Johnny Hott (drums) and Adrian Olsen (hammond organ) Exhibiting a very tasteful blend of acoustic and electric instrumentation Michael continues to invite his listeners on often lush, harmonic excursions thick with melodic sensibilities.