reprint of a review from the pasadena star
May 15, 2003
    Guitarist strings together a mix of genres
    By Kevin Felt (Staff Writer)
    Pasadena - Mike Barnet has the rare ability to create songs memorable enough to shake world views to the foundation and capture the minds of anyone within earshot.
    Generally armed with only his acoustic guitar, Barnet magically melds elements of folk, rock, reggae, soul, blues and even occasional hip-hop ryhmes into a refreshing breath of musical air...In the vein of artists as varied as Ani DiFranco, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash and Nick Drake, Barnet's songs have a unique flavor filled with soul-bearing honesty and hard-hitting reality.
    The common thread woven through each of his masterful stories is a message of love, forgiveness and self-examination - the type of storytelling that is missing from much of today's music scene.     "Society in general is kind of rocketing toward a place where we're not really questioning things," said Barnet. "I just want to observe that and push buttons that make other people (examine) those things."
    He said, "This could potentially be a really cool time for music. I think people are trying to maybe think a little bit more. If artists are nurturing that and saying things that are relevant, I think society will follow."
    Barnet and a handful of similarly minded musicians recently started an independent record label called True American Records because of their frustrations with today's music industry and the desire to connect with a simular audience.
    "We're not in it to make a huge amount of money," he said, "We just want to live and try to shape music in the best way we can."
    The 26-year old Fullerton resident said he's excited to see the varied audiences he and fellow True American artists Tyrone Wells and Danny Vasquez, both of Whittier, attract when they perform...
    "I don't want to shape anyone's thinking," said Barnet, "But I do have some points of view that I would like to get across and maybe have people explore. I just don't want anyone to adopt them without thinking."
    Confronting racism and hatred in the capella "Sons of Cain," Barnet interwines lyrics about men wearing white sheets with the refrain "Oh my Lord, Lord, Lord, Lord."
    In a gritty Muddy Waters-inspired song called "Soldier's Hymn," heshares about a grandfather who "lost (his) arm for freedom" that was "bought with fire, it was bought with boots filled with foreign mud" while "storming the beaches of Normandy."
    On the ligher side, he relates memories of invisible friends from childhood days of "pursuing thunder and chasing the wind" to school violence to remind parents to say "I love you."
    With thought-provoking songs, Barnet challenges the listener to examine the state of modern culture and do something about it.
    In "American Kids," which could be an anthem for his musical goals, Barnet sings, "To all you youth and you American kids, take a look at what your parents did: they stole your mind, stole your art and left you TV. And all that ignorance you've been taught and all that apathy yu have caught, it's no wonder why you're angry, it's no wonder why you're lost. Soon you're gonna lead the nation, so let's make better this situation. Take back things confiscated from your life. We can start with music, some revolutionary kind. We can start tonight."
    For more information, email Barnet at mikebarnet@yahoo.com or visit www.trueamericanrecords.com.
    Kevin Felt can be reached at 626.962.8811, Ext. 2103, or by email at kevin.felt@sgvn.com.
This is a reprint of an article published last year in the Pasadena Star (Vol.2, No.27, April 7, 2002)