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Manuel and His Musical Friends in Barcelona, Spain

In January 2008 we received an email greeting from Manuel Mendez Dios, a designer and musician in Barcelona, Spain, who had seen some of our YouTube videos and visited our website. This has blossomed into a regular correspondence and sharing of pictures and links. Manuel (nickname in Spanish and Catalan is "Manolo") plays a variety of musical styles on banjo, mandolin, and guitar, including bluegrass, old time, and Irish. 

Manuel plays with an Irish music group call Slainte (Gaelic for "Health," as in a toast). Visit the band's website at http://www.cornamusica.com/slainte/

Some Slainte YouTube videos:
Slainte en Cerdanyola (BCN)
Slainte Live at Montornes
Slainte + Irish Tap Dancers en Alella
Slainte en Montornes

Some photos from Manuel. Click on a thumbnail to see the full size image.                   

Manuel (far right) with friends at a jam session in Barcelona.	Another Barcelona jam.
Manuel designed the poster for the Al Ras (Open Sky) Festival at Barcelona. The 2006 event featured American banjo player Bill Keith.	Manuel also designed the T-shirt.
Manuel (right) on stage at Al Ras with Montse and David.	With Lena and David.
Banjo jam at Al Ras 2006 with Bill Keith.	Al Ras at night.
Playing in the old church at Al Ras when it rained.	Performance at a wedding. l to r: Quim, Montse, Pello, Flavie, and Manuel.
Manuel with custom Nechville banjo.	With Weber Gallatin mandolin.
Impressionistic photo of Manuel at Sagrada Familia, the famous church in Barcelona designed by the architect Antoni Gaudi.	Photo by Manuel of the beach at Cala Pregonda on Menorca, an island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Spain. We want to go there!
In March '08 Manuel sent us a gift box from Barcelona with caps, an Al Ras T-shirt, and chocolates!	A photo we sent to Manuel giving him a toast in thanks! Kurt holds his new banjo to show Manuel.
Kurt sent Manuel the photo of us opening the gift box. Manuel framed a print of it to hang on a wall where he keeps special pictures.
Manuel (2nd from right) and friends playing with fiddler Bernard Molloy (2nd from left) in Barcelona (sent to us 10-08)	Montse and Manuel on holiday in Ireland (sent 10-08)
Around Christmas 2008 we sent Manuel and Montse a gift package of North Carolina items - Moravian cookies, pickled okra, NC peanuts, muscadine jelly, etc., & a book of NC mountain postcards, and a book on NC architecture that Mike co- authored. Manuel sent us this photo of himself and Montse with the gifts.

Southern String Band 2009