André Dal

I've been playing the 5 string banjo and bluegrass music for more than 20 years. In all these years, I've attended many bluegrass festivals, workshops and concerts, where I was a part of the audience, going to jams or playing with my band, the Stonebones & Bad Spaghetti. Jamming is in the roots of bluegrass music and I've always joined as many jams as possible and made friends that I now consider my second family, my bluegrass family.
In 2010, I was diagnosed with focal hand dystonia and I was heartbroke. I've learned that this disease could have a huge impact on my playing ability and realized that other banjo players quit playing the banjo because of it. I knew I had to overcome the disease to keep playing and found my own way to do it. I've changed my picking fingers and kept forcing to play. Although my ability to play decreased quite a bit, giving up was not an option, and never will be.
Portugal is a country where bluegrass music is almost non-existing and for years I've been trying to show the portuguese audience and musicians what bluegrass music is all about. So, before the disease progressed too much, I decided to record an instrumental bluegrass album with some of my jam friends to present Bluegrass music to Portugal. This is it.