The “Golden Era” of bluegrass may be a long time gone — but not to the members of Long Time Gone. This band brings back to life the classic bluegrass hits of the 1950s, hearkening back to an era when Bill Monroe, Flatt & Scruggs and The Stanley Brothers ruled the country airwaves.
Ben Manning (guitar) and Katryn Conlin (string bass) anchor the band’s rhythm section while three of the region’s leading instrumentalists, Barry St. Mane (banjo), Mark Kreitzer (mandolin) and Mike Hildebrandt (fiddle), trade dazzling breaks.
Long Time Gone isn’t just about traditional bluegrass. The band branches out into old-timey songs of the 1920s and original songs written by band members. Double fiddle tunes, a touch of Celtic, hard-driving banjo instrumentals and quite a bit of instrument swapping keeps Long Time Gone shows entertaining.