Review: Energetic performance caps off Bluesmore

Stately Brucemore might seem like an unlikely place for an explosion of high-energy tunes, but that's just what local music lovers got from the Deanna Bogart Band on Saturday evening during the annual Bluesmore music festival.

Despite the festival's focus on the blues, the band took its audience on a musical journey that dabbled in rock, soul, honky-tonk and funk, as well as some interesting covers of songs by John Hiatt and Stevie Wonder.

Band leader Deanna Bogart may play the blues, but the musician with a powerful set of pipes has no depression. Her energy is infectious and the entire crowd caught the bug. At any moment, she looked as if she might jump up from her seat and run out into the audience to dance.

Having her sit down throughout the set seemed almost like punishment - for the keyboard, that is. It received the brunt of Bogart's energy through her frenetic tickling of the keys.

What really impressed was how she flipped between three instruments like pages in a book. One moment she would be singing and playing the keyboard, then suddenly she would grab a saxophone - almost out of thin air - and start wailing away.

The intensity of the performance had the

potential to become tiring after a time, but Bogart sidestepped this by mixing some slow jams in among the barnburners. Her joking and friendly stage persona won the hearts and minds of the audience, who demanded her back on stage for an encore set.

Bogart may have been the main attraction, but she had a strong band at her back. Scott Ambush held down the bass but also got a chance to show off his vocal chops. Dan Leonard on guitar had some blistering-fast solos, and he played some fun licks during the encore that mimicked Bogart's vocals. Add in Mike Aubin on the drums, and you have an incredibly solid lineup backing Bogart's intense presentation.

The band's performance was the perfect end to a great day for music fans. This was the band's first trip to Cedar Rapids, but after Saturday's incredible performance, those who attended Bluesmore certainly hope it won't be their last.