I had the pleasure of dining recently at a popular restaurant in downtown Lexington called deSha's.
If my sources serve me correctly, the first deSha's opened in 1981 and has long since been a favorite in the Central-Eastern, Ky area.
On the pub side of deSha's is The Horse and Barrel Pub.
It was named "Top Whiskey Bar in the U.
S.
" in 2007 by Whiskey Magazine.
They have a wide selection of imported ales and scotches and have assembled one of the most complete collections of single barrel and ultra premium bourbons in Kentucky.
Live music is something that has been added to the Horse and Barrel experience also.
The particular evening I was there, I had the opportunity to listen to the acoustic sounds of Jon Curtis and Lauren Wilson.
I have to say that when I left, I was left wondering how these artists had not been signed to a major label.
It is such a simple, yet idealistic setup.
They have one acoustic guitar, which is ran through a "loop pedal".
This pedal allows Jon to play his rhythm part, on the fly, record it, and play his lead solo over it on the second pass.
It basically mimics the sound of two acoustics and requires a very good feel for timing and creativity.
Vocally, there's nothing these two can't cover.
Lauren Wilson has such a dynamic voice and the control she exercises over is something to be heard.
Some of the material they covered I believe to be better than the original artists.
Lady Antebellum has nothing on this duo.
In fact, both of their individual voices have some of the same characteristics of Lady A.
There wasn't a particular genre you could place them in.
I heard everything from Merle Haggard to Chris Daughtrey and Ella Fitzgerald to Lady Gaga.
The order in which the songs were called opened the audience up to a wide spectrum of possibilities.
The surprising thing, I found out, is that while both have been playing around the area for quite a while, they had only been together about four months as a duo.
You would've been led to believe it would have been like four years with their extensive compilation of material, the way they communicated on stage and the quality of the show they presented.
When I go out, I normally make it a point to review a certain artist and go there for that purpose.
I did not have that intention when I went to deSha's but I was more "drawn in" to the music and decided to ask if it would be possible to do a review.
Personally, they are both very down to earth and genuinely very nice and funny people.
Taking breaks, when they're only fifteen minutes to talk to a guy they just met and have no knowledge of his credentials is not something most would do.
I've noticed that the Lexington music scene is getting to be a lot like Nashville.
There are smaller pubs, clubs, restaurants and bars on every corner and a lot of them have decided to go the live music route.
I couldn't be happier about this.
We need to support the local music scene in whatever city we live in.
Upon closing, if you ever get a chance to hear Jon Curtis and Lauren Wilson, please make it a point to get out to a show.
It will be well worth your time and you may have to pay major ticket prices to hear them soon.