And you can thank these guys for expanding the songbook to include more than pre-rock pop standards. Although “I Saw the Light” is a rather predictable Hank Williams choice, Griff and Bear decide to make something of it anyway. If you were to hit random on your player, you might suspect this was the climactic track, but there are nine more selections to go. Next, the duo offer a potent rendition of Johnny Cash’s “Let the Train Blow the Whistle” with Bear singing and Vance adding just the right amount of instrumental embellishment. Fans may remember this American Recordings song for the lyric “No regrets/All my debts/Will be paid/When I get laid.” I once believed Cash was the only person on Earth who could sing those lines without eliciting dirty thoughts and/or horselaughs, and I’m happy to admit I was wrong.

Vance and Bear show more diversity and even more admirable taste with their picks from the Robert Johnson and Bob Dylan catalogues, “Stones In My Passway” and “Buckets of Rain” respectively. A smoking instrumental, Bill Frissell’s “Go Jake,” really shows off their picking and sawing chops, as do the fresh, energetic takes on the chestnuts “9 Lb. Hammer” and “Rollin’ & Tumblin’.” The guys include one each of their own compositions; all that needs to be said is their songs fit right in with the rest of the repertoire.

Vance does most of the singing, and his similarities to John Prine are apparent long before you get to the spirited take on Prine’s “It’s a Big Old Goofy World.” Griff’s a bit rougher on his two vocals to the unquestionable benefit of this teaming. Live at Biddy McGraw’s is music you can feel. It’s especially good when Vance and Bear are pushing each other, which is most of the time. This disc is a treat for any music fan that appreciates two gifted players getting on well together.

But Vance and Bear are probably this good every night. My sole criticism is the almost complete lack of audience noise on this live recording. Either the Biddy McGraw’s crowd was made up of a bunch of deadbeats the night they rolled tape or someone felt the need to edit out a bunch of “Fuck yeah!”s from the finished product. Given my own outbursts while listening, I’m leaning toward the second possibility.