Typically, any time you're invited to spend some time with Frank and Vinny, it's not good. Typically, you owe serious vigorish to Pinhead; remember feeling "20-grand-confident" the Broncos would cover in the Ravens playoff game?

It's always Frank and Vinny who've been contracted, in these cases, to adjust your patella so it's suddenly located on the BACK of your knee.

Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo, though, are two top guitarists. Vignola has worked with Tommy Emmanuel, Wynton Marsalis, Donald Fagen and, for some reason, Madonna. Raniolo has played with Bucky Pizzarelli and David Grisman.

Together, Raniolo and Vignola spin off astounding bits of intuitive improvisation and, as evidenced on their brand-new "Melody Magic" CD, cleverly intertwined arrangements of timeless pop and classical works.

Live, these dudes truly blister. See Vignola and Raniolo perform tonight in the Garde Arts Center's Oasis Room.

- RICK KOSTER

Frank Vignola and Vinny Raniolo, 7:30 tonight, Oasis Room, Garde Arts Center, 325 State St., New London; $35; (860) 444-7373, gardearts.org.