11/17/09: Today’s Tips: Tuesday

MUSIC: Lewis Porter and Freddie Bryant @ Williams College’s Chapin Hall, Williamstown, Mass.: Improvisational piano and guitar jazz duo. 7pm. Free.

MUSIC: Timber Timbre with El Duke @ Valentine’s Music Hall, Albany: Timber Timbre is the stage name of Candian singer-songwriter Taylor Kirk, who has crafted a spooky, sparse and absolutely scintillating collection of songs on his latest album, “Out of This Spark.” 8pm. $6.

THEATER: Opening night of “The 39 Steps” @ Proctors, Schenectady: Is this what it would be like if Alfred Hitchcock and Terry Gilliam co-directed a Broadway musical? Maybe… The two-time Tony Award-winning show lands at Proctors for an eight-performance run through Sunday. 8pm. $20, $30, $40, $50.

MUSIC: The Last Conspirators with Big Nixon @ Revolution Hall, Troy: Two Nippertown rock faves who were born for this double-bill, the Last Conspirators and Big Nixon, led by Tim Livingston and Andrew Elder, respectively. Doors open at 8pm. Free.

DISCUSSION/DEMONSTRATION: “Full Immersion” @ EMPAC at RPI, Troy: Expert artists, engineers and producers in the field of panoramic art offer a panel discussion and demonstration of works created for the 360-degree panoramic screen. 7pm. Free.

MUSIC: Ani DiFranco @ The Egg, Albany: The self-described “little folksinger” returns to Nippertown for a sold-out show at The Egg. She’s obviously come a long ways since her early days when she played to a half-dozen disinterested folks at the UAlbany rathskellar. 8pm. Sold out.

MUSIC: Umphrey’s McGee @ Northern Lights, Clifton Park: The kingpins of Chicago’s jam-band scene return for another blast of heady tune-age that leans more toward the Frank Zappa end of the jam spectrum than the Dead end. 9pm. $25.