3/19/10: Today’s Tips: Friday

ARTS WALK: Art Night Schenectady/3rd Friday Schenectady @ various locations, Schenectady. Yes, it’s the monthly Electric City arts walk, but it’s also the warm-up event for the Saturday and Sunday city-wide Schenectady Art Attack. 5pm. Free.

MUSIC: Julia Brown, Bryan Thomas @ the Bread & Jam Cafe, Cohoes. It’s the sleeper show of the weekend. Two great singer-songwriters. 8pm. Free.

MUSIC: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy @ the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy. The neo swing kings pay tribute to the great jump ‘n’ jive of Cab Calloway with their new album (“How Big Can You Get?”) and concert tour. Hi De, Hi De, Hi De Ho! 8pm. $29, $36, $42.

MUSIC: Missing Persons, Tommy Tutone, Gene Loves Jezebel, Starstruck @ Bogie’s, Albany. It’s Back to the ’80s Night – and then next week, “Hot Tub Time Machine” opens in a movie theater near you. Ya know, they’re right – nostalgia ain’t what it used to be. 8pm.

MUSIC: Duke Robillard @ the Van Dyck, Schenectady. From Roomful of Blues to Bob Dylan, guitarslinger Robillard has done it all. He’s rollin’ into town in support of his latest R&B slathered CD, “Stomp! The Blues Tonight.” 6:30 & 9pm. $20.

MUSIC: Garage to Glory Battle of the Bands @ the College of Saint Rose, Albany. Five bands – the Ill Funk Ensemble, the Providers, Try Sarah Topps, 3MinutePop! and Saving Atlantis – get 15 minutes to try to win the grand prize. 7pm. Free.

MUSIC: The Last Conspirators, Mirk & the New Familiars, Sugar Proof @ Savannah’s, Albany. Some old-school polit-punk. Some R&B-meets-hip-hop. And some jam-band funk. That’s a pretty nice mix. 9pm. $5.

MUSIC: Doc Scanlon’s Hot Four @ the Elks Club, 25 South Allen St., Albany. Let’s see now, there’s Doc Scanlon’s Rhythm Boys. And there’s the Doc Scanlon Trio. And now making their debut tonight, there’s also Doc Scanlon’s Hot Four. “I just have this band-forming itch that I have to scratch with some frequency,” explains Don “Doc” Dworkin, who plays bass. Rounding out the combo are Peter Davis (piano, sax, vocals), Dan Levinson (clarinet, sax) and Graham Tichy (guitar, vocals). 7pm.

MUSIC: The Gordon Stone Trio @ Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs. The banjo man and Phriend of Phish brings his band back to the Spa City. 8pm. $20.