4/16/11: Today’s Tips: Saturday

FUNDRAISING GALA: Around The World For Eighty Strays @ Wolferts Roost Country Club, Albany. A benefit for the Mohawk & Hudson River Humane Society featuring culinary delights from around the globe as well as silent and live auctions. 7-10pm. $100-$250.

READINGS/MUSIC: Albany Word Fest @ The Linda, Albany. Word! It’s the tenth anniversary of the fest, and they’ve moved the marathon spoken word festivities to The Linda. The 12-Hour Open Mic runs from 7am-7pm, followed by the infamous Psycho Cluster F*#k at 7pm til ?. Poetry, music, spoken word and more by some of Nippertown’s finest wordsmiths. 7am. $10.

MUSIC: Iron & Wine @ MASS MoCA’s Hunter Center, North Adams. Hopefully, you were smart enough to snag some tix as soon as it was announced ’cause this one sold out mighty fast. With the Low Anthem. 8pm. $25. SOLD OUT.

MUSIC: Capathia Jenkins & Louis Rosen @ the Eighth Step at Proctors, Schenectady. The eclectic Brooklyn-based duo of vocalist Jenkins and composer-guitarist Rosen return to the Step, back by popular demand. 7:30pm. $26.

MUSIC: “A Night of Amazing Sounds” @ Valentine’s Music Hall, Albany. No, not hardcore, metal or Americana. Not even rock ‘n’ roll. This promises to be something completely different (as Monty Python used to say) for Valentine’s – an evening of edgy, experimental free-jazz and electronics featuring the quartet of Bob Gluck, James Keepnews, Ras Moshe and Dean Sharp. Sharing the stage will be Duojoggle (featuring Mitch Elrod and Mike Lopez) and the debut of Hopson & Weston (Holland Hopson and Matt Weston). Expect some wiggy stuff… 8pm.

MUSIC: John Hammond and Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks @ the Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield. Acoustic blues veteran Hammond and the wry, witty folk-swing of Hicks might sound like an offbeat combination, but it’s a guaranteed night of great music. (Read our review of the double-bill in concert at The Egg last year.) 8pm. $25, $45.

FUNDRAISER/MUSIC: River Street Riot @ the Arts Center of the Capital Region, Troy. It’s a benefit bash for the Arts Center. Live music by the Tichy Boys. Swing dance lessons by Jason Fenton. Silent auction. Food and libations. Food concessions by Dinosaur Bar-B-Que. Bettie Page and James Dean look-alike contests. Photobooth. More retro surprises and throw-back fun… 7pm. $15 in advance; $20 at the door.

THEATER: “Theory of Flight” @ EMPAC at RPI, Troy. We don’t know exactly what to expect from this “fantasia of avian obsession,” it sure sounds interesting: “A scientist’s lecture on biologically based flight goes awry when she reveals her own extreme experiments. Dreams of flight, avian arias, a magical chalkboard, transgenic experiments, animations of cellular processes, orchestral bird songs, and molecular music intersect in this emotional and scientific pursuit of human flight.” Music, animation and story by Anna Lindemann; performed by Lindemann and Lucy Fitz Gibbon. Directed by Emma Lunbeck. The performance will be followed by “a Flying Feast.” 7pm. FREE.

MUSIC: Bob Warren @ Fort Salem Theater, Salem. The veteran singer-songwriter showcases selections from his cleverly titled new album, “Bob Warren.” 8pm. $20 (includes coffee and dessert).

MUSIC: We Are Jeneric @ the College of Saint Rose’s Jack’s Place, Albany. With Scientific Maps, more. 7pm. $7.

DANCE: The Paul Taylor Dance Company @ The Egg, Albany. The company will perform “Brief Encounters” (music by Claude Debussy), a dance about people more concerned with momentary connections than ongoing relationships; “The Word” (David Israel), a piece that portrays students at a religious prep school whose regimented devotion is challenged by an enigmatic, irreverent figure intent on wreaking havoc; and “Brandenburgs” (Johann Sebastian Bach), a 1988 work inspired by Bach’s Brandenburg concertos. 8pm. $34; seniors $30; children $17.

MUSIC: Jaroslaw Kapuscinski: Catch the Tiger! @ EMPAC at RPI, Troy. An evening of light-hearted multimedia compositions intertwining video, computer graphics and the music of Chopin, performed by pianist-intermedia composer Jaroslaw Kapuscinski using musical instruments to control projections of videos and computer-generated graphics. 8:30pm. $15; students and seniors $10.

SPORTS: The Albany Knickerbockers Rugby Club @ Dick Green Memorial Field at Hoffman Park, Albany. Think roller derby is a bang-up sport? Why not check out rugby? There’s a double-header today with the women’s team hitting the field at 11am, followed by the men’s team at 1pm. It’s the home opener for the 2011 season. 11am.

MUSIC: Kevin McKrell @ Lanie’s Cafe, Loudonville. Fresh from the recent McKrells reunion concerts, Kevin takes the spotlight solo.

MUSIC: Joe Barna & Sketches of Influence @ Professor Java’s Coffee Sanctuary, Colonie. Drummer-composer Barna and his band showcase selections from their brand new live album, “Blowin’ It Out.” 7pm. $10.

TALK: “Dore Ashton in Conversation with William Tucker” @ Art Omi’s Charles B. Benenson Visitors Center at the Fields Sculpture Park, Ghent. Art writer and critic Ashton chats with acclaimed sculptor Tucker about his work and the artistic process. 3pm. FREE.

MUSIC: Michael Jerling @ Caffe Lena, Saratoga Springs. The Saratoga singer-songwriter will be joined by bassist Tony Markellis and reed organist-accordionist Teresina Huxtable, so he performs old favorites, and some new tunes, too. 8pm. &15 in advance; $17 at the door.

MUSIC: Lost Radio Rounders @ the Jonesville Store, Clifton Park. The duo of Tom Lindsay and Michael Eck celebrate vintage acoustic music. 6:30pm. FREE.

MUSIC: Badfish @ Northern Lights, Clifton Park. The Sublime tribute band played its first gig on April 13, 2001, in Matunuck, Rhode Island to 500 fans, many of whom drove an hour or more to celebrate the music of a band whose run ended far too soon due to death of lead singer Brad Nowell in 1996. Now 10 years later, Badfish is a major concert attraction in their own right. With Scotty Don’t, Skadee and the Late Shift. 7:30pm. $15 in advance; $20 at the door.

COMEDY: Rodney Carrington @ the Glens Falls Civic Center, Glens Falls. The stand-up comic/country music singer brings his Laughter’s Good tour to town. 7pm. $39, $44.

MUSIC: The Terry Gordon Quartet @ Justin’s, Albany. The fine Nippertown trumpeter leads his combo for an evening of sublime jazz. 9:30pm. $5.

MUSIC: Megan Slankard @ the Hudson River Coffee House, Albany. The San Francisco-based singer-songwriter has just released her third album, “A Token of the Wreckage,” and her national tour makes a stop in Nippertown tonight. With Patrick Dyer Wolfe. 8pm.

COMEDY: Glenn Beck @ the Palace Theatre, Albany. This guy’s a total laff riot. He makes Stephen Colbert look like Jon Stewart. 8pm. $35, $65, $95.

MUSIC: Rick Rourke & Lost Wages @ the Ale House, Troy. Roots ‘n’ roll music… 9pm.

MUSIC: O.W.L. @ Katie O’Byrne’s, Schenectady. Fusing rock ‘n’ roll with jam-band flavors and blues dirtiness, the band features vocalists Christina and Anna Clifford, vocalist-guitarist Christopher Cagnina, bassist Rob Daley, drummer Tim Frank and guitarist William Beal. With the Gypsy Scholars. 9:30pm.

MUSIC: Blase DeBris @ Jillian’s, Albany. It’s fan appreciation night at Jillian’s. With the Blisterz. 7pm. FREE.

BURLESQUE: S.P.A.M. @ Valentine’s Music Hall, Albany. Scooter Pie’s monthly rock-n-roll burlesque shebang (now in its second year!) with local tassle-twirling talent and visiting guests stars from NYC’s neo-burlesque scene. 12midnight. $5.