9/23/16: Today’s Top Tips: Friday

MUSIC: Fear of Strangers @ the Hollow Bar + Kitchen, Albany. Maybe you knew them as the Units back in the waning moments of the ’70s. Or maybe you remember them as Greater Nippertown’s most popular bands of the early ‘8os. Heck, maybe you’ve only heard about them from your parents. Whatever… It’s the one-night-only reunion of original members Al Kash, Steve Cohen, Todd Nelson and Val Haynes (along with new recruit Mike Kelley on keyboards. 9pm. $15. GO HERE to read interview…

MUSIC: Jim Gaudet & the Railroad Boys @ the Cock ‘N Bull, Galway. Wry songs and fine pickin’. 8:30pm. $10.

MUSIC: Vaud & the Villains @ Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy. It’s a crazy cabaret show featuring a 19-piece orchestra of outcasts playing a blend of vintage New Orleans jazz, rollicking rhythm & blues and glorious gospel music all mashed together into one funky spectacle. 8pm. $20 & $27. GO HERE to enter to win FREE TICKETS…

MUSIC: Dale Watson @ the Hangar on the Hudson, Troy. Keepers of the true country music flame return to The Hangar for a night of honky-tonkin’ and a beloved Austin tradition; Chicken Shit Bingo! With Marti Brom and the Lustre Kings. 8pm. $20.

MUSIC: The Bumper Jacksons @ the College of St. Rose’s Massry Center for the Arts, Albany. Swing, country, bluegrass, jazz – from New Orleans’ brothels to Appalachian hollers. With Bryan Brundige & the Piggly Wigglies. 7:30pm.

MUSIC: The Jon Herington Band @ the Upper Room, Albany. He’s been the lead guitarist with Steely Dan for years. Now see what he can do with his own band. 8:30pm. $20 & $35.

MUSIC: The Kennedys @ Caffe Lena at the Grove, Saratoga Springs. Maura and Pete Kennedy make beautiful folk-rock music together. 7pm. $20.

MUSIC: The Steve Kroon Latin Jazz Sextet @ A Place for Jazz, Schenectady. $20; $10 students; children under age 12 free.

MUSIC: The Bremners @ the Low Beat, Albany. Rob Skane and Mike Lisi play Mersybeat. 6pm.

MUSIC: Dryer @ the Low Beat, Albany. Check out their new single, “Green Paper.” With Asa Morris & the Mess and Hill Haints. 7:30pm.

MUSIC: Upstate Rubdown @ Wolf Hollow Brewing Co., Glenville. 9pm. FREE.

FESTIVAL/MUSIC: Eastbound Throwdown @ Irwin Farm, Salem. Local Americana faves Eastbound Jesus throw their first camping festival featuring Eastbound Jesus, the Mallett Brothers Band, Driftwood, the Blind Owl Band, North and South Dakotas, the Spectacular Average Boys, Dan Johnson & the Expert Sidemen, Pitchfork Militia and Josh Casano & Friends. 3pm. Also on Saturday.

MUSIC: Red Shift @ Mean Max Brew Works, Glens Falls. The release party for the band’s debut EP, By Design. With Squanch! and Citizens Treasure. 8pm.

MUSIC: The Holly & Evan Band @ the Lion’s Den at the Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge. 9pm. FREE.

MUSIC: Martin Barre @ The Egg, Albany. The longtime Jethro Tull guitarist performs with his own band at the Swyer Theatre. 8pm. $34.

THEATER: “The Tavern” @ Bridge Street Theatre, Catskill. Steven Patterson directs George M. Cohan’s vintage melodrama as the first production on the Bridge Street Theatre’s new Mainstage. 7:30pm. $20; $10 students age 21 & under. Through Sunday, September 25.

MUSIC: The Reverberators @ Chatham Brewing Co., Chatham. 8pm.

COMEDY: Janeane Garofalo @ the Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton. With Kyle Ayers. 7pm. $40.

MUSIC: Tom Wadsworth @ S&S Brewing, Nassau. 6pm. FREE.

COMEDY: Woodstock Comedy Festival’s Laughingstock @ Bearsville Theater, Woodstock. Hosted by Susie Essman (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) with Karen Bergreen, Kendra Cunningham, Jaye McBride, Liz Miele and Katie Hannigan. 8pm. $20, $35 & $50. GO HERE for more info and the complete festival schedule…

MUSIC: The Big Takeover @ the Parish Public House, Albany. With Robanic. 8pm.

MUSIC: Reelin’ in the Years @ The Falcon, Marlboro. An all-star tribute to Steely Dan. 7pm. Donations encouraged.

THEATER: “American Son” @ Barrington Stage Co., Pittsfield. Christopher Demos-Brown’s explosive, award-winning drama examines our nation’s racial divide through the eyes of an estranged, interracial couple. Directed by Julianne Boyd, it had its world premiere at Barrington Stage earlier this summer, and now it’s back for an encore run. 8pm. $49. Through Sunday, September 25. GO HERE to read review…

MUSIC: Joe Mansman & the Midnight Revival Band @ Putnam Den, Saratoga Springs. With the Lucky Dutch, Sly Fox & the Hustlers and Bohm Dialogue. 9pm. $5.

MUSIC: Jack’s Attic @ Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Troy. 9pm. FREE.

MUSIC: Mime Choir @ River Street Pub, Troy. 9pm.

MUSIC: Funk Evolution @ Rascals, Guilderland. 9pm. $5.

MUSIC: British Steel @ Trick Shot Billiards, Clifton Park. It ain’t Rob Halford, but it ain’t bad… With Vatrano Road. 9pm. $10.

MUSIC: Skeeter Creek @ Vapor, Saratoga Springs. Doors open at 8pm.