Who’s in town

Performance artist and music pioneer Laurie Anderson shares stories and songs spanning several decades. [7:30 p.m., SFJAZZ Center, 201 Franklin St., S.F.; sfjazz.org]

Lectures

Still giant: Former Giants catcher and current Texas Rangers first base coach Bengie Molina pays tribute to his father in his new memoir, “Molina.” [6:30 p.m., Commonwealth Club, 555 Post St., S.F.]

Bollywood trip: Todd Stadtman shares his book about Indian cinema’s craziest decade, “Funky Bollywood: The Wild World of 1970s Indian Action Cinema,” followed by music and dancing. [7 p.m, Folio Books, 3957 24th St., S.F.]

Remembering internment: Historian Richard Reeves discusses the World War II internment of thousands of Japanese-American families, many in the Bay Area, in his book “Infamy.” [7:30 p.m., Modern Times Bookstore, 2919 24th St., S.F.]

‘Usually’ girl: Lori Horvitz recalls her restless youth and learning to love her Eastern European Jewish roots in the memoir “The Girls of Usually.” [7 p.m., Green Apple Books, 506 Clement St., S.F.]

Father and son: Best-selling author Sam Keen and his son Gifford Keen share their reflections on masculinity and relationships in “Prodigal Father Wayward Son: A Roadmap to Reconciliation.” [7 p.m., 51 Tamal Vista Blvd., Book Passage, Corte Madera]

Literary events

Book club: The Is That A Gun In Your Pocket? book club discusses Tony Hillerman’s “The Dark Wind.” [7 p.m., Books Inc., 1375 Burlingame Ave., Burlingame]

At the public library

Bike workshop: A workshop by Swell Bicycles includes tips on basic bike maintenance. [6:30 p.m., Ortega Branch, 3223 Ortega St., S.F.]

Robert Peace: Jeff Hobbs’ book “The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace” tells the true story of a Yale scientist and marijuana dealer who met an untimely end. [6:30 p.m., Koret Auditorium, Main Library, 100 Larkin St., S.F.]

At the colleges

Ocular prosthetics: UCSF graduate Robert S. Sherins discusses the art and science of glass eyes and other ocular prosthetics [3 p.m., library, UC San Francisco, 530 Parnassus Ave., S.F.]

Local activities

Fuel revolution: Check out cutting-edge alternative energy vehicles, including electric and natural gas options, at the AltCar NorCal conference. [10 a.m.-6 p.m., Oakland City Hall, 1 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland; altcarexponorcal.com]

Free concert: The Grammy-winning San Francisco Girls Chorus is performing a free show to mark the retirement of longtime chorus school director Beth Avakian. [Noon, City Hall, 1 Dr. Carlton B Goodlett Place, S.F.]

Show and tell: Kevin Allison, best known for his time in the sketch comedy troupe The State, is hosting “RISK!,” in which funny people tell their most outrageous secrets. [8 p.m., Verdi Club, 2424 Mariposa St., S.F.]

Dance premiere: Hope Mohr Dance opens its eighth spring season with two world premieres, including “Stay,” which was inspired by the disturbing paintings of Francis Bacon. [8 p.m., ODC Theater, 3153 17th St., S.F.]

Events

NightLife: Ew! Tonight’s NightLife at the Academy features all things gross, including sewage science, bedbugs and eyebrow mites. [6 p.m., California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, S.F.]

Stand-up comedy: San Francisco native Jacob Sirof has appeared on “Live at Gotham” and “Down and Dirty With Jim Norton.” Sammy Obeid and Kiry Shabazz are also performing. [8 p.m., Rooster T. Feathers Comedy Club, 157 W. El Camino Real, Sunnyvale]

Silent films: The 20th annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival opens with Lewis Milestone’s “All Quiet on the Western Front,” featuring musical accompaniment by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. [7 p.m., Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St., S.F.; silentfilm.org]

Gaga and Bennett: Lady Gaga and honorary San Franciscan Tony Bennett are performing music from their duet album, “Cheek to Cheek.” [8 p.m., Concord Pavilion, 2000 Kirker Pass Road, Concord]

Music ‘Voyager’: Singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis, formerly of Rilo Kiley, is performing songs from her latest album, “Voyager,” and more. [8 p.m., Fox Theater, 1807 Telegraph Ave., Oakland]artsSan Franciscothings to do