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Where to Hear It We can only drone on about the music for so long. Being music, it really ought to be heard. Here's when and where. By Mike Connor The Looping Tour Jan. 25 at the Cayuga Vault; $10; 8pm Featuring three artists at the top of their game, all of whom endorse what's been called "the Cadillac of all hardware loopers," the GIBSON EDP Echoplex with Loop 4 software. Look at us, acting like we know something about something! Anyway, Steve Lawson is a renowned bassist from the U.K., Andre La Fosse is known for his unique brand of "guitar turntablism," where he can simulate scratching in real time with his guitar and looper. And while we Santa Cruzans may be more accustomed to seeing Rick Walker play with Day-Glo green plastic and other found objects lately, he will be returning to the drum kit for this engagement. Electron Salon 5 Jan. 26 at the Rio Theatre; $10; 8pm The theme for this installment is dark ambient/gothic, and to that end they've recruited the internationally adored gothic trio Claire Voyant. The band is aptly described as a mix of the Sundays and Garbage, with Chris Ross and Benjamin Fargen blending dark, ethereal electronica and guitar playing with Victoria Lloyd's sensuous vocals. Multi-instrumentalist and programmer John Michael Zorko's project Falling You is a rich mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation, with beautifully haunting, otherworldy vocals from local diva Aimee Page. Emmanuel Deruty from Paris will mix a set of his own gloomy atmospheric music, along with slowly evolving visual animations. Warren Stringer will provide synthesized visuals for the rest of the event. Michael Manring and the Looping Tour Jan. 29 at Henfling's; $10-$12; 8pm When you've got talent like bass virtuoso Michael Manring, a regular bass just doesn't cut it. Enter the HyperBass. Yes, such a thing exists! It's an extra-long, three-octave fretless bass, but that's not what makes it "hyper." A hyper bassist can set alternate tunings for each string that are controlled by a simple switch, enabling the user to instantaneously change tunings midperformance. With Steve Lawson, Andre La Fosse and Rick Walker backing him up (see above), there's really no telling what's going to happen up there at Henfling's--but whatever it is, it'll blow some minds. [ Santa Cruz Week | Metroactive Central | Archives ]