Dada Strain pres. 'Social Listening' | History Dog's 'Root Systems' @ Port Sa'id, May 7th

INVITE: A new-album listening-party series at the Downtown Manhattan hi-fi bar, playing the debut album by a improvising supergroup of Chris Williams, Lesley Mok, Luke Stewart and Shara Lunon

Dada Strain is beyond excited to launch a new-album, pre-release listening party series, Social Listening, with the public premiere of Root Systems, a debut album by the Bklyn super-group, History Dog. This first Social Listening event will take place at Port Sa’id, 88 King Street (bet. Varick & Hudson), Manhattan, on Wednesday, May 7th, starting at 7p. Please RSVP HERE.

History Dog is an improvising quartet of Chris Williams (trumpet/electronics), Lesley Mok (drums/percussion), Luke Stewart (electric bass/electronics) and Shara Lunon (voice/electronics). All four are individually and collectively involved in some of the best sounds emanating from Bklyn’s new and improvised music community. They came together for a gig last summer, and then continued to play and push forward. Given the opportunity to record together, History Dog spent a week in Florida utilizing a Gainesville studio as an instrument. The recording they came up with has an uncompromising punk jazz-meets-no wave sound that howls “2025,” and is one incredible statement of where Bklyn Sounds are now. (Read my full liner notes on Bandcamp.)

Vinyl copies of History Dog’s Root Systems, which officially drops on Friday, May 9th on Otherly Love Records, will be for sale. (Also: mark your calendar for History Dog’s record release show at Union Pool, May 11th.)

History Dog (L-R): Shara Lunon, Luke Stewart, Chris Williams (kneeling), Lesley Mok (photo: Abigail Clark)

Social Listening is a new Dada Strain event series. It’s an attempt to 1) take advantage of beautiful sounding hi-fi establishments such as Port Sa’id’s back room, and 2) turn the new-album listening-party experience into something communal and gregarious. Social Listening proposes a way to hear great NEW MUSIC on the best vinyl system possible, surrounded by friends and people from the community, without the high-brow preciousness (and the “shush”ing) that often accompanies such listening excursions. Social Listening is a way we can all take in the sound together, with love and respect, but also have fun together while we’re paying attention.

Each Social Listening event will include two full plays of the album, interspersed by an interview with the musicians.

Thank you to the History Dogs for the sounds, the community and the friendship; to Brandon and Dan at Port Sa’id for the invitation to the space; and to Stephen at Otherly Love for putting this steadfast music into the world.