Deep Listening Society

Deep Listening Society is a recurring evening gathering for adults — not a concert, not background music, but an intentional return to stillness through sound.

Sessions are held in a listening room built around a hi-fi system designed specifically for this kind of deep, immersive listening, with a limited number of participants so the room stays intimate. Each session centers on a single classic album, played in full on vinyl, low light, no talking during playback, no phones, no distractions. Before the needle drops, the room is guided through the album’s origin story — its recording, its breakthroughs, the history it carries — so listeners arrive already inside the record’s context.

Discussion bookends the listening itself: the group gathers around a large round wooden table for conversation before and after the album plays, then listens together, start to finish, the way the album was built to be heard. Adult and non-alcoholic beverages are available throughout.

It’s a practice as much as an event: a deliberate counterweight to playlists, algorithms, and passive consumption, for people who believe an album is a work to be experienced, not scrolled past. Come as you are. Leave with a deeper connection to the music, the story, and yourself.

What you’ll do

• Hear a single classic album played in full on vinyl — start to finish, the way it was made to be heard
• Step inside the record’s origin story — its recording, its breakthroughs, the history it carries — before the needle drops
• Listen in a purpose-built room on a dedicated hi-fi system: low light, no phones, no talking during playback
• Trade impressions around the large round table before and after, over adult and non-alcoholic beverages

Your teacher

Carlos REC McBride

Director of Restorative Culture and Belonging

Educator and innovator Carlos REC McBride has over 15 years of experience spanning higher education, multimedia storytelling, and community-focused initiatives. REC is an advocate for equitable education and inclusive learning environments, mentoring underserved students. He specializes in leveraging technology and creative arts — such as photography, video, and audio — to foster engagement, address social issues, and support diverse learners.

REC has taught at institutions such as Hampshire College, Smith College, Holyoke Community College, and The High School of Commerce, designing interdisciplinary curricula on topics like social justice, urban studies, Hip-Hop culture, and Art and Graffiti culture. He extends his commitment to social justice through his work with incarcerated individuals and those working through mental health and substance use challenges. He has traveled throughout the country offering workshops and lectures, mentoring young men who face systemic barriers and supporting self-empowerment and healing.

More about Carlos →