Fresh Beats: Meet Hudson Valley DJ Sheri Barclay

By Sal Cataldi | September 13, 2025

Sheri Barclay is another Hudson Valley-based spinner who is as at home in the club as she is on the radio. This Queens-born, Canadian-raised music lover’s taste leans towards classics, from early New Orleans R&B and 50s rock ‘ n ‘ roll staples to 60s rock and furious 70s disco.

Read on to learn more about where she is spinning locally and the history of her curiously named online radio station dedicated to “golden hits,” KPISS.FM!

DJ Sheri Barclay at a KPISS FM radio dj party event

INSIDE+OUT: When did you first become interested in music, and how did you start your DJ career?

Sheri Barclay: I’ve always had a naturally eclectic taste and was inspired by my stepdad’s 70s pub rock and disco compilations. As a child, I began making mix tapes with a dual cassette recorder and a microphone in the 1980s on a military base in Germany. There was a heavy soul and indie influence in my hometown of Edmonton, Alberta, so I went to Brit Pop nights, collected records and eventually got on the roster. I created a fanzine that I sold at Other Music when I moved to New York in 2003 and then expanded on that by having a residency at Black Betty, now The Commodore in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In 2015, I created the online radio station and a studio art space for KPISS.FM: The Golden Stream, which is still going strong.

Describe what makes you unique in the DJ space, your favorite music to spin, and your favorite kind of place or event to work.

I mix the forgotten, forgotten, forgotten favorites, but also cater to the crowd. In the world of record collectors, it can be a skill to read the room and change the vibe accordingly, which makes me unique. My all-time favorite go-to is still a lot of New Orleans music released in the mid-1950s; people cannot resist Clarence “Frogman” Henry. I also have a very decent set of 70s, 80s, and 90s country music. As I get older, I definitely like a solid 37-and-up crowd.

What have been some of your favorite experiences DJing in the Hudson Valley?

I DJed a country night at Tubby’s that was fun, where I was playing the movie, Urban Cowboy, in the background. I also DJed a birthday party that had kids in attendance and one little girl who was obsessed with the Doors. I don’t think she or her family had listened to the lyrics of “The End,” which are pretty racy, but it turned out great anyway. I also DJed a private party in the most insane A-frame cabin my friend Michael and his wife Becky built, which was very eclectic. My favorite is when guest DJs appear from my apartment studio in Kingston on my radio station, KPISS.FM.

What is your go-to song to spin when you need to pump up a crowd that’s not feeling it?

“Chantilly Lace” by the Big Bopper.

What are your three favorite desert island discs?

Exile on Main Street – The Rolling Stones
Various – The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Diner
Various – The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Times Square

Give us a mini-biography – where you were born, where you live now, and what you may do outside of DJing.

I was born in Flushing, Queens, just like The Nanny. I was a military brat, so I lived everywhere, but I ended up in Brooklyn in 2003, where I’ve been based more or less until Covid, when I moved to Edmonton, Albert, Canada (one of my hometowns).

I moved to Kingston in 2023, where I am based in an apartment resembling The Addams Family residence! I run a radio station called KPISS.FM with 50 other DJs remotely, so that keeps me busy. Outside of DJing, I’ve had a myriad of day jobs since moving here. Most notable is the Hebrew School Director at CEHV in Kingston. The school was featured in the film Between the Temples with Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane. I could now write my own version of that movie!

party with DJ Sheri Barclay