Don’t know what to listen to these days? In a world where podcasts and radio and streaming services like Spotify are everywhere, endless choices sometimes end up overwhelming listeners rather than helping them. Having instant access can be amazing, but it can also be impersonal, especially if you love being part of an intimate, local community.
This is why you should listen to Kpiss, an independent radio station based in Brooklyn, New York and run by radio-extraordinaire Sheri Barclay. The ad-free station, which was founded by Barclay and is self and DJ-financed, is home to a rotating list of DJ-run shows (archive here) brought to you by “radio stars, partiers, weirdos, bands, unestablished comedians, 9-5’rs, bartenders, journalists, and music freaks,” as described on the website. The show, which used to run out of a container studio in Punk Alley Bushwick, Brooklyn, is now broadcasting seven days a week from from Milly’s Pizza 834 Broadway, Brooklyn, New York.
Barclay, who met me for pizza at Milly’s, said she just wants her DJs to have fun and have a space that is easily accessible. While Brooklyn is notoriously an expensive place to host any kind of event or business, Barclay noted that you “can’t do this anywhere else. Only in New York City.” In a time where it’s easy to hate on the rising rent prices and living expenses, her words are hopeful–and perhaps bring us back to a place that isn’t just nostalgic, but still a cultural landscape.
Running a radio show out of pizza parlor is perhaps the most New York thing someone can do, but also genius: People can eat, socialize, and hear live radio broadcast. All of this easily builds a sense of community, value, and culture. Even better? It’s great for the DJs too, as a DJ can host a show and pledge a monthly membership to gain access to things like DJ training, use of show equipment, website, and strategy. You can’t get that ease anywhere else–or, you know, that sense of raw excitement and energy somewhere else.
Tune in, listeners. It’s worth it. If you want to host a show, get in touch with Barclay, and let the music and weirdness run wild.