For junior broadcasting and mass communications major Evan Debevec-McKenney, it all started in a recording techniques class in high school. After recording music and starting a band with a couple of friends, Debevec-McKenney, who goes by the artist name Evan Diem, decided he wanted to write and perform his own songs.

This was also at the same time that he was learning how to sing by partaking in musical theater. Despite his love for music, Diem chose not to minor in it, instead minoring in theater here at Oswego State.

“I didn’t want to really focus on music because I want music to be a side thing,” he said.

This “side thing” has inspired Diem to release three EPs in the last year. His latest album, “Mitigations,” released Oct. 1, can be found on his artist website, evandm.bandcamp.com.

“I’ve gotten to a point where I’m really happy with how I’m mixing sounds and I’m at a point where I’m happy with my songwriting more than I used to be,” Diem said. “So I wanted to put something out that was more reflective of where I am.”

Diem’s inspiration for making the album simply comes from his enjoyment of making music. Some songs lend themselves to his experiences or something specific he wants to say, and he finds a way to write it and perform it.

However, he finds that if he’s writing about himself, there tends to be an overall theme throughout an EP or album.

“[Faulty Dramatic] was basically how I see myself as a lot more messed up than I actually am and I tend to overdramatize myself,” Diem said.

For “Mitigations,” his second full-length album, the rising artist already had a couple dozen songs ready to complete an album. Fortunately, he was able to find a consistent theme that threaded 13 of those songs together.

That theme is, of course, mitigations. In Diem’s words, these are things that make other things not as bad.
He’s particularly proud of certain songs on the album.

“People tend to really like the song ‘Couches,’ which is about people sitting on couches at parties,” Diem said. “So people tend to find that relatable.”
H
e’s also proud of how songs like “Desert Aquarium” and “Invent the Wheel” came out mixing and word-play wise, respectively.

As far as musical genres, Diem said it’s hard to define where he falls, especially on “Mitigations,” an album he said has “a lot of different genres incorporated.” Generally, though, he would categorize the album as alternative indie rock, in the vein of his favorite band, the Mountain Goats.
Diem is aware that the current musical landscape makes it hard to get his name out there.
“People respect when you don’t do pop, but people also like pop,” he said. “I had someone come up to me…they said ‘I really appreciate what you’re doing, writing your own songs, playing your own music,’ and that’s nice, that’s what I go for.”

To contact Evan Diem, email him at edebevec@oswego.edu.