San Diego has a burgeoning singer-songwriter community, but even in a community that includes the likes of Jason Mraz, Veronica May and Jeff Berkley, Evan Diamond is still a standout.
Backed by her band The Library, Diamond has performed locally for several years. But in the past 12 months in particular, she has taken the San Diego music scene by storm. In addition to a busy schedule of club dates, Diamond has released her debut EP, “Intersections,” performed at festivals such as Art Around Adams, played at a Padres game, won the 2019 San Diego Music Award for Best Singer-Songwriter and scored a spot at this year’s KAABOO Del Mar fest.
That’s an amazing 365 days in anybody’s book.
Diamond is excited to be a part of the event this year.
“It’s the biggest festival in San Diego,” she said. “We’re looking forward to seeing the other performers and everything going on, but more importantly it’s giving me the opportunity to access an audience that is there to specifically hear the performers and are interested in hearing new things. I’m definitely very excited.”
While she does perform solo dates around town, for this show she will be backed by her band, The Library: guitarist Severiano Wada, drummer Nick Liberatore and bassist Scott Sigler. Evan Diamond & The Library will perform at 5:40 p.m. on the Palate + Play Stage.
Originally from Alberta, Calgary, Canada, Diamond relocated to San Diego because her parents had moved to the area, but that wasn’t the main reason. “I wanted to be there because of the music,” Diamond said. “Places like Toronto do have active music scenes, but at least where I lived in Canada, there just was not as much opportunity.”
She quickly discarded other location possibilities. “San Diego was first choice, because the music community is so welcoming,” she said. “Everyone works together, which is something you don’t find as much in other places.”
While considered a singer-songwriter, Diamond’s music is more expansive than that. “My influences are people like Carole King, George Harrison and Matt Healy of The 1975, many things under a musical umbrella. I grew up listening to a lot of different artists so my music reflects a lot of different styles, really it’s eclectic pop rock.”
While she’s not opposed to including an occasional cover song in her set, “I try to focus on my original music, especially at something like KAABOO.”
She is happy to be performing at KAABOO, but notes that she approaches all gigs the same. “I’m at my most confident when I’m onstage,” she mused. “In that way, size of the crowd doesn’t matter, I’m going to give it my best. But something like KAABOO is special, because people are there to listen to the music, as opposed to a lot of smaller gigs where it’s in the background to whatever people are doing.”
Coming up, Diamond has more live dates, with her debut album in the process of being recorded. “We hope to have it ready later this year,” she said. “No title yet, but it’s being recorded by our drummer, Nick.” While 2019 has been a good year for Diamond, she acknowledges a tough road ahead. “It feels like the hard work is starting to pay off,” she said. “It’s all about relationships. I do my best to nurture those; there are so many people that have helped me to come this far.”
Diamond’s career in music is just ramping up, but she’s clear on her favorite thing about playing concerts such as this. “It’s getting to see the faces of people impacted by the music I write,” she said. “Everybody measures success differently, but I want to inspire people to find what makes them happy. That’s what makes it all worth it for me.”
Evan Diamond & The Library: Friday, Sept. 13. Del Mar Fairgrounds: Palate + Play Stage. 5:40 p.m. kaaboodelmar.com
