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Anna Diem at The Beach Cabin -courtesy of Anna Diem

 

CATCHING UP with musical artist Anna Diem / / / in Portland, Oregon

Anna Diem / BUTCH IN THE STREETS NEWS ; LHB ; DND 

Feb. 12, 2022, 4:07 PM PST

By Anna Diem

 

Anna: Hey Anna, well it’s so nice to meet you. Why don’t we jump right in. Tell me a little bit about yourself. 

Anna: Aww, well it’s really nice to meet you too. And thanks for asking me to do this. I've been answering fake interview questions in the car forever, so it's exciting to do the real thing. 

Anna: Umm I've never admitted it to anyone, but I do the same thing! Except I'm asking the questions! 

Anna: Shut up. 

Anna: Seriously! Oh my gosh I just got goosebumps! 

Anna: Wow, that's so crazy! Well dang, looks like we're off to a good start. 

Anna: Uhhh tell me about it! Geez Louise. OK lets get you back on track here. 

Anna: Right! OK. Well, I'm 34. I'm a Pisces. I grew up the youngest of three girls in Portland, Oregon. I love honesty, intimacy and romance. And water. And harmony! I'm an idea guy with an entrepreneurial spirit and a DIY approach. Consequently, I am a bit of a swiss-army-knife. I use all the stuff I’ve learned along the way to support my obsession of writing, playing, recording and producing music. 

Anna: Great, that’s great. Tell me, how long did it take for you to come up with that answer? 

Anna: Mmmm yes, yes, several years. 

Anna: Mmmm mmhm, I thought that might be the case. OK, so Anna, tell me a little bit about your journey up until this point? 

Anna: Absolutely. Well, I guess I’d have to take you all the way back, around 4 or 5. My Mom said that as soon as I was big enough to crawl up onto the piano bench, I was begging for lessons. Not much has changed since then. I’ve just been climbing up (and sometimes falling down) this metaphorical mountain of musical exploration. In search of my sound and, you know, myself. 

Anna: Wow. Well wasn’t that just beautifully put! You ARE a writer - it shows! 

Anna: Aww, you're very sweet. Thank you. 

Anna: And so, what has that looked liked? What has your musical journey entailed? 

Anna: Oh geez. It's looked a lot of different ways. I learned piano first, then guitar, and then a bunch of band instruments. I started getting into popular song writing as a teen, and made my first multi track recordings. I went to the School of Audio Engineering in 2009 in New York to figure out what the heck I was doing. I've engineered in studios and tried live sound out. I've been a boom operator and a post production person. I've done some composition and sound design for animation. I've made podcasts. I've had a band, I've played shows. It's looked a lot of different ways, but I always end up back in my studio, writing and recording my music. 

Anna: As you should! Wow, what a colorful experience! Are you tired? 

Anna: Yes. I am tired. 

Anna: And, not to jump backwards, but I have to ask - have you made it to the top? 

Anna: The top of what? 

Anna: The top of “this metaphorical mountain of musical exploration” - sorry, you mentioned it earlier and I wrote a note here. 

Anna: Oh I'm sorry. I’m a little stoned. Yes. I am happy to say that I have. 

Anna: Ah! That is excellent news. Well, if you feel comfortable sharing, what did you see when you got to the top? 

Anna: I don’t mind at all, sharing with you. When I got to the top, I saw that it was all actually very simple. I saw that the first take is usually the best take. That less is more. That I had done my best to over complicate things, but in the end, for me, it’s all about feeling. In my music, I strive to capture a feeling. 

Anna: Wow. Yes. I resonate deeply with this. 

Anna: Yeah, you know. It’s like, you think you need to be better and know more, but at the end of the day, it's like. . .you probably have everything you need. 

Anna: Amen. Amen. Ugh, Anna it has been so nice connecting with you. I appreciate you sharing yourself with me. I don’t want to take up too much more of your time, but can you just share a little bit about what you’re up to now? 

Anna: Absolutely, and thank you. It is my pleasure. Well, I'm coming off a pretty big year. A lot happened in 2022. I moved from Southern Oregon up to Portland, got settled into the music community here and released my self-produced record, Hello Oregon. My album was reviewed by Willamette Week, covered on Portland Radio Project and I played lots of great shows, including my last show of the year at Artichoke Music. I am still celebrating all of that, while I get my head wrapped around what 2023 will look like. The plan is not to spread myself too thin this year, in hopes that I can put more of myself into each thing. Each project, each show. Please stay with me and see how that plan unfolds - join my newsletter and follow me on Instagram

Anna: Amazing, well I'll certainly be staying with you. 

Anna: Wonderful, I'm glad to hear that. 

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