Evan Mester

Tell us a bit about the career path that led to where you are now.

I remember speaking with my career center in college during my senior year and one of their counselors drew out this diagram of a career path on a piece of paper. Except it was more a cluster of scribbles than a straight A to B. Even for me, someone who had the privilege of serving as Music Director for WMUH (Allentown, PA) for a year, I had no clue that my love for music would eventually take me down the road where my greatest passion would also be what I do to make a living. Things started to get clearer as I interned in radio promo and at a live music venue after graduating, but in all seriousness, there are days where I have to pinch myself and be like, “Wow, I’m, like, actually doing this.”

What is your favorite experience you’ve had in your career? Perhaps a musical idol you got to meet? A festival you were able to attend? A project you were involved with promoting?


The two years I’ve been at Marauder, a music marketing firm, have given me an all-new appreciation for independent venues and their role as the lifeblood of the music industry. Having spearheaded media outreach for the past two Independent Venue Week celebrations in the United States, I’ve gotten to hear the most incredible stories from venue owners across the country and collaborate with extraordinary artist ambassadors including Alison Mosshart and Bartees Strange in conveying the importance of these rooms and how irreplaceable they are. To me, at least, having that transformative perspective shift has been far and away the most impactful experience I’ve had while working in music.


What aspect of your job gives you the most satisfaction?


Working in the music industry has always been a dream of mine, so the very fact that’s what I do for a living is really one heck of an astonishing thing to process. That said, most of my satisfaction comes from talking with stations and press about the projects we’re working on and those serendipitous moments where what your pitching just clicks. Before you even know it, you’re just chatting away with a music director about what they’re listening to and how excited they are to hear the album you’re repping. Having once been on the other side of that sort of phone call back in college, it’s honest to goodness magical to see that connection from the other perspective.

What band/artist or style of music outside the realm of your college/community radio promotion would people be most intrigued to hear you love?

This is probably a no-brainer for anyone who even remotely knows me, but extreme metal is pretty much the stuff I live and die for at the end of the day. I spent pretty much all of my time in high school blogging about acts like Gorguts, Ulcerate, Wolves In The Throne Room, etc. Truth be told, it was through my exploration of death metal and black metal that I eventually came across and fell in love with the genres of hardcore, post-punk, noise, and folk music among many other things. Even now that the scope of my taste has broadened exponentially, there’s still new stuff releasing from that scene that has me giddy with that same excitement I had when I heard ‘Nespithe’ for the first time. Acts like Undeath, Hyperdontia, Serpent Column, and whatnot. 


What job do you think you would have if you weren’t in this industry?

To be honest, who knows? Likely at an ad agency or something along those lines that I was applying to at the time in addition to the music biz. Or maybe I’d be baking muffins. The world may never know.

What destination would you most like to visit and why?


It’s a life goal of mine to go to Japan for one reason and one reason only: Tower Records. If there is a heaven on earth, it would have to be a multi-story gold mine of vinyl. Honestly just processing the idea of entering the place and exiting with not one, but several of my holy grails is shaking me to my very core. Also, obi-strips make everything better.

You just won 10 million dollars. What are you going to do with it?


Man, that is a LOT of money. I’d probably have to talk to my financial advisor first (my dog, Oreo) but I’m sure some of that is going to go to a pair of Klipsch Heresy IV’s, rent, and Uber Eats.

Entertainment Time: What is/are your current favorite TV obsession(s)? What’s a great movie (new or old) you’ve watched recently? What is your current favorite album?


Do video games count? I’m not a huge TV guy per se, (though Succession has to be one of the funniest things I’ve watched in years), but by the time this is published, Elden Ring has probably taken over my life. Dark Souls and Bloodborne have to be my favorite games I ever played, so finally getting a new one after nearly seven years since Dark Souls 3 is gonna be a monumental experience for my dumb nerd brain.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in town for take-out or to take out-of-town guests to?


When you live in the middle of Manhattan like I do, pretty much every corner has a great restaurant worth visiting if you want to treat yourself to some killer food. Literally across the street from my building is this one phenomenal Thai place that has some of the most knockout pad thai in all of NYC. And it’s right outside my door! Simply put, if you’re in New York, you’re gonna eat well.


You’re stranded on a desert island. What five well-known people (dead or alive) would you like to have there with you?

Macgyver, Tom Hanks from Castaway, Bear Grylls, and Gordon Ramsey for survival tactics and building a boat. And Keanu Reeves for the vibes.