Winter

This is an article published in Chicago:

By the time he arrived in Chicago, Winter (Maneesh Sharma) had had enough. Fueled with creativity due to (What else?) heartache from women, the stress of getting his degree at the University of Michigan, and living in Detroit for a couple of years, Sharma was ready to unleash Hell on Earth. What resulted instead, from years of hard work in both music and life is one of the more original acts in the otherwise bland landscape of Rock n¡¯ Roll in Chicago, the band WINTER. Sharma had already established his presence in Detroit during his university tenure. A consummate performer with four ¡°practice¡± records under his belt, Sharma was looking to reestablish Rock in the only way he knew how- the way the masters taught him. He spent years of his adolescence locked in a room in Toledo, Ohio with a brooding poster of Robert Smith over his bed, guitar in his hand, pouring over every note and nuance of his favorite artists. And, like a fine wine, his musical gift grew better with age. Now, Sharma¡¯s playing is fluid and nearly effortless. His sonic awareness stems killer licks and subtleties that only come naturally from someone who has spent a lot of time hammering it all out. Sharma played out in Detroit for ¡°what felt like ages¡±, and by the time he moved to Chicago to continue his graduate academic pursuits, his music was ready for a new incarnation. Surrounded by talent from the get-go, Sharma employed some of the city¡¯s best musicians to bring his vision of WINTER to life, including drummer Steve Gillis of Filter and Ramsey Gouda of Onionhead Studios. He cut the CD ¡°DECEIT¡± in just 13 days with ¨ö of the cd recorded in Detroit. Winter¡¯s absolute belief in Detroit has never changed, regularly visiting Detroit every 14 days (He as a second residence in Royal Oak, Michigan).
Winter met John Tyler Curtis knee deep in the Chicago-nightlife in a Gold Coast nightclub in the spring of 2003. The Chicago North Shore native and former Ohio resident immediately took a shine to each other. Both were Big Ten alumni (Winter at Michigan, Tyler at Indiana), both were raised in affluent metropolitan areas, and both had an unconditional love for all types of music. In fact, their particular proves confrontational on a regular basis: Winter is the resident Bowie and Keith Richards expert, quoting the two at any given moment as if they are proverbs to live by; Curtis claims reign over all other music minutiae and general bullshit alike. However, before they began arguing like an old married couple, Tyler courted Winter after their first encounter at an after hours party, acknowledging that they were more powerful working together.

¡°We realized our visions were very similar;¡± Tyler quips from behind a cigarette. ¡°But, I really hated Winter¡¯s music at first because I was completely jealous. We are both stubborn control freaks with huge egos. (Laughs) But, I really wanted to be a part of his stuff. I had met his band from Detroit and knew I could offer something as much as these people. They were fantastic people from the best Rock City in the nation, like Winter. If you wanna be a star, then be a star and share it with the world unconditionally. If you want to be an angst-ridden irrelevant schmuck, then stay in the garage and
cry constantly to your ex-girlfriends old love letters. I stepped up and demanded he let me play with him. And it was that confidence that got me the job. But not the job that I thought I¡¯d get.¡±
¡°I didn¡¯t need anyone else on guitar,¡± smiles Winter, ¡°Another guitarist was just gonna be another headache. Plus, a four piece is harder to schedule on a regular basis. We all have enough shit to do.¡± Tyler smirks ¡°I had never touched a bass in my life. Maneesh hands me a fretless Yamaha and goes (gestures wildly) ¡®Here. Start practicing.¡¯ I was like, ¡®you¡¯ve got to be kidding me. I¡¯m gonna have to give up sex and drugs just to get back to the Rock n¡¯ Roll!¡¯¡±
With the addition of Tyler, Winter had gained a powerful ally. With their combined narcissism and social prowess, they could finally realize their dreams together. The pairing made sense to their peers- both were already musicians in their own minds. Throw drummer Josh MacWilliams into the mix, and the three are the band you want at your party. Josh is the mysterious one of the group, who hails from the industrious and notorious South Side of Chicago. His demeanor is sincere and humble, rare in a drummer, even rarer in a South Sider. After seeing the way Curtis and Sharma believed in one another, he jumped on board. A good-looking Celtic mutt, Josh smiles.
¡°I needed it. Their discipline is amazing. I had never only rehearsed for an hour a day. These guys burn through the set every time as if it¡¯s the show. I¡¯ve learned to know what I want from them. When I first joined, they were like: ¡®Do it right, or don¡¯t do it all. No fucking jamming! Jerry Garcia died a long time ago.¡±