Winter Moods was formed in mid-eighties. Two young musicians, bassist Joseph Rizzo and lead guitarist Steve Caruana Smith were in a band in search for a vocalist, they took on a friend still in his teens, Ivan Grech. They preferred music over everything else in life, and they listed to the likes of Marillion, Deep Purple and U2. They met frequently in a garage in Senglea on cold grey days to put together their own original songs. Thus the mood, thus the name of the band .. Winter Moods.The early years were all about playing in front of a crowd. The local music scene was ripe with activity. Bands came and went, some making more noise than others. Only one band stood the test of time, evolving and adapting itself to the changes in the music scene. Etienne Robinich joined on keyboards and introduced the other members to drummer James Vella.During the nineties the emergence of new radio stations put an emphasis on airplay. Winter Moods released their first single 'Sarah', which was an instant hit with listeners. This song remains one of the band's most popular tracks to this day. 'Sarah' was included in the band's first CD album released in 1996. Self-titled Winter Moods, the album was reminiscent of the members' original influences.Guitarist Melvin Caruana was the last member to join the band in 1997. Shortly after, in 2000, the band went on to launch their next CD album, 'Morning Ale' which produced hit songs 'Jamaica', 'Ride' and 'Everyday Song' .. awarded the best song of all time award during the Bay Music Awards 2005 and Gozo Music Awards 2006.Through their career, Winter Moods had to opportunity to meet and perform with some of their idols, namely Deep Purple and Fish (ex-Marillion). The band also supported international artists Elton John, Antonello Venditti, Bob Geldof, Roger Hodgson, Feedback, and the SAS Band. The SAS Band was made up of Spike Edney (ex-Queen keyboardist), Paul Young, Fish and Chris Thompson, with whom Ivan also sang 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love'.As the band grew older, they matured musically and produced new sounds. Winter Moods' third CD album was issued in April 2003. It featured 'Come To You', the first local song to reach the coveted top spot in 89.7 Bay's Top 40. The band's fan base grows at a steady rate, including fans of all ages who pack venues at every performance. Winter Moods has also been awarded the best selling local artist by Exotique in 2006 for its outstanding sales records of CD albums issued to date.Winter Moods performed at number of music festivals in Europe. In June 2000, the band performed at the Belfort Rock Festival in France, in September 2002 Winter Moods participated at the National Youth Rock Festival in Cyprus. In July 2003 Winter Moods were invited to perform two live concerts in Rome, at the Hard Rock Café and at the Villa Comunale in Cassino. In 2004, following the success in German radio WDR2's competition - Europa XXL, where Winter Moods placed first amongst 10 bands from Europe, the band was invited to perform at the Ring Fest, an annual music festival held in Cologne, Germany.Over the years Winter Moods garnered several awards. The band was voted as the Best Band at three editions of the Malta Music Awards (1997, 2001 and 2003). During the 2003 edition of the Awards, the band also received the Best Album Award for 'Butterfly House'. During the Bay Music Awards 2004 Winter Moods were awarded the Icon Award for their on going contribution to the Maltese music scene and for the success their countless singles have had on 89.7 Bay. During the Bay Music Awards 2005 the band won best single of the year award for 'Closer' and the best single of all time award for 'Everyday Song'.Winter Moods' latest production 'Ordinary Men' has been two years in the making. It combines the band's musical expertise acquired over twenty years with new styles. 'Ordinary Men' contains a mixture of up beat tunes and ballads. After recording the CD album with the band, Steve, one of the original members, decided to leave due to family and work commitments.The first single released from the album, 'Lonely Vegas' reached the top position of Bay's Top 40 within three weeks, making Winter Moods the only local band to reach the number one position twice.
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