Evan Winiker

Evan Winiker is an American music manager and former musician who played in the bands Steel Train and for a short time in Fun.[1][2][3] Over the years he has managed Thirty Seconds To Mars, Jared Leto, Nicky Romero, Sky Ferreira, MAX, Daya, The Disco Biscuits and Walk off the Earth at Full Stop Management.

Evan Winiker
Born	December 22, 1982
Nationality	United States
Occupation	Artist manager

Early life and music career

He was born on December 22, 1982 in New York, NY. His family moved to New Jersey in his early teens where he met Jack Antonoff at the Solomon Schecter Day School of Bergen County. At the time, Antonoff was part of the hardcore band Outline and Evan was in the punk band Random Task. After the dissolution of these bands, Steel Train formed in 2002. The band soon signed to Drive Thru Records/MCA and flew to Los Angeles to record with Jon Naclerio at Hans Zimmer's Media Ventures Studios. The outcome of this session was the band's first EP, 2003's ‘‘For You My Dear’’.

The band then embarked on two of years of touring across America, Canada and the UK, followed by a trip to San Francisco to record their first full-length record with Steven Barncard (Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young). Released on April 19, 2005, Twilight Tales From The Prairies on the Sun features appearances by famed mandolinist David Grisman (Grateful Dead), as well as pedal steel guitarist Gene Parsons (The Flying Burrito Brothers).[4] Rolling Stone gave the album 3.5 stars. 2005 was also the beginning of Steel Train's festival career. They played a midnight set on the first day of the Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, as well as the Wakarusa Festival, Warped Tour, SXSW, and another appearance at Bonnaroo in 2006.[5]

At this point, Antonoff and Winiker moved to Silverlake, CA to record the band's second full-length album, ‘‘Trampoline’’, with Mark Trombino (Jimmy Eat World, Blink 182). ‘‘Trampoline’’, released in October 2007 on Drive Thru Records, debuted at No. 10 on Billboard's Heatseaker Chart. The band toured heavily supporting it and played prominent spots at the Lollapalooza Festival as well as their third appearance at Bonnaroo. In the summer of 2008 the band would make their national television debut on ‘‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien’’.[6]

Following the ‘‘Late Night with Conan O'Brien performance’’ and a tour with The Hush Sound, the band headed back into the studio, this time to record their third full-length album with producer Steve McDonald (Fun). It was at this time that the band's relationship with their label, Drive Thru Records, fell apart. Steel Train decided to buy off the label and fund the recording themselves.[7]

Once again the band hit the road, touring with [Tegan and Sara], [Ben Folds], and Fun (band), as well as playing 2010's Coachella Music Festival and making their 2nd appearance on National TV on the ‘‘Late Show with David Letterman’’. The band released their 3rd full length on June 29, 2010. The record debuted at No. 8 on Billboard's Heatseakers Chart, No. 4 on the New Artists Chart and within the top 50 on the independent albums chart.[8]

On November 1, 2010 the band was the first musical guest on Conan O'Brien’s new show, ‘‘Conan’’, in a joke episode titled "Show Zero". The band, along with actor Jim Parsons (‘’The Big Bang Theory’’) performed one chord off their new record, “Steel Train (album),” in a short version of the show. On January 11, the band returned to Conan O'Brien's Conan, performing their single "You and I Undercover.", followed by a performance of their single “Bullet” on the George Lopez show.[9]

That April, Evan joined Fun (band) at the Coachella Music Festival and a run of subsequent shows to follow.[10] He would continue to play with Fun (band) into the summer, joining them on tour with Panic at the Disco, Weezer and Foxy Shazam.[11]

In January 2013, Steel Train played their final shows at famed New Jersey venue Maxwell's, and The Bowery Ballroom. Fans flew from all across the world to be there. In June 2016, the band reunited to headline Jack Antonoff's Shadow of the City festival with The 1975.[12]

In 2017, Evan contributed bass to Bleachers Gone Now album for the track “Hate That You Know Me,” and in 2018 he made a cameo in the Bleachers video “Alfie’s Song.”

Management career

In January 2013, he joined Brandon Creed's The Creed Company. The company managed Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson and Sara Bareilles. In his five years there he looked after Atlas Genius (Warner Bros), Hunter Hunted (RCA), Falls (Universal), Cardiknox (Warner Bros), sirenXX (Warner Bros), Sky Ferreira (Capitol), Secret Weapons (Epic), and Lia Marie Johnson(Capitol). He spoke on several panels at SXSW and the ASCAP expo and in 2015 was named as one of Billboards executives who golf.

In March 2017, he joined Brandon Creed, Jeffrey Azoff and Irving Azoff at their new company Full Stop Management. He currently looks after MAX, Daya, The Disco Biscuits, Walk off the Earth, and Skyler Stonestreet.

Personal life

Evan is an avid golfer who has won a number of industry tournaments. He is a member of Lakeside Golf Club in Toluca Lake, CA. In 2015, Evan was featured in a Billboard Magazine article discussing industry executives applying their golf game to business.

References

1. Berlin, Nick (March 17, 2011) Steel Train – “Steel Train”. projectnarro.org
2. Fun. Biography | Biographies. Songonlyrics.com. Retrieved on 2016-01-17.
3. Evan Winiker. allmusic.com
4. "Twilight Tales From the Prairies of the Sun". Amazon.
5. "Steel Train Fall Headlining Tour". JamBase.
6. "Steel Train - "I Feel Weird" on Conan". Vimeo.
7. "Steel Train Going On Tour with Tegan & Sara, SXSW, New Album, Free "Turnpike Ghost" MP3". The Audio Perv.
8. "Nicolas Cage/Steel Train". IMDb.
9. "Episode dated 7 March 2011". IMDb.
10. "Jack Antonoff: from Steel Train to fun. (and Back Again)". Relix.
11. "Fun. Biography". SongOnLyrics.
12. "Steel Train Rocked Conan's Show Zero". Fake Walls.