Winston

Canadian singer-songwriter Winston doesn’t take any shortcuts with his debut solo album, Limited. Recording the six-song EP on vintage analogue gear, Winston self-produced the new album without using any digital devices -- no computers, no Pro Tools, not even a digital guitar tuner. The result is his celebrated introspective alt-pop, only grittier and at times haunting.

“I wanted to make something real, something human,” Winston says about his decision to skip industry standard recording methods that use computers to edit instruments, tune vocals and insert digital samples to craft music nowadays.

“Making an analogue record is a lot of work, but it’s way more creative,” he says, explaining all sounds and effects on the record are man-made, whether he’s singing in a reverb chamber, sabotaging a tack piano, or using a wind-up timer as a key feature of the title track.

“Besides, for an album this personal, I didn’t want it to sound perfect. Sometimes the feel is fucked-up and vulnerable, and I wanted to capture that vibe honestly, not just with my lyrics but with the music and recording as well.”

After releasing a critically acclaimed full-length album Passengers in 2004, West Coast music critics for the Province newspaper listed Winston as one of the top local acts, alongside indie giants Hot Hot Heat and the New Pornographers. “Winston is a joy to see live,” wrote Music Critic Kerry Gold of the Vancouver Sun.

Winston has since gone solo and produces other indie artists from his secret bunker in downtown Vancouver. He recently moved from his Main Street apartment and now lives on a small island minutes off the mainland.

Limited was recorded during the last days of 2006 at Mushroom Studios. The album is to be released by Aquarius Records in Spring 2007. A tour is in the works.