Winston's sound a gift to West Coast indie rock

The weekly live music at the Boot’s Monday Madness is a grab bag of genres, styles and personalities, from West African beats, to reggae, to folk-rock-Celtic-gypsy-punk.

This week the stage belongs to Vancouver-based indie-rock foursome Winston.

The literary-reference-named band (the protagonist from George Orwell’s 1984) plays melodic college rock garnished with vocal harmonies and drums that do more than simply keep the beat. It’s a style best described as a close relative of East Coast Canadian indie rock legends Sloan.

It’s high time the West Coast had a Sloan to call its own. Winston has the pedigree (two band members were a part of ’90s Grapes of Wrath follow-up Ginger), the sound, and the glasses to fill that role. The release of their debut album, Passengers , this past summer, has won them critical acclaim for their songwriting and instrumental stylings, and their infectious pounding melodies can move even the most underwhelmed grad student.

Catch Winston at the Boot this Monday. Tickets $5 at the door.