Balto

“"Balto sound like the kind of band you’d want playing in the background as you cruise down the highway with a road soda clutched in your hand." - What Youth” At 21, after a failed attempt to begin a journalism career in Moscow and an overwhelming heartbreak, Dan Sheron’s life collapsed. Without so much as saying goodbye to his friends or bothering to pack a bag, Dan took a train bound for Siberia and headed east with a child's guitar and journal that quickly filled with songs. At some point in those manic months, Balto was born, in a third-class train car, singing and drinking among strangers, somewhere east of Novosibirsk. Over time, Balto transformed from a songwriting vehicle into a rock n roll band – performing a boozy, swaggering style of American music rooted at the intersection of Motown, Big Star, Plastic Ono Band-era Lennon, and Jackson Browne. Their interactive live performances have drawn comparisons to fiery indie rockers My Morning Jacket and Wilco, while Seattle-based curators Artist Home describe their most recent LP Strangers (2017) as “a tangle of beautiful, messy emotions, wrapped up in a sound that’s warmly familiar yet brimming with soul and tiny details that are touched by magic.” They continue to describe Sheron as, “a roots-rock storyteller with the heart of an Edwardian poet—full of romance, sharp observation, knowing humor, and at least a slug or two of whiskey.” The was received warmly in the streaming world, with appearances on official playlists from Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, Google Play Music, Deezer and others and over 3 million spins to date. Songs For Viktor, the latest 7” from Balto, is a brash statement of purpose from the newly transplanted Los Angeles band – written for a dear friend fallen on hard times in Moscow. Howling guitars and a heavy pocket of bass and drums recede to a boil, opening up the space for an almost Elton John-esque style of songcraft and storytelling. Balto is touring on the west coast in Summer 2018.