Balto

Los Angeles-based rock & roll outfit Balto emerged in the early 2010s playing a rootsy mix that encompassed blues, folk, soul, and psych-rock. Initially the solo project of wayfaring singer/songwriter Dan Sheron, the group was forged in New York, then picked up steam in Portland, Oregon where they made their fiery 2017 album, Strangers. A move to L.A. at the decade’s end prompted yet another sea change and Sheron and his crew continued to explore on a 2021 covers EP and singles like 2022′s “Spanish Wine.”
The roots of Balto can be traced back to, of all places, Siberia. Following a failed journalism gig in Moscow, Sheron set out by train on a soul-searching journey through Russia’s vast northern province, emerging from his travels with a set of poignant and gutsy songs that would, in 2011, become October's Road, the debut album by his recently launched project Balto. Initially more of an acoustic solo venture accompanied by a loose collection of friends in New York, Balto’s first expansion came when Sheron relocated to Portland, Oregon in 2012. His next release, the Monuments EP, added more instrumentation to his rootsy mix, though it still remained largely a solo vehicle. Over the next few years, Sheron slowly transformed himself from troubadour to bandleader, building a new foundation with a close-knit group of musicians on 2015′s three-song single, Call It by Its Name, which reintroduced Balto as a soulful rock quartet. Songs like “CA LUV” and “Born Astray” reinforced the gritty new sound that characterized 2017′s Strangers LP.
Meanwhile, Sheron continued to tour Russia and Central Europe as a solo act and in 2018 released a pair of hard-driving Balto 7” singles “Songs for Viktor” and “Black Snake Mojave Blues” b/w “Still Don’t Know.” He soon established himself in Los Angeles and formed yet another iteration of the group. 2020′s “Magnet/Mind” single was followed a year later by the stripped-down covers EP From Them to Us, From Us to You, which saw the band taking on songs by the Zombies, Waylon Jennings, Warren Zevon, and more. During this period, Balto worked with an array of high profile producers/engineers including Riley Geare and Kim Bullard. The first taste of these sessions was the 2022 single “Spanish Wine.” ~ Timothy Monger