How A Tropical Storm Destroyed My Record Label

On October 29th, 2012, Tropical Storm Sandy sent a tidal wave to my home in New York City. The entire house was flooded, my music production studio and home office were destroyed, along with most everything inside of it – all CDs and merchandise from Q*BALL, RETURN TO EARTH, THE HEAD SET; all my gear, my memorabilia, my furniture, my history. It’s all gone.

I am still in business, and all our artists’ music is still available digitally thru iTunes, Amazon, and all other digital retail outlets. I am documenting the experience as I attempt to rebuild, relocate, and refocus my life, no less the focus of my business and my musical endeavors.

It’s all up on The Bald Freak Blog. I hope you will read about my journey.

And I hope you continue to take the journey with me….

Run Q*Ball Run

Busy summer.  Working on a new Q*Ball album, most likely my last.  Ten years of disappointing mediocrity is enough, y’know?  Thinking of releasing it exclusively on vinyl….making up 100 copies for the hardcore fans, pretending it’s 1977 and this is the only way you can consume my music, then calling it a day.  Running the New York City Marathon in November.  Been training since February.  Follow my progress and the soundtrack to my runs on Facebook.  Raising money for the talented Rosie’s Theater Kids.  Please donate for this great cause – I’ve gotta raise 3K by November or these kids are gonna eat my brain!  Click the image below to save me!

Buy Our Stuff, Help The Fight Against Cancer!

All proceeds from our merch store in 2012 – including CDs & t-shirts from Q*Ball, Return To Earth, Swashbuckle, & The Head Set – will be donated to The American Cancer Society. We’ve discounted prices on all CDs and shirts to as low as $4.99!  Support our bands, check out some awesome (halfway decent) music and help find a cure.

Visit our SHOP now to do your part!

Q*Ball – “Almost Paradise” available now – free download

Q*Ball covers “Almost Paradise” from the ‘Footloose’ soundtrack, available for free download via the link below at Soundcloud.  The original version was sung by Mike Reno & Ann Wilson, aka the guy with the headband in Loverboy and the fat chick from Heart.  It was written by the guy who brought you one of the gayest songs ever – “Hungry Eyes,” Mr. Eric Carmen.

Almost Paradise by baldfreak

Q - “My cousin performed in a church community performance of ‘Footloose’ this past summer and the only redeeming thing I got out of that besides some free Twizzlers was a reminder that ‘Almost Paradise’ was a pretty dramatic, catchy tune.  It’s a quintessential 80s power ballad and after watching it 450 times on YouTube so I could learn the chord progressions, I must admit, it’s powerful.  Considering my fondness for 80s cheeze and Kevin Bacon, and my desire to learn to play songs by ear on the piano, I thought it’d be cool to record my own spin on the song.  My version probably sucks, but hey, you get what you pay for.  It was cool to learn how to play it.”

Q*Ball memorably covered 80s hits “Whip It” (Devo), “Maniac” (Michael Sembello) and “Take On Me” (A-Ha) back when he played shows and people cared.  This is Q*Ball’s first foray into self-producing in his home studio and he apologizes for that.  This is now the second song Q*Ball can play by ear on the piano in its entirety, after “Frosty The Snowman.”  Q*Ball is currently working on Kermit The Frog’s “The Rainbow Connection.”

Performers:  Q*Ball – Upright piano, keytar, MicroKorg, loops, vocals, slightly dodgy backing vocals.  Recorded using ProTools LE 8.  Inspired by SK and CB.  “Almost Paradise” is written by Eric Carmen & Dean Pitchford.  Copyright Sony/ATV Melody Publishing LLC (BMI).  All rights reserved.

Q*Ball – A*Pathetic Song (feat. Chris Pennie) Available Now!

“A*Pathetic Song” is about abandonment, about giving up. We all give up. We’ve all given up on something and we’ll all give up on something again – it could be for better or for worse. Some people give up ice cream because they’re too fat or Satanism because they’re too evil. For me, the “giving up” in “A*Pathetic Song” involve common themes – work, women, and music.” Click here for the full story and lyrics behind Q*Ball’s latest single.