Bald Freak Music is a creative production house and independent record label founded in 2005 by Ron Scalzo.
Ron released his first two albums with guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal in the electronic project Q*Ball. Bald Freak soon evolved into a full-fledged record label, releasing Thal's solo albums as Bumblefoot, plus debuts from experimental rock act Black Pig and pirate metal band Swashbuckle.
Scalzo joined guitarist Brett Aveni and Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Chris Pennie to form alternative rock band Return To Earth in 2006. RTE’s first album, Captains of Industry, was released later that year, followed by a third Q*Ball album in ‘07.
Return to Earth signed with Metal Blade Records and released their second album Automata in 2010. Bald Freak released the second album from NYC modern rock act The Head Set in 2011.
In 2012, Ron's home studio and the Bald Freak office were destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. Uncertain about the future of his label and his life, Ron reinvented himself as a podcaster and a solo musician, traveling to Seattle, Tucson, Nashville, and Berlin to record piano rock songs that would appear on three releases: The Last Q*Ball Album in 2014; You Deserve The Best in 2015; and I Gotta Rock in 2017.
Return To Earth reunited in 2020 and Bald Freak released the critically acclaimed album, Oblivion, in 2022, and a follow-up EP, Octavius in 2024.
Ron hosts and produces Independent Minded, a long-running podcast featuring independent artists from around the world and their stories of struggle and triumph.
Ron is also the host and producer of The Joy of Bob Ross, a podcast that honors the late great television painter and his iconic public television program, The Joy of Painting.
After a decade-long stint on Elvis Duran & the Morning Show and 4 years producing for NPR, Ron moved to Nashville, Tennessee to lean into his entrepreneurial projects.
In addition to his creative ventures, Ron is a freelance producer whose clients include esteemed music programs From The Top and Jazz Night In America. He is also the Social Media Manager for Austin-based nonprofit Musician Treatment Foundation.
