Built on good people making good music together, Keep Good Company Records is charting its own path as a values-driven label where music, family, and community go hand in hand.
Stream: “Socrates” – Ginger Winn
We hope people feel nourished by the music and recognize the timeless talent of the artists and their creations.
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Founded by husband-and-wife team Tina and Matt Baione, Keep Good Company Records is a Hudson Valley-rooted, artist-first label committed to timeless music and thoughtful collaboration.
Since launching in 2022 with the discovery of singer/songwriter Ginger Winn, they’ve cultivated a tight-knit roster including Winn, America’s Got Talent standout Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti, and multi-hyphenate artist Tomás Tomás.
What began as a creative consultancy quickly evolved into a hands-on label where co-writing sessions, music video shoots, and late-night brainstorms happen under one roof—sometimes quite literally, as the Baiones often work out of their own home. With a deep belief in nurturing not just talent, but trust, they’ve helped shape career-defining moments for each of their artists, from Winn’s albums STOP-MOTION and Freeze Frame to surprise duets at the San Gennaro Feast and buzzy film collaborations born from music video sets. Their approach is personal, scrappy, and full of heart.
From co-writing and creative direction to film production and zine-making, the Baiones are building a world where art, family, and integrity go hand in hand. With Winn now leading her own production imprint, Valentinetti stepping into a new era of original music, and Tomás preparing his debut release, Keep Good Company continues to grow without losing sight of its founding ethos.
We sat down with them to learn more about their mission – and it turns out, they really do keep good company.
A CONVERSATION WITH KEEP GOOD COMPANY RECORDS
Atwood Magazine: Let’s start at the beginning: What inspired you to start Keep Good Company Records, and how did the idea evolve into a full-fledged label?
Keep Good Company started as a creative consultancy focused mostly on branding. We always wanted to produce a record, but didn’t have a plan. When we discovered Ginger, we decided to launch the label.
What’s the story behind the name Keep Good Company? How does that phrase reflect your values or mission as a label?
On the wall of our apartment, we hung up a page we had ripped out of the Picture Book by John Derian with the phrase “Keep Good Company” written repeatedly like an elementary school chalkboard punishment.
When we were thinking of names, we wanted a word that evoked thoughtful collaboration. After nights of countless free association word bubbles, we looked up and there it was.
Who are the artists currently on your roster, and what drew you to them? What kinds of music or voices are you most passionate about amplifying?
Ginger Winn – our first and our forever creative partner. She started as a stranger on the internet, became a collaborator, spent some time as our roommate and is now a part of our family. Aside from being an incredible artist, songwriter, musician, and having a hauntingly captivating unique voice, she is an honest, trustworthy, conscientious, beautiful person. We couldn’t be happier to work with her or more proud of the woman she has grown into just in this past year.
Sal “The Voice” Valentinetti – We met Sal through our mutual friend, Rosemarie Sparacio, who also co-directed the video for Averna from Ginger’s debut album. Sal sings standards from the Great American Songbook and won a Golden Buzzer from Heidi Klum on America’s Got Talent and ultimately came in second place that season. People refer to his voice as a modern day Sinatra. Since his catalog of released music is almost universally covers, we pitched him on some original compositions. We started with one song, and it has grown into something much greater. He performed with Ginger at the San Gennaro Feast in Little Italy last year and again at the Albion Hotel in Summit, NJ.
Tomás Tomás – After swearing we would never sign another artist, we met Tomás Tomás (Tom Fattorusso) on the set of Ginger’s 8:48 video where he was working as an assistant director, and soon received an invite to his private concert where he previewed unreleased music. We all, including Ginger, love his music and style. He added production, mixing, and some background vocals to Ginger’s album Freeze Frame which was the icing on the cake for her incredible album. We are working on finalizing music now so stay tuned. Tomás just acted across from Jaeden Martell in the short film “Out of Body” and across from Anna from the North in “The Isdal Man,” Gus Dapperton’s directorial debut.
True to our name, first they need to be good people, and we are lucky that all three of them are genuinely good people that we feel comfortable having as business partners and more importantly in our home and around our children. They must also be open to working with the existing artists on the label. Aside from that, we must simply love and enjoy their music. When we met Ginger we knew she was a world class talented songwriter, artist, and producer who deserves to have her name mentioned alongside the greats. More importantly, we felt the world needs to have their souls nourished by her music. We want to show the world that Sal is a generational talent who can not only cover songs from the Great American Songbook, but also add to it. Tomás Tomás is an incredibly creative and resourceful songwriter. After his private concert when he wasn’t sure if he’d ever put the music out, we knew we had to help make sure the world gets to hear it.
Ginger started as a stranger on the internet, became a collaborator, spent some time as our roommate and is now a part of our family.
So much of the label’s activity is based in the Hudson Valley. How has this area shaped or influenced your work, both musically and personally?
Tina’s grandpa Vito bought property and built a house in Grahamsville shortly after she was born. She grew up going to that house every weekend, holiday, summer, etc. It was like her second home. They had a vegetable garden, a chicken coop, and horses. It was a magical place that shaped who she is as a person. When we started dating, we would go up there constantly and explore the Hudson Valley. Watching the explosion of creativity in the area has been mind blowing and awe inspiring.
When we were listening to Brightside by The Lumineers on repeat and decided to see if we could reach out to someone who worked on it, we found David Baron’s name. When we saw he was in Boiceville, just outside of Woodstock, it felt meant to be, and it turns out it was. We helped Ginger launch her career locally around David’s studio and she’s found a home in Kingston and community of creatives all over the Hudson Valley that have loved and supported her career. It’s a magical place with old, wise rolling mountains, cascading waterfalls, and endless sources of wonder. It is the perfect place to make music that stands the test of time.
What does your day-to-day look like as a “mom and pop” shop? How do you balance the creative side with the business side?
Our personal and professional lives are totally integrated. We split responsibilities on the business side and collaborate completely on the creative side. Our children are intimately involved in all that we do. We seek their input, involve them in the creative process, and help them understand the practicalities of the business. Tina functions as the CEO as Matt is still a practicing attorney and partner in his law firm Pitta & Baione LLP, which focuses on obtaining healthcare and compensation for 9/11 victims.
Writing music with Ginger and Sal, and participating in the creative process has served as a therapeutic outlet in working through some heavy feelings associated with that work. The law firm and record label have become integrated as well – in January, we premiered the short film 8:48 inspired by 9/11 at The National September 11th Memorial and Museum. The song is about a couple fighting on the morning of 9/11 who don’t get the chance to resolve it because of the tragedy of that day. It, like Ginger’s new album Freeze Frame, serves as a reminder that you should cherish the moments you have and the people you love because you never know what lies ahead. It was a beautiful gathering of all our worlds together in one room for a special cause.
The Hudson Valley… is a magical place with old, wise rolling mountains, cascading waterfalls, and endless sources of wonder. It is the perfect place to make music that stands the test of time.
What’s something you’ve learned – or unlearned – since launching the label? Any surprises, challenges, or especially meaningful moments that have stayed with you?
Early on and entering into a new industry, we ignored some gut feelings that we shouldn’t have. We quickly realized that this is a business like any other – to trust our instincts the same way we would in any other aspect of life. One of our favorite lines is taken from the title of a Menahan Street Band album, Make the Road by Walking. That has been our North Star quote since we’ve met each other and it has played out that way in music.
One meaningful moment stands out – After 18 days in the studio with David Baron recording Stop-Motion, we had a private listening party at his Sun Mountain Studio. We didn’t give ourselves as second to look back or rethink. We did what we set out to do – truly capture a moment in time with David at his studio and then we listened to it together in a reflective celebration. Simultaneously a victory lap and send-off. It felt like a graduation moment. David is a special, kind, and truly magical person who has a way of making everyone around him feel secure and optimistic. That night will always stick with us. We’re all so very lucky to have started this journey in his hands, with his outlook and positivity setting the tone for us.
Generally, each moment since launching has truly been meaningful because we have built the label from the ground up through hard work, honesty, creativity, and passion and always lead with that mentality.
Independent labels play such a vital role in the music ecosystem. How do you define success for Keep Good Company – and what do you hope people feel when they discover your artists?
We hope people feel nourished by the music and recognize the timeless talent of the artists and their creations. Success is defined by all of us collectively feeling proud and fulfilled by the releases. The rest is up to the world to decide. We can’t control how or when the music will be received.
Each moment since launching has truly been meaningful because we have built the label from the ground up through hard work, honesty, creativity, and passion and always lead with that mentality.
Finally, what’s next? Are there any upcoming projects, releases, or dreams on the horizon you’re excited to share?
We are all excited about Freeze Frame and the significant impact it will have on Ginger’s career. It all happened so organically. We were familiar with A.J. as a musician through his work with Michael Marcagi and David Baron – and mostly because of his old Instagram handle “Redneck Parmesan.’ We’re Italian-American A.J. is a Midwest Italian-American, so we used to laugh about that name with David and how well David gets along with Italians. A.J. started posting alternative rock instrumentals that sounded much different than the work A.J. did with The Heavy Hours and Michael. Matt reached out to A.J. about one of the instrumentals to compliment it and they started just talking about music. A.J. admired Ginger’s work and wanted to make more music in that vain. Freeze Frame was meant to be produced that way so it just fell into place. Ginger and A.J. have an extremely effective and industrious creative chemistry. A.J. had Ginger playing more instruments than she’s ever played before, A.J. played electric mandolin with a bow, recreated synths on electric guitar, used an analog tape machine to create real skipping sounds instead of using computer effects. It was a wild frenetic ride.
Together with Ginger, we launched “Ginger’s Bakery,” her own production imprint ran out of her home studio in Kingston and have a number of co-writers lined up including label mate Sal Valentinetti. We are also excited to start releasing Tomás Tomás music and to continue the collaboration between him, Ginger, and soon Sal. He has an incredible ear for music and ability to crystallize sounds, ideas, and visions. Aside from our artist work, in music we have a partnership with Landmark Hospitality for recording studios, music experiences, and other fun projects. Landmark is another family business that values relationships and creating lifelong memories for people. We also launched a lifestyle brand called Nourish with Karlie Flood, our Director of Creative Strategies, which is led by a physical zine but incorporates workshops, events, and live performances. Finally, through making music videos for Ginger, we’ve delved into film with the film Dirty Finger Nails (post-production) and a series called Conflict of Interest (pre-production) under Keep Good Company Films.
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Stream: “Socrates” – Ginger Winn
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© Brooklyn Zeh
© Brooklyn Zeh
