Two-time Grammy nominee Tracy Bonham ("Mother Mother") joins Mike Gomoll on the Joey's Song podcast for a candid conversation about her journey from major label breakout to fully independent artist. Tracy opens up about the whiplash of early fame, getting dropped from Island Def Jam, touring with Blue Man Group, and how she rebuilt her career on her own terms — plus a first look at her plans to re-record her debut album The Burdens of Being Upright for its 30th anniversary.

Tracy also talks about why she said yes to performing at Joey's Song 2026 in Madison, Wisconsin, and what the show's tight-knit artist community means to her.

This interview was recorded August 30, 2025.

Joey's Song is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to raising money for epilepsy research and treatment. Subscribe, leave a review, and visit joeyssong.org to learn more, buy tickets, or donate.

LEARN MORE Joey's Song: https://joeyssong.org Tracy Bonham: https://tracybonham.com

#TracyBonham #TheBurdensOfBeingUpright #JoeysSong #LINERnotes #MikeGomoll #IndieMusic #SingerSongwriter #GrammyNominee #MusicPodcast #EpilepsyAwareness #IslandRecords #IndependentArtist #MadisonWisconsin #90sRock #MusicIndustry #SongwriterInterview

The Know-It-All Boyfriends go into their home studios during COVID and come out with this gem !

Marissa Paternoster — guitarist, vocalist, and visual artist best known as the frontwoman of New Jersey punk institution Screaming Females — talks with Joey's Song Founder Mike Gomoll for a wide-ranging conversation about her life in music, her creative future, and what it was like to walk into the Joey's Song benefit concert with absolutely no idea what she was getting into.

Named the 77th greatest guitarist of all time by Spin and the 150th by Rolling Stone, Marissa spent 18 years fronting Screaming Females — a band that never chased the mainstream, never got radio play, and never headlined big festivals, but toured relentlessly, built a fiercely loyal following through DIY venues and house shows, and earned those rankings purely on the strength of her playing.

In this episode, Mike and Marissa talk about how Butch Vig connected them ahead of last year's Joey's Song benefit (Screaming Females once recorded a Patti Smith cover with Garbage), what it felt like to jump into the crowd during a Bikini Kill cover at the show, and the tight-knit community of artists — including Gail Greenwood, Butch Vig, and Vicki and Debbi from The Bangles — who keep coming back to Madison every January to play for a cause.

They also get into life after Screaming Females: Marissa's monthly songwriting project on Patreon (the Pattern Posture Listener Alliance), her new band Universal Girlfriend, her long-running solo project Noun, and how she balances music with freelance illustration work. Plus — the weirdest venue Screaming Females ever played (hint: it doubled as a sex party warehouse), her very strong opinions on Chicago deep dish pizza, and whether she'd rather read minds or be invisible.

🎸 About Joey's Song Joey's Song is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with one mission: raise as much money as possible to fund research into treatments and cures for epilepsy. Every year, Joey's Song brings together an extraordinary community of musicians and music lovers for a benefit concert in Madison, Wisconsin — and every dollar raised goes toward changing lives. 🌐 Learn more and donate: joeyssong.org ▶️ Subscribe to the Joey's Song YouTube channel 🎙️ Subscribe & leave a review on your favorite podcast platform — it helps more people find us!