The story of how Mike cornered and badgered Chris until he agreed to join Joey's Song

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!

Mike Gomoll talks with John Gourley — chief songwriter, vocalist, and creative force behind Portugal. The Man — for a wide-ranging conversation that covers the future of live music touring, his daughter Frances' rare epilepsy diagnosis, and why the band keeps showing up for Joey's Song year after year. John opens up about Frances' diagnosis with a rare genetic condition called DEDS — a journey that went from a handful of seizures a day to nearly 100, and from confusion to genetic testing, specialist research, and the launch of the Francis Changed My Life Foundation. He and Mike also dig into the importance of epilepsy awareness, early diagnosis, and why funding research is the critical next frontier. On the music side, John breaks down his innovative new approach to touring — collaborating onstage with artists like Quinn Christofferson and Electric Guest's Asa Taccone through the PTM Pass the Mic Foundation — and what he sees as the future of live performance. In this conversation, John and Mike cover: - Portugal. The Man's new collaborative touring model and the Pass the Mic Foundation - Quinn Christofferson — why John calls him one of Alaska's greatest living songwriters - Writing music as a collective and PTM's ever-evolving sound - Frances' diagnosis with DEDS and the family's path to answers - Absence seizures being misread as behavioral issues — and why awareness matters - AI's potential role in accelerating rare disease research - Favorite Joey's Song memories — including Butch Vig calling an impromptu "Low" by Cracker and writing out Oasis chord charts for Sam Gomoll backstage - What the Alaska ethos of helping your neighbor has to do with how John shows up in the world Portugal. The Man has been one of Joey's Song's most loyal supporters, donating their time and talent to the Freezing Man festival in Madison, Wisconsin — a fundraiser for epilepsy research and treatment. Support Joey's Song & Learn More: 🌐 JoeyssS​ong.org 📘 Francis Changed My Life Foundation: crashtreatment.com 📺 Subscribe on YouTube: youtube.com/@JoeysSong 🎙️ Follow the podcast on your favorite platform Joey's Song is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit raising funds for epilepsy research and treatment. Every like, follow, and share helps us reach more people. #JoeyssongPodcast #JohnGourley #PortugalTheMan #Epilepsy #EpilepsyAwareness #FrancisChangedMyLife #DEDS #FreezingMan #LINERnotes #LiveMusic #QuinnChristofferson #JoeyssongOrg

Cory Chisel and The Liberated Chorale absolutely stole the show in 2024 with this stunning rendition of "I Wanna Know What Love Is ?"

The Godfather of Grunge and our pal from the 1980's Madison music scene, Butch Vig, joined the crew and changed everything!!! Hear the story behind it.

Joey's big brother Sam, makes his singing debut in front of 1000 people...and kills it. He sings the John Lennon classic in his brother's memory