Joey’s Song

Mike Gomoll talks with Vicki Peterson of The Bangles for a wide-ranging conversation about songwriting, stealing bass lines, and the beautiful story behind her tribute album to her husband John Cowsill's late brothers, Bill and Barry Cowsill.

In this episode, Vicki touches on:

This episode also previews Joey's Song's upcoming 80s Night, with sneak peeks at songs artists like Tracy Bonham and Jane Wiedlin are planning to perform.

ABOUT JOEY'S SONG

Mike Gomoll and Andy McNamara regroup on LINERnotes, the official podcast of Joey's Song, as Mike shares the inside story of his one-on-one lunch with Rick Nielsen — legendary guitarist and founding member of Cheap Trick.

In this episode:

This interview originally took place August 2025.

Silversun Pickups bassist Nikki Monninger joins host Mike Gomoll on the Joey's Song Podcast for a warm, wide-ranging conversation ahead of the band's third year performing at Joey's Song. Nikki opens up about the band's latest collaboration with legendary producer Butch Vig — teasing a harder-edged sound and a January release timed near Freezing Man.

The conversation dives into the origin story of Silversun Pickups' relationship with Butch Vig, the "family" atmosphere that's grown around the Joey's Song community, and why the band keeps returning year after year to support epilepsy research. Nikki also reflects on meeting bandmate Brian Aubert during a study abroad program in Cambridge (and finally confirms that infamous airplane story), shares memories of the band's Rock Band fame with "Panic Switch," and talks about welcoming Marissa Paternoster and Hugo Burnham into the Joey's Song fold

Things wrap up with a fun round of This or That (Beatles or Stones, Seinfeld or Friends) and Overrated or Underrated (eight hours of sleep, vintage guitars, and the great debate over making your bed on tour)

Recorded October 7, 2025

Joey's Song is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to funding epilepsy research and treatment. Every stream, download, and share helps push that mission forward.

Learn more, buy tickets, or donate: https://joeyssong.org

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Dave, Ryan and Jeremy are joined by Butch Vig, Tanya Donelly, Gail Greenwood, Kay Hanley and Freedy Johnston to cover this CVB classic

She's the scene stealer of Joey's Song — and in this episode, you'll find out exactly why.

In this episode, Mike and Sierra cover:

- How Linda Perry pulled strings to get Sierra signed to Interscope — and why Aimee Mann ended up co-writing AND singing on one of her records

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.

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