Joey’s Song

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

To learn more about Joey's Song, please go to www.joeyssong.org and join our community through our mailing list. Also find us on all social media platforms with our handle @joeyssong on them all.

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

To learn more about Joey's Song, please go to www.joeyssong.org and join our community through our mailing list. Also find us on all social media platforms with our handle @joeyssong on them all.

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.

To learn more about Joey's Song, please go to www.joeyssong.org and join our community through our mailing list. Also find us on all social media platforms with our handle @joeyssong on them all.

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

To learn more about Joey's Song, please go to www.joeyssong.org and join our community through our mailing list. Also find us on all social media platforms with our handle @joeyssong on them all.

Our chat with Hugo Burnham, drum kit master from the legendary @GangOfFour..from 2025.

To learn more about Joey's Song, please go to www.joeyssong.org and join our community through our mailing list. Also find us on all social media platforms with our handle @joeyssong on them all.

Andy and Mike dig into a couple of the iconic music clubs from Madison's past. A few fun stories and then revisit the Bangles Joey's Song set for 2025

To learn more about Joey's Song, please go to www.joeyssong.org and join our community through our mailing list. Also find us on all social media platforms with our handle @joeyssong on them all.

Joey's Song concerts are an evening of "one-offs" that create some FOMO if you are not there...this one is a prime example....

To learn more about Joey's Song, please go to www.joeyssong.org and join our community through our mailing list. Also find us on all social media platforms with our handle @joeyssong on them all.

Way back in the pandemic days, we all locked ourselves in and went online. We asked our Joey's Song artists to do the same. One of our favorites, Del Amitri front man Justin Currie, pulled out the iPhone and recrded this version of his classic Driving With The Brakes On

To learn more about Joey's Song, please go to www.joeyssong.org and join our community through our mailing list. Also find us on all social media platforms with our handle @joeyssong on them all.