Let's be frank, I'm knee-deep in the Joey's Song project. But it's such a worthwhile cause that I'm going to throw caution to the wind and give you an update. Of course, also telling you upfront that I know the founder of The Joseph Gomoll Foundation well, that I know the co-founder of Omnivore Records and that I wrote the liner notes to Volume 2 of the CD series, which also includes a song by a band I've been in.

Mike Gomoll established The Joseph Gomoll Foundation in honor of his son Joey, who away unexpectedly on March 30, 2010. Joey was afflicted with Dravet's Syndrome, a rare form of epilepsy his entire life, and doctors were never able to get his seizures completely under control. Dravet's robbed Joey of most of his ability to speak, but it did not stop him from communicating with everyone he met, and it most certainly never prevented him from laughing, smiling, singing or dancing.

"Because music was the centerpiece of Joey's world, there is no better way for us to raise money in his name than through music," says Mike.

Gomoll issued a pair of compilation CDs – one with "adult" music and the other with songs aimed at a much younger audience – last year and the quality of the music, the quality of the packaging and the fact that Mike worked tirelessly to make them a reality were all a testament to his commitment to go toe to toe with epilepsy. Almost all the tracks on the four CDs are exclusive to Joey's Song.

The goal of The Joseph Gomoll Foundation is to raise money in support of organizations focused on seizure research and special needs children. Other than the costs of production, every penny from the sale of Joey's Song is used for research, treatment and support to find a cure and help those affected by seizure disorders.

A portion of the money raised will also go directly to Gio's Garden, a respite care center providing specialized services for families with special needs children.

Now Volume 2 is on its way. Actually, I should say "are on their way," because, again, there are two discs (the full track lists are below). What Gomoll found was that if he could speak directly to artists, they throw their full support behind the project.

"As I have told Joey's story to all of these great artists – Grammy winners, Juno winners, Top 10 artists, Hall of Fame inductees – each and every one responded from the heart. Many went into the studio and recorded new material just for us. Others gave us tracks they said they were 'saving for something special' and some even gave us live versions of their top 40 hits. While the cause is great and the help we can provide is absolutely necessary, the music on all four volumes stands on its own. Most of these tracks can only be found on our CDs, I find that amazing!"

New this time around is that Omnivore Records, the EMI-distributed label started by Milwaukee ex-pat Cheryl Pawelski will release the CDs, helping spread the message even further and, therefore, helping to raise even more money for the battle against epilepsy.

"Joey's story moved all of us at Omnivore deeply, and we felt that if music was Mike's personal way to express his love for Joey, we would be there to help in any way we could," Pawelski tells me. " We're grateful to the artists who have donated their work, so together we could create the Joey's Song series and help raise money for epilepsy research and advocacy."

You can buy the first records now at JoeysSong.com and the second set of discs, when they're released on Aug. 14, via OmnivoreRecordings.com and JoeysSong.com.

"Joey's Song Volume 2:"

1. Sam Phillips – Lying
2. Willie Wisely – No Surprise
3. Mark Olson – No Water No Wood
4. Rosanne Cash – Seven Year Ache (Live)
5. Peter Bradley Adams – New Orleans
6. The Small Ponds – Loud Boy
7. Gary Louris – In The Canyon (Live)
8. Mark Erelli – Once (Live)
9. Star & Micey – Love
10. Carrie Elkin – Jesse Likes Birds
11. Trespassers William – Far Too Far
12. Holly Beth Vincent – Carefree
13. Giant Sand – Love Knows No Borders
14. Pete Droge – Under The Waves
15. Mark Kozelek – Hastings-On-Hudson (Summer 2000)

"Joey's Song For Kids Volume 2:"

1. The Knack – The Spinning Song
2. The Weirdo Deluxe – There's A Hole In The Bottom Of The Sea
3. Martha Davis – Wiggly Wah
4. Robbie Schaefer – La La Love
5. Bryan Cole – Return To Pooh Corner
6. Freedy Johnson – Sparky The Heroic Dog
7. Joe Bainbridge – Not Afraid Of Nothing
8. The Handsome Family – Snowball
9. The Baseball Project – Take Me Out To The Ballgame
10. The Sursiks – The Cat Went In The Hole
11. Robbins & Glazer – B-I-N-G-O
12. Wynn Taylor – Little Red Wagon
13. The Yell Leaders – Pick Yourself Up
14. The Bazillions – Candy Garden
15. Eddie Kilgallon – Bye Bye Day
16. Sam Llanas – Child Asleep