Upcoming Concerts

  • Sep 19
    Hog Farm Celebration
    Laytonville, CA
  • Sep 20
    Hog Farm Celebration (acoustic)
    Laytonville, CA
  • Oct 05
    Hardly Strictly Bluegrass
    San Francisco, CA
Sep 19
Hog Farm Celebration - Laytonville, CA
Sep 20
Hog Farm Celebration (acoustic) - Laytonville, CA
Oct 5
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass - San Francisco, CA

Moonalice News

  • Moonalice Concert Posters By Dennis Larkins Featured in Exhibit in Hungary!
  • Awesome Time Lapse of the Assembly of 4/20 Poster Sets
  • Moonalice offers free admission to holders of Skull & Roses tickets!
  • Poster Artist Feature: Dennis Larkins Interview
  • Let's Rock The World One Tree At A Time!
  • Acoustic Guitar reviews Full Moonalice, Volume 2!!
  • Moonalice plays a set on Jam In The Van
  • Glide Magazine interviews Pete Sears!
  • Acoustic Guitar Magazine: Barry, Roger and T’s play Nick and Woo Woo
  • Commemorating the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival!!!
Moonalice Concert Posters By Dennis Larkins Featured in Exhibit in Hungary!
Awesome Time Lapse of the Assembly of 4/20 Poster Sets
Moonalice offers free admission to holders of Skull & Roses tickets!
Poster Artist Feature: Dennis Larkins Interview
Let's Rock The World One Tree At A Time!
Acoustic Guitar reviews Full Moonalice, Volume 2!!
Moonalice plays a set on Jam In The Van
Glide Magazine interviews Pete Sears!
Acoustic Guitar Magazine: Barry, Roger and T’s play Nick and Woo Woo
Commemorating the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival!!!

What To Watch (Archive)

  • Jul 31, 2025 / The Heart of Town @ Pier 48 (San Francisco)
    Roger joined Grahame Lesh for for this performance of "Dire Wolf" on the first night of his 3-evening Gra...
  • Aug 12, 2025 / Grateful Dead Night @ SF Giants - Dugout Set (San Francisco)
    According to Moonalice legend, it has been sixty years since the band beyond description played its first...
  • Jul 27, 2025 / Soper Reese Community Theatre (Lakeport)
    According to Moonalice legend, we are gathered here to remember the great Ron Green, whose long tenure at...
  • Aug 12, 2025 / Grateful Dead Night @ SF Giants - Triples Alley Set (San Francisco)
    According to Moonalice legend, it has been sixty years since the band beyond description played its first...
  • Jul 23, 2025 / Peacetown Summer Concert Series (Sebastopol)
  • Jul 26, 2025 / Petaluma Music Festival (Petaluma)
    According to Moonalice legend, the Petaluma Music Festival exists to enable children to have a better edu...
  • Jul 24, 2025 / Moraga Summer Concert Series (Moraga)
    According to Moonalice legend, this is the 11th time that we have played here in Moraga. Those of you who...
  • Jul 18, 2025 / Summer Concert Series at Livorna Park (Alamo)
    According to Moonalice legend, we last played here in 2017!! The band was ten years old then, but now Moo...
  • Aug 31, 2025 / Cannifest (Eureka)
    According to Moonalice legend, the sun has a special deal with the folks here in Humboldt County. In exc...
  • Jul 25, 2025 / Friday Night Live (Cloverdale)
    According to Moonalice legend, the crop is flourishing in the fields, setting us up for a fantastic harve...
Jul 31, 2025 / The Heart of Town @ Pier 48 (San Francisco)
Roger joined Grahame Lesh for for this performance of "Dire Wolf" on the first night of his 3-evening Gra...
Aug 12, 2025 / Grateful Dead Night @ SF Giants - Dugout Set (San Francisco)
According to Moonalice legend, it has been sixty years since the band beyond description played its first...
Jul 27, 2025 / Soper Reese Community Theatre (Lakeport)
According to Moonalice legend, we are gathered here to remember the great Ron Green, whose long tenure at...
Aug 12, 2025 / Grateful Dead Night @ SF Giants - Triples Alley Set (San Francisco)
According to Moonalice legend, it has been sixty years since the band beyond description played its first...
Jul 23, 2025 / Peacetown Summer Concert Series (Sebastopol)
Jul 26, 2025 / Petaluma Music Festival (Petaluma)
According to Moonalice legend, the Petaluma Music Festival exists to enable children to have a better edu...
Jul 24, 2025 / Moraga Summer Concert Series (Moraga)
According to Moonalice legend, this is the 11th time that we have played here in Moraga. Those of you who...
Jul 18, 2025 / Summer Concert Series at Livorna Park (Alamo)
According to Moonalice legend, we last played here in 2017!! The band was ten years old then, but now Moo...
Aug 31, 2025 / Cannifest (Eureka)
According to Moonalice legend, the sun has a special deal with the folks here in Humboldt County. In exc...
Jul 25, 2025 / Friday Night Live (Cloverdale)
According to Moonalice legend, the crop is flourishing in the fields, setting us up for a fantastic harve...

Tell Me It's Okay

Credits: 
Music and lyrics by Roger McNamee

Some times I lie awake and wonder what the world is coming to
It's been a wild ride; now I fear the bills are coming due.

Oh, there's trouble in my Valley.
Oh, there's trouble in my mind . . .
Tell me I'm okay.

I need to know what makes life real, what is the essence of my being
I struggle every day to deal with all the weird stuff that I'm seeing

Oh, there's trouble in my Valley.
Oh, there's trouble in my mind . . .
Tell me I'm okay.

How am I supposed to know what is real and what's for show?
Won't you tell me it's okay?
How am I supposed to know what is real and what's for show?
Won't you tell me it's okay?

Some times I lie awake at night and dream of things that might have been
I wonder why it is that someone has to lose so you can win

Oh, there's trouble in my Valley.
Oh, there's trouble in my mind . . .
Tell me I'm okay.

How am I supposed to know what is real and what's for show?
Won't you tell me it's okay?
How am I supposed to know what is real and what's for show?
Won't you tell me it's okay?
Won't you tell me, won't you tell me won't you tell me it's okay?
Tell me it's okay . . .

-----------

Here's the back story to Tell Me It's Okay.

I wrote it in late 2000 or early 2001. The song is about dealing with economic calamity. When the internet bubble burst, our part of California melted down economically. People said and did things that really bothered me. A huge number of our friends were laid off without anyplace to go. Just like now.

The first line of the chorus was suggested by a friend. The parallel guitar parts I worked out myself. The FOBs recorded the song with no jam, but a long guitar solo at the end by Bert Keely. The jams at the beginning and in the middle of the song evolved at Moonalice shows. We didn't play the song at the first five Moonalice concerts - for some weird reason I was reluctant to play my FOB songs - but then we tried it at a free show in San Francisco.

T Bone Burnett didn't care for the song, so we never went past basic tracks in the studio. As a result, we thought it would be good to include the video produced by Elliot Mazer. Believe it or not the video is entirely live EXCEPT Pete's keyboard part (note that he also plays bass!) and GE's harmony vocal.

Tribe Comments

Kip Bailing's picture

What's the meaning of the designation, "Festival Version," that sometimes refers to this terrific song?