Upcoming Concerts

Moonalice News

  • 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!!!
  • PopMatters: Bottlerock Napa review … featuring Moonalice
  • Moonalice Will Not Play Indoors Until Further Notice
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!!!
PopMatters: Bottlerock Napa review … featuring Moonalice
Moonalice Will Not Play Indoors Until Further Notice

What To Watch (Archive)

  • Jul 27, 2024 / Petaluma Music Festival - Electric Set (Festival Stage) (Petaluma)
  • Aug 12, 2024 / Jerry Garcia Tribute Night @ SF Giants - Dugout Set (San Francisco)
    Note that the dugout set is at the end of the video archive just around the 1 hour mark.
  • Sep 15, 2024 / Haight Ashbury Street Fair (San Francisco)
  • Oct 19, 2024 / HopMonk Sebastopol Garden (Sebastopol)
  • Aug 12, 2024 / Jerry Garcia Tribute Night @ SF Giants - Triples Alley Set (San Francisco)
  • Sep 14, 2024 / Ain't Necessarily Dead Fest (Auburn)
  • Jun 14, 2024 / Sweetwater Music Hall (Mill Valley)
    According to Moonalice legend, the world appears to be suffering the effects of an Asshole Apocalypse. Ba...
  • Oct 5, 2024 / Hardly Strictly Bluegrass - Towers of Gold Stage (San Francisco)
  • Jun 13, 2024 / Club Fox (Redwood City)
    According to Moonalice legend, Redwood City is the burrito capital of the San Francisco peninsula. There ...
  • Jul 27, 2024 / Petaluma Music Festival - Acoustic Set (Petaluma Stage) (Petaluma)
Jul 27, 2024 / Petaluma Music Festival - Electric Set (Festival Stage) (Petaluma)
Aug 12, 2024 / Jerry Garcia Tribute Night @ SF Giants - Dugout Set (San Francisco)
Note that the dugout set is at the end of the video archive just around the 1 hour mark.
Sep 15, 2024 / Haight Ashbury Street Fair (San Francisco)
Oct 19, 2024 / HopMonk Sebastopol Garden (Sebastopol)
Aug 12, 2024 / Jerry Garcia Tribute Night @ SF Giants - Triples Alley Set (San Francisco)
Sep 14, 2024 / Ain't Necessarily Dead Fest (Auburn)
Jun 14, 2024 / Sweetwater Music Hall (Mill Valley)
According to Moonalice legend, the world appears to be suffering the effects of an Asshole Apocalypse. Ba...
Oct 5, 2024 / Hardly Strictly Bluegrass - Towers of Gold Stage (San Francisco)
Jun 13, 2024 / Club Fox (Redwood City)
According to Moonalice legend, Redwood City is the burrito capital of the San Francisco peninsula. There ...
Jul 27, 2024 / Petaluma Music Festival - Acoustic Set (Petaluma Stage) (Petaluma)

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?