Magic Memory Ride

The reaction is always the same, Glen Bui said. At every theater, every nightclub.

The performers launch into the familiar, laid back beginning, the vocals a little gritty, listing somewhere between rugged and sexy.

And audiences come to their feet.

That's just the power of "Magic Carpet Ride," Bui said.

"It's been in so many movies and commercials, it was such a huge hit, it's got that hypnotic, psychedelic groove to it," the lead guitarist said. "All that cosmic energy comes out of that."

Maybe his words alone confirm it - the '60s aren't totally gone yet.

Helping to sustain it is the band Magic Carpet Ride, comprised of Bui and former members of Steppenwolf, the group that cranked out hits in the late '60s and early '70s like "Magic Carpet Ride" and "Born to Be Wild."

Now touring for several years, Magic Carpet Ride boasts former Steppenwolf members Danny Ironstone, Mike Setzer, Freddy Allen and Randy Bailey, who perform all of Steppenwolf's hits, faithful to their decade of origin.

And the band will be doing so at The Grail Venue and Restaurant in Huetter, next Thursday night.

"It's just a legacy. We're just keeping it going," said Bui, who has performed with Steppenwolf Productions and also performed with original Steppenwolf members before the band broke up in the '70s."

Also gracing the stage Thursday night will be Lee Dorman, Ron Bushy, Charlie Marinkovich and Martin Gerschwitz, original members of Iron Butterfly. An icon of the '60s and the '70s, the group was the first to earn a platinum album, for "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida."

Still touring the world, the group will blast out their classic hits, including the 17-minute "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida."

"That's played on the radio every day," said Bui, who was also a member of '70s group Pegasus. "I watched that song being performed at a festival, and the crowd just surged."

The concert is part of Iron Butterfly and Magic Carpet Ride's tour of the western states, Bui said, which they hope to extend across the U.S.

Not too shabby for The Grail, situated in the tiny town of Huetter between Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls.

"It's amazing. We have legends. It's a jump up and down kind of thing," said Lang Sumner, who co-owns The Grail with his family.

He believes the venue's reputation helped land the big names, he said. The nightclub has started drawing nationally known performers, he said, like Eve 6 and Kill Devil Hill, which includes Vinnie Appice of Black Sabbath.

Sumner is hoping the appearance of these performers can attract more attention to The Grail, he said, as well as Huetter.

"These people have been all over the world and decided to come to North Idaho, and better yet Huetter, population 98," he said. "It's an amazing opportunity for local people in Coeur d'Alene to see somebody that probably won't be out there touring much longer."

Magic Carpet Ride is all about keeping it simple, Bui said. The performers jam out classic rock songs the way audiences remember them, with some judicious improvisation kicked in.

"Essentially we put it out there for the audiences just as it was in the 1960s," Bui said. "We're about as authentic as we can get."

Before and after sweating on stage, band members linger with the audience, he added, signing autographs, taking photos, swapping stories.

Some fans follow them from state to state, he said. Many have grown up with the music, and welcome the memories.

"The stories they'll tell us is they were at a show back at a certain time. 'Hey, we saw you guys back in 2006,' or 'we saw you in 1971,'" he said.

For Deon Borchard, co-owner of The Long Ear CDs and Stuff in Coeur d'Alene, the hits of the two groups take her back to her high school days, when she remembers hitting the clubs with friends and dancing under black light.

"I really do think they were influential in the culture of the time," Borchard said of Steppenwolf and Iron Butterfly.

Next week's concert could be a chance for folks to bring out their kids and grandkids, she said, to say, "this is where we were at the time."

Borchard hopes the bands hold up to the sound of the good old days, she added.

"More power to them if they can pull it off," she said. "I'm really hoping they can do a good job recreating the fun times that we had."

Doors open at 7 p.m. May 10 at The Grail at 4720 West Seltice Way. Spokane group Tommy G and the Nut Jug Band will open around 8 p.m.

Tickets are $20 in advance and can be purchased on The Grail Facebook page, at The Grail itself or by calling 665-5882. Tickets are $25 at the door.

Tickets are selling fast, Sumner said.

"We're doing our best not to sell out on this," he said. "It's just amazing to have this opportunity."