POULSBO — Magic Carpet Ride, comprised of several former members of Steppenwolf, headlines at the fifth annual Americana Music Festival Sept. 8 at Muriel Iverson Williams Waterfront Park in Poulsbo.
The music festival is free and begins at 11 a.m. with an opening ceremony and a brief 9/11 memorial. Music and events will continue all day until 7:30 p.m.
Magic Carpet Ride will perform classic Steppenwolf hits like “Born To Be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride,” as well as other hard-rock hits from the 1970s.
Also on the lineup: Soul Siren, Swing Fever, Bremerton Symphony Quartet, Down Goes Frazier, the North Kitsap High School Marching band and more. This one-day event will include local food vendors and an expanded kids zone, with a bounce house, dunk tank, face painting, games, treats and more. Local businesses will showcase their products and services. Nonprofits will be on hand too.
Back to the headliners.
Magic Carpet Ride is comprised of some diverse talent in music: guitarist Glen Bui of Belfair, bassist/vocalist Mike Setzer, musician/songwriter Danny Ironstone, keyboardist Scott Kasper, vocalist Alfred Bosco, and drummer Donn Garrett.
Magic Carpet Ride’s performance will feature a special guest: Molly Walmsley, an aspiring vocalist and student at Kingston High School, will join the band for “Simple Man.” She responded to an invitation to local schools from festival organizers. (Her videos are uploaded at www.youtube.com/user/missmolly2233).
Bui, a San Francisco native, studied under Joe Satriani and co-founded Pegasus, which was signed to Epic Records. He toured and performed in a version of Steppenwolf with Kent Henry in 1980, and played in several variations of bands playing Steppenwolf’s greatest hits, including Goldy McJohn & Friendz, led by Steppenwolf founding keyboardist McJohn. (Original Steppenwolf member John Kay and his group performs as John Kay & Steppenwolf.) Bui has also performed with and backed many famous artists, among them Eddie Money, Tower of Power, and Kathy Mattea.
Setzer has shared the stage with Matthew and Gunnar Nelson (of Nelson), Leroy Powell of the Shooter Jennings Band, Arlan Schierbaum of Jemimah Puddleduck, and Brian “Dogboy” Burwell of Neve. He’s also opened for Los Lonely Boys, P.O.D., Lotus, and The Atomic Punks, among others.
Ironstone has recorded as a studio musician since 1972. He signed as a songwriter/producer to Island Music in 1979 and has been a published ASCAP songwriter since then, as well as a record producer, vocal coach, and touring keyboard player.
He’s played with John Kay & Steppenwolf, Anita Baker, and The Pointer Sisters, and he can be heard on songs recorded by Bonnie Raitt, Sheena Easton, Brenda Russell, Sylvia St. James, Jess Roden, The Carpenters, Chaka Kahn, Randy Crawford, The McCrarys, Rita Coolidge, Priscilla Coolidge, and Booker T and the MGs.
Kasper performed with many local blues and jazz bands, and is the house pianist at the Paramount Theater in Seattle.
Magic Carpet Ride can still rock, but there’s a softer side to this group — it’s all about the music and having a good time performing, Bui said. In 2009, Magic Carpet Ride played a special concert for the Thurston County Boys and Girls Club at the Great Wolf Lodge; the event raised more than $400,000.
Magic Carpet Ride drew an audience of 500 to a 2010 concert in Saratoga, N.Y. to benefit an organization that serves individuals with disabilities and their families. More than $70,000 was raised.
Magic Carpet Ride helped sell out Full Moon Fest 2011, a benefit for The American Cancer Society, in Quilcene.
Chamber, Coffee Oasis beneficiaries of event
The Americana Music Festival (http://poulsbomusicfest.webs.com) is an annual fundraiser for the Poulsbo Chamber of Commerce and a local nonprofit selected each year. This year, Coffee Oasis, an outreach program for homeless youth, has been selected. Coffee Oasis will open a new location in Poulsbo this fall.
It’s a big weekend for the area, with other activities taking place in and around the Americana Music Festival.
The Poulsbo Rotary will host a Boating Rendezvous, with visiting boaters mooring for the weekend at Poulsbo Marina and in Liberty Bay. The Artwalk will take place in downtown Poulsbo. The Farmers Market will be open. And it will be Poulsbo Park Day at the city’s parks.
