As pedal steel guitarist Buddy Cage, 62, of New Riders of the Purple Sage aimed to hit a bunker golf shot and missed, he shouted in a fit of frustration.

He stood on a golf course in upstate New York, a meet-up point for the band's crew. He loves golf and has been playing since he first started playing pedal steel guitar -- when he was 11.

Cage deals with both passions by playing both sport and instrument in the same style -- one hole at a time, one gig each night. He doesn't spend much time dwelling on ways to keep his band relevant or impress his ever-expanding fan base. Instead, he opts to rearrange old tunes.

"I play with what we play," Cage said. "I'm not in the business of studying social patterns. We watch what goes down."

Tonight, Cage and other members of New Riders of the Purple Sage, the psychedelic country rock band that formed in 1969, will perform a gig at the State Theatre, 130 W. College Ave. Professor "Louie" and the Crowmatix, an Americana blues band that played at the State Theatre's re-opening, will open the show.

New Riders began its career in San Francisco as a part-time spin-off of the Grateful Dead, supporting and opening for the renowned band. The name was derived originally from Zane Grey's Western novel, Riders of the Purple Sage.

The members signed with Columbia Records to release their self-titled first album, which proved to be their most commercially viable venture.

Nineteen members have departed the band since it formed, including Grateful Dead guitarist Jerry Garcia. Cage replaced Garcia as the pedal steel guitarist in 1971 and singer/songwriter John Dawson penned the concert staples, "Last Lonely Eagle" and "Panama Red," which contributed to the band's critical early success. Cage and guitarist/vocalist David Nelson left the band in 1982 and the band underwent a series of creative overhauls until its retirement in 1997.

The band reunited for a tour three years ago because "nobody was doing anything," Cage said, though Dawson had fallen ill and decided to sit it out.

Cage noticed during the first six months of the band's 2005 reunion tour that an overwhelming number of his crowd consisted of hibernating "old-timers" who had waited 25 years for the event. However, within the past three years on the road, Cage said he has noticed a youthful audience emerging.

"We're attracting a younger, thirstier crowd is how I see it," Cage said.

The band has established credibility for taking pleasure in its craft and avoiding exercises in commercialism. In 2002, High Times magazine, which advocates the legalization of marijuana, honored New Riders with the lifetime achievement award at the annual Doobie Awards.

"We've never been people to jump on somebody else's train," Cage said. "It's gratifying in one way in how we redefine what we do."

Unexpectedly, with Cage and Nelson back onboard, the band is now preparing to record an album for the first time since they left.

The present members, including Michael Falzarano (guitar/vocals), Ronnie Penque (bass guitar) and John Markowski (drums), have been spending breaks in between scheduled shows in the studio recording this new album. Robert Hunter, lyricist for the Grateful Dead, has already written six to seven songs for New Riders. Cage warns these lyrics carry a shadowy, darker tone.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to play new tunes," Cage said. "Musically, they're gonna tear you up."

Kristy Cyone, marketing director for the State Theatre, said she foresees New Riders drawing a mixed crowd of young and old who listen to a variety of genres.

"New Riders is one of those bands that people who have seen before when they were in their heyday will see again," Cyone said. "There's a lot of resurgence in different generations and a lot of crossover especially with this generation. This show appeals to a pretty good cross-section of the community."

Regardless of how long it's been around, Matt O'Hara (sophomore-hotel, restaurant and institutional management) said he finds the band's music soothing.

"You listen to them and relax," O'Hara said. "It's basically like the Grateful Dead and it is just good music."

Bands with this kind of appeal would benefit from sharing an intimate venue with fans of different ages, Cyone said.

"You see with classic rock bands and this kind of genre that people who are good at it tend to stick around," Cyone said.

Seth Weiner, New Riders' publicist at Shimon Presents, Inc., an Atlanta-based public relations firm, first teamed up with the band for its reunion tour. People should be aware the band's live show doesn't merely consist of classic hits, Weiner said.

"It is a mix of that alt-country, Americana sound with an incredible psychedelic sound, and it's not that '60s psychedelic sound," Weiner said. "It's with the times. It's not like going to a museum where you're seeing something that's not alive anymore. They're very alive and very current."

The band's exposure to larger crowds has grown significantly because the members pick specific music festivals, like Gathering of the Vibes in Bridgeport, Conn., for its tour, Weiner said.

Despite 40 years of history and recent successes on the road and in the recording studio, the horizon for New Riders of the Purple Sage is blank. They will see it when it approaches.

"We do what we do and it seems to be growing," Cage said, as he walked to the next hole on the golf course. "I don't really have any future predictions. I don't think that way, man."s