I’m old enough to have seen “Easy Rider” when it first hit theaters in 1969, instantly becoming a counterculture sensation that blazed a trail for the “New Hollywood” era of the ’70s with its hipster odyssey story line and killer rock ’n’ roll soundtrack.

Steppenwolf growling “Born to be Wild” as Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper, playing a couple of cocaine cowboys roaring down the open road on vintage Harley choppers, represented freedom and rebellion for a generation of then young people. “Get your motor runnin,’ head out on the highway, lookin’ for adventure or whatever comes our way” became words to live by, or at least to fantasize about.

Now, almost a half century later, it’s hard to convey the impact this low-budget biker flick had on the country as the Vietnam War escalated at the bitter end of the ’60s, the generation gap widened and youthful idealism was crushed by the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King the year before. In 1998, the film was added to the Library of Congress National Registry for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.”

Somewhat dated

“Easy Rider” may seem dated in some ways now, but the socio-political divisions it reflected at the time and the hatred born of ignorance it depicted — aimed at long hairs on motorcycles and anyone looking or acting differently — has a disturbing resonance in today’s toxic anti-immigrant political climate.

So just when it feels like the time is ripe for an “Easy Rider” revival, along comes Fairfax producer Matt Fassberg with “Easy Rider Live,” a screening of the cult classic at Petaluma’s Mystic Theatre featuring a band of crack local musicians performing live renditions of songs from the soundtrack by the Band, Steppenwolf, Bob Dylan, the Byrds and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. With classics like “The Weight,” “The Pusher” and “It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding),” the soundtrack was listed by Rolling Stone as one of the top 25 of all time.

‘A rock musical’

“This is a rock musical of sorts,” the 58-year-old Fassberg says, noting that the dozen songs the band plays run for up to two minutes without being interrupted by dialogue. “The band plays exactly the same music that’s in the film. It’s really nice the way it weaves in and out of the storytelling.”

The story follows Wyatt (Fonda) and Billy (Hopper) as they ride to New Orleans for Mardis Gras after selling a load of cocaine they smuggled from Mexico.

“The three main characters in the film who are just looking for some happiness get killed by people who can’t tolerate them,” Fassberg says. “And that’s going on in the country right now.”

Fassberg was just 12 when he saw the movie during its original run.

“I had an aunt who would take me to movies my parents wouldn’t take me to,” he says. “She took me to see ‘Easy Rider,’ ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ and ‘Woodstock.’ I didn’t understand ‘Easy Rider’ when I first saw it, but I instantly went out and bought the soundtrack. I loved it.”

In addition to running a boutique design, animation and digital content company, Little Beast, with his wife, he’s been producing house concerts by singer-songwriters like Dan Bern since moving to Marin 13 years ago.

‘Hobbit” inspired

He got the idea for “Easy Rider Live” after seeing a “The Hobbit” with a symphony orchestra playing music from the movie, and wondered why no one had used that concept with a cult film like “Easy Rider,” pairing it with a live rock band.

With help from musician friend Velvy Appleton, he assembled a seven-piece group featuring singers Jessie Ray and Tracy Blackman, guitarists Robert Powell and Jimmy Dillon, bassist Tim Baker, keyboardist Chris Houston and drummer Eddie Berman.

“I’m so lucky to live in a place where I can go outside and throw a rock and hit a great musician,” he says.

In August, he got such a positive response at a trial run in the San Domenico School auditorium in San Anselmo that he’s added a 30-minute mini-concert by the Easy Rider Live band following the Oct. 14 screening.

“I want the evening to feel like the movie is a vehicle for music from this era — songs by Buffalo Springfield, David Crosby and the Jefferson Airplane,” he says.

More than boomers

His hope is to attract a multigenerational audience that includes nostalgic baby boomers as well as younger music fans interested in an entertaining evening of rock history.

“I want people who come for the music and are surprised by the movie,” he says.

So far, he’s financed Easy Rider Live with his own money and an investment from a friend, and envisions taking the show on the road, presenting it audiences in major venues like Red Rocks in Colorado and the Hollywood Bowl.

“I cashed out some retirement to finance this,” he says. “I’m going for it. I totally believe in this project.”