Touring is hard enough on a band. But touring, recording a new album and mixing the album is almost too much. Perpetual Groove knows this all too well, as it is in the process of releasing its latest album while on tour.Perpetual Groove is playing tonight at the Varsity Theatre. The doors open at 8 p.m., and the show stars at 9:30 p.m. Tickets are $15.The jam band recently finished recording tracks for its new album, and now it has moved into designing the jacket and mixing the tracks.”Touring is a neverending thing for us,” said frontman and guitarist Brock Butler. “We’ve been home a little more than usual because we’ve been working on the record.”This is the band’s first album with new keyboardist John Hruby. Hruby is the former keyboardist for Guest, a band out of Ohio.”He’s been with us for almost a year now,” Butler said. “When Matt [McDonald, former keyboardist] needed to take time and not be on the road anymore, John was ready to take the position. I couldn’t imagine it going any smoother.”Butler expects the new album to be released in upcoming months.”Everybody is really excited right now,” he said. “I think it’s the most fun we’ve had making a record.”The band formed after Butler and guitarist Adam Perry graduated college in Savannah, Ga. Now the band operates out of Athens, Ga. “Adam and I have been writing and playing in an unprofessional group for about 10 years,” Butler said. After graduating college, Butler and Perry didn’t take jobs in their respective fields because “the band was doing so well.””When we first started, it was a little bit of long, indefinite soloing,” Butler said. “Now we’ve matured as songwriters. Now we can do what we used to do in six or seven minutes. Just because [a song] is 12 minutes long, doesn’t mean it’s any good.”The band sets itself apart from other jam bands by incorporating all elements of the band for an entire set.”We move as a collective,” Butler said. “In what you would call a jam or funk band, … one person solos as everyone else goes into the pocket. [Instead], we move together.”Tonight’s show isn’t Perpetual Groove’s first appearance in Baton Rouge. Its past show was in November.”We had nearly 400 paid in November,” said Chris Lundgren, talent buyer and marketing director for the Varsity Theatre. “And it was a Tuesday night — usually a tough night for live music.”While the band members realize the economy has affected everyone, they would still like to see people at their shows.”The economy affects everything,” Butler said. “We hope to see a little more consistency.”But Butler said the band had a successful show last time in the Red Stick.”We loved it. It was a great crowd,” he said. “We’re happy to be coming back.”—-Contact Ashley Norsworhty at [email protected]