Rusted Root, photo by Duane Rieder.

In the mid-’90s, many a college student spent a fair amount of time blasting music from the Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler, Phish and other assorted jam bands from their dorm room stereos — the accompanying herbal jazz cigarette was optional. For those who were into this particular scene, H.O.R.D.E. was the festival of choice during that festival-riddled time. One of the most consistent and enjoyable performers during these hippie-lite gatherings was Rusted Root, which will be performing on Sunday at 9:30 Club. The band’s shows were always joyful experiences, only the most curmudgeonly could keep from moving or giving in to the vibe.

“Our concerts are ritualistic,” said Michael Glabicki, Rusted Root’s founder and lead singer. “As I’m walking off stage I can always see people’s faces. You can always see that a part of their energy has been opened up and let loose.”

Rusted Root’s biggest success came with its major label debut, 1994’s When I Woke. The hit single, “Send Me On My Way”, and its “mama-di-say, mama-di-ahhh” refrain have stood the test of time, and are still regularly heard on radio and in television commercials. The album’s sound is centered around the propulsive rhythms that support Glabicki’s distinctive singing and guitar playing. This rhythmic focus goes back to the band’s earliest days in its native Pittsburgh, where Glabicki heard a lot of African drumming through relatives and on local campuses. Around the same time, Peter Gabriel and Paul Simon each released massively successful albums that introduced African rhythms into Top 40 pop music, which also influenced the young musician.

“Around 18 I decided to start writing music and began thinking about forming a band,” Glabicki said. “I was thinking, first of all, ‘What feels healing to me?,’ but also my main goal was to come up with something unique.”

The band’s popularity started to wane in the late ’90s, though it has always continued to record, tour and maintain a loyal enough following to play major clubs like 9:30. Remember, the follow-up to When I Woke, was well-received by critics, but failed to generate any hits. Rusted Root’s next several recordings found the band struggling with its identity, debating between the looser feel of its early years and a more focused approach.

“Sometimes we’ll take a direction and go down a road and kind of turn around and come back and go, ‘No, we don’t want to go that route,'” said Glabicki. “It’s constantly evolving as a band, musically, spiritually and emotionally.”

There were also several lineup changes during this period. Glabicki, vocalist Liz Berlin and bassist Patrick Norman are the only original members left, and they are joined by two guitarists — one of whom doubles on banjo– and a drummer. Nearly all of the band members also play percussion and contribute backing vocals. Rusted Root’s setlist has always featured songs from the the first recordings, but Sunday’s program will also include later material, particularly from its most recent album, Stereo Rodeo (2009). This current lineup is also roadtesting songs from a new release that will come out in the fall. Glabicki feels the new songs not only tie together all of Rusted Root’s strengths, but also stake out new ground for his songwriting.

“It’s always a song-by-song thing, but I think in general there’s a romantic theme in this record that hasn’t been there in the past,” he said. “Before, it was a lot of dreamscape images and such.”

Rusted Root will play 9:30 Club on Sunday, May 6, 2012 with opener Rebecca Pidgeon. 7 p.m. doors. $25 + fees.