If you only pay attention to pop radio, your familiarity with Blues Traveler probably starts and ends around 1994. Long a favorite on the jam-band circuit, the band’s fourth studio album, “Four,” was a surprise pop smash that year thanks to the ubiquitous hits “Run-Around” and “Hook.” The band’s history actually goes back much farther than that, though, to a Princeton, N.J., basement band called the Blues Band forged by singer/guitarist/harmonica player John Popper and drummer Brendan Hill.

By 1987, the line-up that would eventually become Blues Traveler coalesced with guitarist Chan Kinchla and bassist Bobby Sheehan. That line-up stayed steady until Sheehan’s sudden death by drug overdose in 1999. The band decided to go on, with Kinchla’s brother Tad taking on bass duties, and also took the opportunity to move in a new direction by adding Ben Wilson on keyboards. Twenty years into the band’s history, Blues Traveler is still going strong, with a new album due Oct.

30 and a loyal following built through seemingly endless touring — which brings the band to Pensacola Beach today for a show at Capt’n Fun Beach Club. Chan Kinchla spoke about the band’s longevity, roots and music in a telephone interview. Q: What’s the secret to your longevity? A: Hard to say. I do think a lot of it comes from being really close friends from high school. There’s a brotherly bond there.

We’re basically stuck in a high school mentality, which is kind of fun when you’re in your 30s. It’s kind of the nature of the music we play too. It’s improvisational, so it’s always evolving, which keeps you creatively locked in. Plus, playing rock ‘n’ roll for the people is a lot of fun. Q: Is it true that the band’s name came from “Ghostbusters”? A: Yes, it was.