Joe Pernice is in great spirits. He’s just arrived home from a European tour and a long-overdue honeymoon.

“I got married last year, but I’ve been touring ever since, so I hadn’t had my honeymoon yet,” Pernice says. “My wife met me in Paris, and then we went down south for a week — it was beautiful.”

The tour in Europe was somewhat of a break from his full band. A trio consisting of Pernice, guitarist Peyton Pinkerton and guitarist/keyboardist James Walbourne performed what Pernice calls a “stripped-down” set. The trio also got a surprise drummer when Walbourne’s brother, Rob, spontaneously joined the tour.

“We went out to London for a while and then James’ brother decided at the last minute that maybe he’d come and play just a stripped-down drum kit,” Pernice says. “Rob sat in with us for the majority of the tour, so it turned into a four-piece.”

Before The Pernice Brothers, the singer/songwriter found himself in a variety of different groups. His first, the alt-country quartet The Scud Mountain Boys, released three albums, but split in 1997. What came next was Pernice broadening his musical horizons, dipping into a more pop-oriented sound rich in strings and piano. Along with his brother Bob on guitar and four other musicians, the band released “Overcome by Happiness” under the name The Pernice Brothers.

In 2000, Pernice released an album under the name Chappaquiddick Skyline, which was followed by Big Tobacco, his solo project.

In 2001, Pernice and his brother joined Pinkerton, bassist Thom Monahan, keyboardist Laura Stein and drummer Mike Belitsky, becoming what is now the present makeup of The Pernice Brothers. The band has since released two albums, its most recent being 2003’s “Yours Mine & Ours.”

Pernice, who has always been the core songwriter of the band, says whenever he gets home from a tour, he thinks he’ll relax for a while, but instead finds himself jotting down new tunes.

“[Relaxing] rarely happens because you just usually get the bug to keep working,” he says. “When I get home after a tour, I’ll unwind for a little while, but after a couple of days, you get antsy.”

When working on a new piece, Pernice doesn’t worry about raising the bar for each new song he writes. Instead, his best work comes when he stumbles across something that instantly attracts him.

“At that point, I’m not really thinking about the complexity or whether it’s better than the last thing I did,” Pernice says. “It’s mostly about just having a spark immediately and then I build on it.”

The Pernice Brothers has a full schedule ahead. After the North American tour wraps up in late April, Pernice says the band will begin work on a new album.

“After this tour, I’m going to go home and put some demos together,” he says. “We’re going to start to make the next Pernice Brothers album probably in late May or June.”

No matter what happens, Pernice says he just wants to stay interested in writing songs and making records.

“That’s the real love of it,” he says. “It’s so enjoyable, and there are few things I’ve found in life that are pleasing. So as long as it’s something that is delightful to do, I’ll keep doing it.”

Who: The Pernice Brothers, The Bigger Lovers, Left is West

Where: Vaudeville Mews, 212 4th St., Des Moines

When: 9 p.m., Friday

Cost: $12