Useful Jenkins (Tim McG Photo/Submitted photo)

Minnesota’s Useful Jenkins began life in 2007 the way many acoustic bands do: jam sessions with friends around the campfire and visits to open mic nights. These raw, intimate settings allowed the then-five-piece newgrass band to hone a mix of the traditional (four-part harmonies, rapid-fire fiddling and guitar picking) and the not-so-traditional (funk rhythms, hip-hop breakdowns). A decade later, the band has expanded to a six-piece and continues to beat a path out of the Midwest by following the well-trod festival circuit. Its third album, “Forward Motion,” saw the band trade in cello for violin; the band is now using both instruments on the road and prepping for a fourth studio set that promises to be its most expansive yet. Useful Jenkins stomps into Volcanic Theatre Pub on Sunday, with Portland’s Cascade Crescendo opening.

Useful Jenkins, with Cascade Crescendo: 8 p.m. Sunday; $8 plus fees in advance, $10 at the door; Volcanic Theatre Pub, 70 SW Century Drive, Bend; volcanictheatrepub.com or 541-323-1881.