Groovasaur is the “musician’s musicians” band. It’s right in the instrumental quartet’s Facebook bio, which describes it as “a group of music geeks and biophiles,” and confirmed by guitarist and founder Neal Marks. “(We wanted) to make music that we really wanted to do — make music that was really enjoyable for musicians at a more nerdy, technical level, so stuff that’s off-meter and stuff that was not a standard four-minute pop song,” he said. Marks moved from Washington, D.C., to Bend in November; by January, he assembled a band featuring The Same Coin’s Adam Zukaitis on keyboards, drummer Rob Filliponi and bassist Jeff LaMascus and began gigging at venues such as M&J Tavern, Cabin 22 and The Bite in Tumalo. The band’s fusion sound, influenced by such groups as Return to Forever and Snarky Puppy, seems to have caught on with the city’s jam-head contingent, earning it a slot opening for Big Sam’s Funky Nation at Volcanic Theatre Pub last week. The foursome is now branching out from covers of Miles Davis and John Scofield into its own originals, and local music fans can catch some of that evolution at Astro Lounge on Friday.

Groovasaur: 9 p.m. Friday; free; Astro Lounge, 939 NW Bond St., Bend; astroloungebend.com or 541-388-0116.