I don’t know about you, but for me, fourth grade was a long time ago. I don’t remember fourth grade. I remember fifth grade, but not fourth. I don’t remember my teachers or my friends or what I was into. Baseball, probably.

What’s this old man on about? Well, the roots of Flobots — the alternative hip-hop band playing Bend’s Volcanic Theatre Pub Friday night — stretch all the way back to fourth grade, when MCs Jonny 5 and Brer Rabbit first became friends, bonding over their love of comic books and, later, hip-hop.

Fast-forward several years and the duo met a bunch of instrumentalists, and together they all formed a live hip-hop band, a la The Roots.

“After playing their first show as a full-fledged band,” says the “About” section of their website, “they vowed to never perform with a backing CD track ever again.”

Since then, Flobots have made a few albums, scored a few hits (including the big one, “Handlebars”) and toured all over the world, powered by their eclectic sound (think thoughtful rap-rock with violin) and their progressive lyrics, which touch on race, equality, democracy and social justice.

Flobots, with Old Man Saxon: $15 in advance, $18 at the door, 9 p.m. Friday, doors open 8 p.m., Volcanic Theatre Pub, 70 SW Century Drive, Bend, volcanictheatre.com.