Daily Dose: Russian Circles

“What, you didn’t pick Mutemath? What kind of music writer are you anyway?! F@#$ you and this stupid site; I’m gonna go watch Cartman sing ‘Poker Face’ on YouTube!”

Fair enough, and normally I would agree with you, but hear me out:

Mutemath is, um, tonight. As in about three and a half hours from now. If you haven’t already bought tickets, you’re probably not going to. At $23 a pop, I can’t really blame you either. Don’t get me wrong; they’re a great band, but once you get above $20 for less than 3 bands at one show, they have to be pretty damn amazing IMHO. As Tall As Lions will open the show, and they’re definitely worth a listen, but again I’m looking for “pretty damn amazing” for that much money. Besides, all the good seats are gone except the ones available through last-minute radio giveaways, and your chances of winning those are basically null. So, Mutemath fans with tickets in hand, enjoy the show!

Meanwhile, Bottletree is offering three bands for $12, and they are all quality. Maybe not “pretty damn amazing,” but for an average of $4 per band, I can accept it.

First up is Coliseum, hailing from Louisville, KY. For those who haven’t seen them in Birmingham before, here’s a taste of what to expect: drummer Carter Wilson reports that they’ve been recording demos from the second story of an active funeral home. Brutal.

Following up is Young Widows, a heavy grunge act who have new material from collaboration with producer and Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou.

Headlining the show is Russian Circles, an instrumental three-piece that will feature Brian Cook (from Botch and These Arms are Snakes) on bass. They, along with the other acts, are reported to have new music to share with concert attendees.

Show starts at 9 pm and is $12.

Let the Mutemath fans revolt!