Opening for quirky rock band They Might Be Giants this weekend will be Common Rotation, which considers itself similarly “kinda dorky” in a folk-rock way. “They’re sort of acoustic-y, and folky,” explained Jon Fombonne ’05, a member of the Large-Scale Events Committee. “They were recommended by [They Might Be Giants], and they should be a good low-key opener.”

The two bands share a history in the studio as well, with TMBG sound engineer Brian Speiser handling the live tracks on their most recent album, “The Clear Channel EP.”

As that title indicates, the duo has an agenda behind its approach to music. In the live track of the CD, vocalist Adam Busch says the band was worn out from venue owners, sound equipment, the high price of concert tickets, poor parking and other bands disparaging them, and so they are “taking music to the people.” Thus their recent album mixes studio tracks with live recordings from their tour.

Originally from New York but based in Los Angeles, Common Rotation features Busch on vocals and Eric Kufs on guitar and vocals. The band was formed by the two in their high school days through a shared love of Elvis Costello and folk music.

Those Swat inhabitants who discuss the meaning of life with friends and simultaneously gripe about the awful class they just had will relate to the band’s (usually) tongue-in-cheek pretentiousness. “Common Rotation seeks to exist, if only in brief bursts, on the same plane as the listener,” the band declares on its website. “Everybody, everywhere is trying to get through the same crappy day en route to the inevitable dirtnap denouement; we don’t have to dance to the same song, but sometimes doing exactly that is enough to get you through the day.”