Do you like the cello?

Then I advise you to catch one of the weirder bands I’ve seen in concert: Rasputina. Rasputina is a cello-based chamber rock trio with a fondness for Victorian garb and anachronistic Gothic flourishes. Cello rock might sound like something of an oxymoron, but after you’ve seen Rasputina you’ll think, “Wow, the cello really does rock.” And band founder Melora Creager does have solid rock credentials: She played cello with Nirvana on the band’s “In Utero” tour.

I caught Rasputina a couple years ago at WAMC Performing Arts Studio in Albany, and they’ll return to WAMC at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. The cello may seem like a gimmick, but they’re a very tight band with a driving melodic rock sound, and the concert ended with an electrifying cover of the cheesy ‘80s rock song “Barracuda” that was almost worth the price of admission in and of itself. I didn’t rush out and buy a Rasputina CD after the show because we have to make choices in life, but I was happy I went.

If Rasputina has a gimmick, it’s its insistence on speaking and dressing like outcasts from the 19th century. In any case, here’s how the band describes itself on its website, which you can find here: “Rasputina works as an anomaly in popular music. By ignoring fashion trends and maintaining artistic integrity coupled with musical enthusiasm, the group has thrived as time has passed. They expose passionate fans to historical tales, and inspire young string players to seek alternatives to the classical world.” Uh, huh. This is exactly the sort of self-mythologizing that usually makes me roll my eyes, but Rasputina rocks, so it doesn’t matter.

Here’s a link to a MySpace page for a cello-based rock band from Fort Collins, Colo., that I actually think is pretty good (I even own a CD). They’re called Matson Jones, and they rock just as much as Rasputina.