diff --git a/circle.yml b/circle.yml
index 9254f21212f..3bf602b1165 100644
--- a/circle.yml
+++ b/circle.yml
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ dependencies:
     - pip2.7 install -U setuptools
     - pip3.4 install -U setuptools
     # Pre-install all dependencies
+    # FIXME[matt] django install started failing on 2.7 because it was choking
+    # on a unicode path error
     - pip2.7 install django
     - python2.7 setup.py test -n
     - python3.4 setup.py test -n
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index b9b4ccc0086..a9de3f0a8cd 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
     'nose',
     # contrib
     'blinker',
-    'cassandra-driver',
+    'cassandra-driver==3.6.0',
     'django',
     'elasticsearch',
     'flask',
diff --git a/tests/contrib/cassandra/test.py b/tests/contrib/cassandra/test.py
index be5009a2ce2..4ab6f3d6a2d 100644
--- a/tests/contrib/cassandra/test.py
+++ b/tests/contrib/cassandra/test.py
@@ -60,12 +60,10 @@ def test_get_traced_cassandra(self):
         spans = writer.pop()
         assert spans
 
-        # Should be sending one request to "USE <keyspace>" and another for the actual query
-        eq_(len(spans), 2)
-        use, query = spans[0], spans[1]
-        eq_(use.service, "cassandra")
-        eq_(use.resource, "USE %s" % self.TEST_KEYSPACE)
+        # another for the actual query
+        eq_(len(spans), 1)
 
+        query = spans[0]
         eq_(query.service, "cassandra")
         eq_(query.resource, self.TEST_QUERY)
         eq_(query.span_type, cassx.TYPE)
@@ -88,9 +86,8 @@ def test_trace_with_service(self):
         result = session.execute(self.TEST_QUERY)
         spans = writer.pop()
         assert spans
-        eq_(len(spans), 2)
-        use, query = spans[0], spans[1]
-        eq_(use.service, "custom")
+        eq_(len(spans), 1)
+        query = spans[0]
         eq_(query.service, "custom")
 
     def test_trace_error(self):
@@ -102,7 +99,7 @@ def test_trace_error(self):
 
         spans = writer.pop()
         assert spans
-        use, query = spans[0], spans[1]
+        query = spans[0]
         eq_(query.error, 1)
         for k in (errx.ERROR_MSG, errx.ERROR_TYPE, errx.ERROR_STACK):
             assert query.get_tag(k)