Throw Me the Statue and The Broken West @ RnR

Two full weeks since we've posted. We're sorry. It's been pretty busy, we're happy to say, and the past week has been chock full of Rockism for me personally. Rob and I ventured to RnR Hotel last Wednesday to see Rob's cause celebre The Broken West play with Seattle up-and-comers Throw Me The Statue, who for some reason I wanted to associate with Matt Pond PA despite never having heard a single song of the latter's. I reported on the evening here, but some other details to share:

- The Broken West again closed the show with "Brass Ring". As I said, Rob is a huge fan of this band, but there is one song he will not abide and it is "Brass Ring." I kinda like it, but the lyrics are a page out of "Power Pop Basics For Foreigners": "Do you want to talk to me?/ Because I want to talk to you". I think we may have reported on this before.
- Rob was so disheartened by this that he immediately (immediately) sought out the band and asked them why they closed, yet again, with "Brass Ring" (he's now seen them four times, while I've seen them just three). Now he couched it with typical Rockist diplomacy, but I think the point was made.
- The bassist from TBW stole at least two or three licks from Summerteeth, YHF-era Wilco.
- "Down in the Valley" is still the best song they've ever done, though I liked a couple of the new ones, including "Auctioneer".
- Throw Me The Statue weren't too bad. They were certainly better than what I imagine Matt Pond PA to be like. When the lead singer took up a floor tom and a snare center stage, I told Rob that this was not a good sign. It reeked of gimmick, but the cynicism died off when they started to play. It was actually quite cool, and I felt bad for having said anything in the first place.
- None of their songs besides "Lolita" and "Yucatan Gold" really stuck with me, but all were quite pleasant. Did anyone else hear a little bit of The National in these guys?
- A long time ago, while at the 9:30 Club, TRS fan Allison identified a very good song playing between sets as a Throw Me the Statue tune. I don't think she was right about this, but she's a big fan, so who knows. She sought out the band afterwards and they were all real nice guys...
- ...with excellent credibility. Founder/lead singer Scott Reitherman and I had a nice little talk about the ins-and-outs of Paul Westerberg and his solo career. I hold to the belief that Stereo/Mono is one of rock's all time greatest comeback albums, and Mono might very well make my all time Desert Island Disc list (*for the uninitiated, please follow that Mono link and notice that you can pick it up used for just $0.65 right now).
- Finally, TMTS covered the Huey Lewis tune "If This Is It", which I found to be almost entirely unrecognizable, but still enjoyed quite a lot even after Rob told me what was going on.

Throw Me The Statue - "Lolita"
Throw Me The Statue - "About to Walk"
The Broken West - "Auctioneer"