This week Maxim magazine got caught in a lie: It delivered a kinda-negative review of the Black Crowes‘ new album, Warpaint, which the magazine hadn’t actually heard. The band’s management has been angrily demanding all manner of apologies–proving that rock critics are still useful for publicity, if no longer in a telling-people-about-new-records kinda way.

Aaron Leitko and Jason Cherkis are unfazed by Maxim’s embarrassment. In the video below, they discuss Warpaint, Snoop Dogg’s Ego Trippin‘, the B-52s‘ Funplex, and a few more upcoming releases they haven’t heard a second of. Caveat emptor!

On Wednesday night, Aaron Leitko checked out (and filmed) a show at Mount Pleasant’s La Casa featuring Wealth, Mi Ami, and Food for Animals. (He previewed the show in detail earlier this week.) In the video immediately below, Leitko and Jason Cherkis discuss the show and some of the issues revolving around live music in Mount Pleasant. Leitko shot the three videos featuring the bands. (Forgive the darkness of the videos. One issue with shows at alternative, non-bar-type venues–no stage lighting.)

Wealth:

Mi Ami:

Food for Animals:

Last night Human Bell played an in-store show at Crooked Beat Records, and Aaron Leitko and Jason Cherkis took a moment to talk about the appeal of the latest project of Lungfish’s Nathan Bell. The conversation includes a handy primer on “Nautical Rock,” which should not be confused with Yacht Rock.

Below their chat is video of the band’s performance, recorded by Justin “Iceland” Moyer.

Washington City Paper’s Aaron Leitko and Jason Cherkis take a few moments to discuss Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks‘ new album, Real Emotional Trash. (The song in the video is “Baltimore”–right-click the link to download an MP3.) Leitko and Cherkis also talk about the surprising success of Kimya Dawson in the wake of Juno. (That disembodied voice you hear giving erroneous information about the Juno soundtrack is mine; the album is, in fact, currently the number one album in the country, and Billboard doesn’t have a soundtrack chart.) Beneath our video, watch a video from ChannelKris of Dawson performing outside of Crooked Beat Records on Jan. 23.

Earlier this week we reported that Orpheus Records will end its lease on April 1 and close its doors soon after. Washington City Paper’s Aaron Leitko and Jason Cherkis take a few moments to discuss what this means for local retail in the video below. Click here for more on Medium Medium and here for more on Lungfish’s Sound in Time; click here for Cherkis’ 2001 story on D.C. record stores, in which he dismisses Orpheus as home to “a lot of overpriced records anyone could find at a decent thrift store.”