Usually when a band takes an extended break from recording only to return several years later, the end result is kind of lackluster, with the final output failing to capture whatever once made a well-rehearsed and well-traveled band interesting. Which isn’t to say that a record like Aerosmith’s “Permanent Vacation” is crummy, its just that it was made by a band whose evolution had been well documented on record previously, but who, after several years away from the studio, left a notable gap between were they left off and where they picked up again.

The same can’t be said of “The Stormy Petrel” from Leatherface, the latest LP from the British band led by Frankie Stubbs who popularized the gravelly-voiced pop-punk style favored by Jawbreaker, Hot Water Music and a generation of bands who grew up on punk but who decided to deliver their melodies via a style more akin to Lemmy than Greg Graffin. After a six-year recording absence, Leatherface return with a wallop, though they won’t knock you down right away. Rather, they’re like a prizefighter who can go the distance, slowly wearing you down over the course of 12 rounds.

The band pick up right where they left off after 2004’s “Dog Disco,” with moody, muted mid-tempo punk songs as gray as the Sunderland skies that birthed them. Perhaps their “Storm” has weathered the proverbial storm because they’ve taken extended breaks throughout their 20-plus year career. Aside from Stubb’s raspy delivery, Leatherface separate themselves from most modern punk acts by adding textures to their songs, with one guitar picking chords while the other plays a complimentary guitar line. And though they occasionally up their tempos, the band never hits the breakneck speeds of NOFX or Bad Religion. They’re just as comfy in mid-tempo melancholy as they are in full-on fury.

Through it all, the years have been kind to the band. They’ve managed a slow but steady output while racking up a loyal fanbase on this side of the Atlantic and their own. Though their songs have always had a lived-in vibe, the dozen tracks on “The Stormy Petrel” finally feel like home, and you may just want to crawl inside and go to sleep for awhile.

Leatherface – “God Is Dead”

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Black Flag’s bars logo is easily one of the most iconic pieces of band-related art ever. It was created by Raymond Pettibon, older brother of Greg Ginn, who founded the band and SST Records, their label. Pettibon, who pitched-in on bass early on in the band’s career, created the logo after suggesting the band change their name from Panic to Black Flag when they discovered another band shared the moniker. The logo was meant to look like a rippling black flag, and meant to symbolize anarchy by being the opposite of a white flag which stood for surrender. Also, it was easy to replicate, which led it’s mass reproduction, not just on high school notebooks but on walls, arms, t-shirts, etc., where it continues to be one of the most ripped-off logos in music. There’s even a coffee table book in the works called “Barred for Life,” with nothing but photos of Black Flag tattoos. See below for some other examples of it’s proliferation and inspiration.

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Screw South by Southwest, Cannes, Toronto and all those other stuffy film fests. All you need to enjoy your own private cinema celebration is an Internet connection and a short attention span. We can’t promise the same quality as the aforementioned festivals, but at least there aren’t any lines, concessions are free and all the films are about punk rock. Here’s a look at some of what’s out there and online:

Directed by Lech Kowalski, the 1980 punk rock documentary “D.O.A.” is a great time capsule of early punk rock that features classic footage of the seven-city U.S. tour. from the Sex Pistols in 1978. It also features performances from X-Ray Spex, Dead Boys and Generation X, plus interviews with Joe Strummer, Sid Vicious and more.

Sammy McBride is famous for being the singer of influential Bay Area punk band Fang. But he’s more famous for having murdered his girlfriend. This mini-doc looks at his life and crimes.

Take a peek at the lives of some London squatters who spare for change and charge tourists a couple quid to pose for photos. Perhaps the best thing about this 1983 short film however is the juxtaposition of the narrator’s upper-class British accent against the lower-class British imagery.

You may not get the whole film, but you do get six minutes of a documentary about influential Virginia punk band Avail.

Produced by a student for their high school A/V class, this is a 26-minute documentary from 1984 on the punk scene in Raleigh, North Carolina. The film features interviews with local NC bands and fans and features a performance by Battalion of Saints.

This history of American punk was made as an assignment for an American History class and features Iggy, Ramones, Velvet Underground, et al. We’d give it an A.

This one is called “Punkture: A History of Punk Anti-Culture,” and the voice-over sounds like a computer, which is a really odd choice.

We can’t tell you much about this Subhumans doc since it’s hosted on some weird Russian site and well, we’re not fluent in that. Thankfully, we are fluent in the Subhumans’ brand of international punk rock.

This 1976 doc focuses on the emerging punk scene and features performances and interviews from The Sex Pistols, Clash and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Well-made doc that traces the female influence in punk via Siouxsie, Gaye Advert, Poly Styrene and others.

A 1987 film focusing on the Tampa punk scene.

If you’re not from London, Ontario you may not know most of the bands and punks featured, but it’s an interesting look at one scene’s rich history.

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By this point in their career, a new album by the Alkaline Trio is a fairly predictable occurrence. Though “This Addiction” has been generating press as a record that returns the band to their punk rock roots, it really doesn’t sound all that different from the their last few outings. You get the usual stuff — alternating singers, songs about drinking, girls and blood (and even drinking girls’ blood), with a few new elements thrown in, like a trumpet solo on “Lead Poisoning” and some New Wave synths. The Trio did, however, return to their hometown of Chicago to record it — something they hadn’t done since 2001’s “From Here to Infirmary.”

But give the band credit. They picked a style and gimmick, evolved it as they went along and have stuck with it ever since, even down to their song title choices — usually a dark bent on a popular phrase. They riff on The Misfits’ “Die, Die My Darling” via “Dine, Dine My Darling.” There’s “The American Scream,” which may have been a better title for the record. And towards the end of the album, a song about a girl named “Draculina,” which pretty much ensures that obsessive fan somewhere will bequeath on their offspring this unfortunate name.

Having said all this — the record is solid. It’s predictable, but that’s not a bad thing. More exciting, however, may be the prospect of some material from some of the band’s side projects…

Sadly, Heavens, a two-piece band featuring Matt Skiba and Josiah Steinbrick of F-Minus, won’t be releasing more music beyond their “Patent Pending” record, a dark, Wire-inspired album that took the best parts from each songwriter and morphed them into something new and thrilling and unlike either of their main projects.
Heavens – “Patent Pending”

Dan Andriano recently made available the demos from his Emergency Room project, though it isn’t a group effort as much as a solo outing with a different name. The songs are mostly acoustic and fall somewhere between his mellower Trio material and the Shins, but it’s different enough from his band stuff to stand on its own. Here’s to hoping a proper record will follow.
The Emergency Room – “This Light”

Later this year, Matt Skiba is slated to release an album of his demos via Asian Man, the Trio’s original label. Its release was intended to coincide with the launch of “This Addiction,” but has since been bumped until later this year, presumably by an unhappy Epitaph who didn’t want any competing Skiba projects on the shelf at the same time.
Matt Skiba – “In Your Wake”

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With news surfacing that sagging British music label EMI was looking to offload it’s Abbey Road studios for around $45 million in hopes of saving itself from extinction and the space from becoming an upscale housing development, we thought the term could prove a fun topic for our latest round of Fun with Flickr. Potential buyers for the converted 1830s townhouse include Andrew Lloyd Weber — who has recorded loads of music there — as well at Britain’s National Trust, which could turn the famed studio into a rope-lined museum ala Graceland, which would be a shame given it’s history, not just with the Beatles, but with hundreds of artists and producers who have used the studio since it opened in 1931. No matter the studio’s fate, Beatle-maniacs will continue to flock to the famed street the studio is named after in hopes of creating their own version of the iconic album cover. Here’s some of what we found tagged with Abbey Road.

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Food and punk rock go together like food and ice skating. Which is to say they don’t really go together at all (unless of course you’re the Descendents). Food and money, however, fit together much more snugly, which may explain why the latest trend among well-off punks is to invest in a restaurant. Talk about yuppie punk.

Mike Dirnt, bass player for Green Day, is co-owner of Rudy’s Can’t Fail Cafe in Emeryville, California. Named for a Clash song, the cafe offers up diner fare served by a punk rock waitstaff. Dirnt co-owns the restaurant with Jeffrey Bischoff, one-time bassist in Easy Bay pop-punk band Tilt, and current owner of Cinder Block, a big-time band merchandising company. And the restaurant has done well, presumably in part because of who the owners are, but also because it filled a niche — a family-friendly diner with an edge and good beer.

Hoping to replicate some of that same success is fellow Bay Area punk Fat Mike of NOFX, who is partnering on a new restaurant in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. The restaurant will be called the Thistle Hill Tavern, and according to the sign that hangs at its soon-to-be-open location, it will feature “new American cuisine in a comfortable, laid-back setting.”

The trend won’t likely continue too long, as there simply aren’t enough punks with enough disposable income to even consider such an investment (Fat Mike made news when he sold his San Francisco home for $5 million in 2009). Bret Gurewitz of Bad Religion, who also owns Epitaph Records, is probably rich enough. And Dexter Holland from the Offspring has loads of dough — though come to think of it, he does have a hot sauce, which isn’t too far off.

Thanks to there being little overlap between punks and foodies, Dirnt’s cafe isn’t a fancy affair. If it’s possible for a restaurant to maintain a pop-punk aesthetic, Rudy’s certainly fits the bill. Here’s to hoping Fat Mike’s new establishment will be the same — and will also have a killer jukebox stocked with rare NOFX 7″s.

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Meet Danielle Colby Cushman, Against Me! fan (peep the t-shirt) and one of the stars of the History Channel series “American Pickers,” which, contrary to its title, isn’t about shredding bluegrass banjo players, but rather, a couple of dudes in Iowa who hunt through junk-filled barns in search of long-abandoned treasures.

Anyway, Danielle mans the phones and runs the office at the dudes’ Antique Archeology shop, where presumably she blasts Dillinger Four, The Bouncing Souls and Screeching Weasel while her bosses are out picking. According to her bio on the show’s website, Danielle is “the glue that holds them all together.” And don’t forget, punks like glue.

Sorry dudes, she’s also married, so it’s back to fantasizing about Kat Von D or Pauley Perrette or whoever your favorite tattooed TV babe is. You can check out “American Pickers” on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on History. And who knows, maybe they’ll find a rare Angry Samoans 12″ in one of those barns and we’ll really get to see Danielle excited.

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Though “Survivor” wasn’t the first reality show, its success on prime-time network TV ushered in a new era of television where unscripted programming emerged as a viable alternative to the traditional scripted model. Combining a classic TV theme (castaways on an island) with a dramatic game show element and massive prize ($1 million), “Survivor” became an instant classic — and its creator, Mark Burnett, became one of the most powerful producers in Hollywood.

As it approaches its 10th anniversary, the show is still going strong. And how better to look back on its history than how it began — in the nude. Richard Hatch, pictured above, was both the villain and victor of the show’s first season, partially because his calculated strategy included spending much of the show completely naked. Though few future contestants would be quite so bold, Hatch and his manhood ensured subsequent “Survivor” casts would have plenty of blurred naughty bits, both on and off the show, both intentionally and not. Here’s a look at all the “Survivor” nudity we could uncover.

Click the pixelated pics below for the uncensored versions.

We’ll start things off with Jeff Probst’s immunity idol. Though the “Survivor” host has never confirmed whether the shots are real, he’s also never denied them. Presumably he’s just pleased that real or not, he’s got a big wiener in them.

Jerri Manthey, a three-time “Survivor” castaway has become a reality TV staple in the years since her first appearance, no doubt helped by her 2001 appearance between the staples of Playboy magazine.

The tribe has spoken: Sarah Jones from “Survivor: Marquesas” is hot.

Bravo to Ryan Opray’s pecker from “Survivor: Pearl Islands,” which managed to push its way past both his underwear and the CBS standards and practices department.

Jessica Kiper, best known to “Survivor: Gabon” viewers as Sugar, shows us some sugar of her own from the film “Sex and Death 101.”

Perhaps the “Survivor: Cook Islands” season should have been called “Cock Islands” since two of its cast members, Ozzy Lusth (left) and Jonathan Penner, have exposed theirs on film.

Ashley Massaro was a WWE diva as well as a contestant on “Survivor: China.” That kanji tattoo on her backside translates to “Trust No One.” But apparently show everyone.

Marcus Lehman turns the premiere of “Survivor: Gabon” into a wee-miere, after his wang hangs ten (two?) during a challenge.

Jenna Lewis from “Survivor: Borneo” claimed the leak of her wedding night sex tape caused her incredible embarrassment (along with 70% of the profits apparently). However Jenna should be more embarrassed by her appearance in the D-grade horror movie “The Scorned,” which starred a score of reality TV alums and was produced by “Survivor: Amazon” castaway Rob Cesternino.

The closest Amber Brkich from “Survivor: The Australian Outback” has gotten to showing her stuff was in the magazine of the same name.

Two words we love to type: Naked lesbian (that’s Ami Cusack from “Survivor: Vanuatu” by the way).

Jenna Morasca (top) won “Survivor: The Amazon,” taking home the $1 million top prize in 2003. As far as we’re concerned, however, her top prize will always be her bottom, which she showed off in the Playboy spread she did with fellow contestant Heidi Stroebel.

Rita Verreos from “Survivor: Fiji,” whose brother Nick appeared on “Project Runway,” showed her goods in the 1990 Steval Seagal flick, “Marked for Death.”

Michelle Chase definitely ain’t chaste. Here we see some pics of the “Survivor: Gabon” castaway sans buff.

Maybe if Candace Smith had acted more like she did in the 2006 comedy “Beerfest,” she wouldn’t have been voted off of “Survivor: Tocantins” so quickly.

Here we see two of the reasons Courtney Yates made it all the way to the finals of “Survivor: China.”

Before winning $1 million on “Survivor: Thailand,” Brian Heidik played hide-the-dick during a short-lived soft-core career.

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It takes a special kind of narcissist to quote himself. Sure, non-fiction writers often develop opinions about the things they’re writing about and parrot them back to a colleague or friend when asked about them later. Talking heads on news programs do this all the time — paraphrasing quotes and rattling off facts they may have posted that morning on their blog. Hell, even movie stars on talk shows tell the same story on different outlets a few nights apart. But none of those things are the same as quoting yourself the way James Cameron did recently when he was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Director for “Avatar.” And that wasn’t even the first time he did it.

When Cameron won the Oscar for directing “Titanic” in 1998, he closed his acceptance speech with one of the film’s most famous lines: “I’m the king of the world!” He then hoisted his trophy above his head and let out one final “Woo hoo ooh” before walking offstage. Reminder: Cameron wrote the screenplay for “Titanic.”

When Cameron won the Golden Globe recently for directing “Avatar,” he inserted a line in Na’vi, the language spoken by the sapient humanoid indigenous inhabitants of the fictional moon Pandora (yeah, we said it!) in the film. “I just want to say,” the shaggy-haired director said, “Bonati komaei mismoka mismokay — which means, I see you, my brothers and sisters.” In fairness, the fictional language in the film was created by Dr. Paul Frommer, a USC linguist, but the screenplay was penned solely by Cameron, so technically, he’s still quoting himself. What a douche.

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