Urban Testing Ground - podcast cover

Urban Testing Ground

Joel Kuwaharauutest.blogspot.com
This blog requires Quicktime 7 to view the movies. If you want to contact me, do so at joelkuwahara@hotmail.com. I'm always looking for good story ideas.
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Episodes

Little Radio - Summer Block Party

So I'm back, sorry for the super long break. My editing chops feel a bit rusty, but I hope you don't notice. Dave Conway owns and operates " LittleRadio.com " it started out as a small pirate radio station and has now grown into a major multimedia enterprise. During the summer, Dave opens up his studio to the public and hosts summer block parties and free concerts. On this Sunday afternoon, "Hello Astronaut, Goodbye Television" and "Future Pigeon" performed. What a perfect way to spend a lazy Su...

Jul 05, 2006

ManOne @ The Crewest Gallery

Last weekend I stopped by the Crewest Gallery , LA's first art gallery dedicated to graffiti artists and met with it's owner ManOne. He was working on a mural for the Washington Post and I brought my camera along to document the process. Check out the video here! [2:48 /16.5 MB QT] Thanks to Sticky Rick and ManOne!...

Apr 12, 2006

Hit & Run @ Mountain Bar

LA artists Brandy Flower and Mike C. brought their live t-shirt screening event to Geoff Oki's 4th annual T-shirt party this past Thursday. Curious fans as well as devoted T wearers packed the Mountain Bar in Chinatown to get a one-of-a-kind t-shirt made. Screen designs were provided by various LA designers including Brandy, Mike C and Oki. Check out the video here! [3:11 / 17MB QT] Thanks to Brandy, Mike and the rest of the HR crew. Also thanks to Geoff Oki....

Apr 03, 2006

Buried Under Work

This week's been a crazy one and I haven't had much time to shoot. But I am in the process of setting up some new interviews. So until then, it may be a little slow on my site. My apologies in advance. But I hope to bring you some new and exciting pieces in the near future. I'll leave you with this fun little video from JP Tarver who e-mailed me about the " Meeting Of Styles " piece I did last year. Thanks JP. Watch the video here! [WMV /:30]...

Mar 20, 2006

Michael Turner - Photographer

It was around 3AM when I got the call. Emerging LA photographer, Michael Turner, was having a late night photo shoot and I was asked to document it. Enjoy.... Watch the video here! [1:27 / 9 MB QT]

Mar 13, 2006

David Flores - Artist

I know I said no more of the vinyl figures, but since I shot this last week and I left the video posting for this week on my hard drive at work, I had no choice. David Flores is probably best known for his skateboarding designs but has most recently lent his iconic style to the world of " Dunnies ." Some love him, some hate him, some call him "Sam." You decide. Check out the video here! [1:54 / 11.5 MB QT]...

Mar 06, 2006

Midnight Ridazz!!! - Part 2

So much action I had to split it up into two parts. Enjoy the 2nd half of the "Midnight Ridazz" bike ride through LA. It's a bit long, so expect a longer download. Check it out video here! [3:05 / 17.9MB QT] Hey Pam! It's your video debut! And to the haters I encountered. Eat me. [0:20 / 2 MB QT]...

Feb 27, 2006

Help Support Acme Gamestore on Feb. 27!

If you're free this Monday night, you might want to go to this event and help out a few good guys. "Acme Game Store is owned by Jason Jones and Jonathan Bryant. They sell video games. Why? Because video games are fun... On December 12th approximately eight ICE (some new law enforcement agency attached to Homeland Security) agents raided Acme Game Store in riot gear with shotguns in hand. They confiscated 3 modified XBOXs and all Microsoft games in bulk. They have each been charged with a felony ...

Feb 25, 2006

Midnight Ridazz!!! - Part 1

It was their 2 year anniversary and there was love in the air, or was that chronic. Midnight Ridazz is a gathering of bike riders who meet every 2nd Friday of the month to take over the streets of LA. And as the name implies this doesn't happen during business hours. This month's theme was "I Heart My Bike" but only a few really got into the spirit by decking out their ridez with heart shaped balloons or red firey sex-flames. Two guys wore wrestling masks, maybe they love eachother... who knows....

Feb 23, 2006

Shot Callers Bikes

I had my own Schwinn back in the 80's but never imagined it could be transformed into a work of art. Shot Callers is a bike club from the San Fernando Valley that specializes in custom old school rides. Starting with original frames they add details such as twisted forks, over-spoked rims, spinners, etched seats, upholstery and custom paint to transform these everyday modes of transportation to elite show pieces. I'm thinking about getting one for myself. Special thanks to Pringle for introducin...

Feb 13, 2006

Thomas Han on "Painkiller"

My favorite dunny of the LA Series is Thomas Han.'s "Painkiller." I wanted to include his interview in the last video but thought instead to have it be it's own piece. Watch the video here! [1:36 / 8.3 MB QT]...

Feb 08, 2006

LA Dunny Series @ Gallery 1988

I stopped putting up the Quicktime window graphic because I thought it looked ugly and I figured if you hadn't figured it out by now that I post video clips, well then, you're pretty stupid and should probably stop coming here. Anyway, this past month has been an exciting one for the vinyl figure community. First, Tim Biskup debuted his Acid Head dunny and last week Kid Robot released their LA Dunny Series at Gallery 1988 in Hollywood. It was a fun evening and I even lucked out and got a Gold Ba...

Feb 07, 2006

Tim Biskup Drops Acid

Thursday, Kid Robot released their newest dunny designed by LA artist Tim Biskup . Called the "Acid Head," it was Tim's psychedelic interpretation of what a toon might look like if he were trippin'. Fans lined the block eager to get their hands on this limited run and to get his signature. The line moved pretty slow, but that was only because Tim took the time to pretty much draw custom art for each and every fan. What a guy. I picked one up for myself. He drew a face on its forehead. Oh yeah. T...

Jan 30, 2006

Beck? Hell Yes!

How does a relatively unknown band from Highland Park get to remix a track for famed musician Beck? Find out by watching the video . [1:19 / 8mb QT]

Jan 23, 2006

8-BIT says to "Sucka My Dick!"

Got a real late start editing this one together and I'm dead tired. So I'll keep this entry short and sweet. Nothing I say can describe this band better than the way they describe themselves. "If the Beastie Boys and NWA raped an old school Nintendo and they had a baby..." Ladies and gents, I present to you..." 8-Bit ." Check out this rare interview. [2:30 / 16.88MB QT]...

Jan 16, 2006

The Kids of Widney High @ Mr. T's Bowl

Straight from their big screen debut in Johnny Knoxville's movie "The Ringer," the Kids of Widney High were treating their legion of fans to a rocking evening at the famous Mr. T's bowl in Highland Park, CA. this past Friday. The 7 members (not including their backup band) were belting out their soon-to-be classic headbanging hits such as "I Make My Teachers Mad," "Miss Understood," and "Act Your Age" to name just a few. If you have no idea who these kids are, check out their website here and th...

Jan 09, 2006

A "GIANT" New Years Eve FIASCO

[GIANT VILLAGE 6 - CANCELED] Sounds impossible but it happened. The largest outdoor New Years eve party sponsored by "soon-to-be-out-of-business" GIANT was suddenly canceled just hours before it was to start. 15,000 angry and confused party goers were turned away by security guards only to be told that it was the fire marshall that shut it down. But apparently, that wasn't the case. It was the GIANT promoters themselves that pulled the plug. Hey guys, you printed "rain or shine" on the tickets w...

Jan 02, 2006

Acme Gamestore - Busted!

Say it ain’t so guys! Not sure if you’ve heard, but the owners of the trendy gaming shop, Acme Gamestore in Hollywood CA, were recently busted for selling modded Xboxes (see Sept. 4th entry on Modding Xboxes). It wasn’t so much the modded boxes that got them in deep shit, it was the fact that they were selling them pre-installed with 70+ Xbox games! Come on guys, where’s your heads at? They both face up to 5 years in a federal penitentiary, so does a third individual “Patrick.” He’s the one resp...

Dec 27, 2005

Tequila Release Party @ Meltdown

A few weekends ago, the guys from Muttpop invited me to attend the release of their baddest, meanest and very first vinyl figure creation "Tequila." Spawned from the creative minds of Jerry Frissen and designer Gobi, Tequila is a character from their masked wrestling based comic entitled "The Luchadores Five." The event took place at Meltdown in Hollywood and the eager fans were picking up the limited number of figures by the armful. Muttpop released 3 versions of "Tequila." 1) Original 2) Hot &...

Dec 20, 2005
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