Casio G-Shock x Mister Cartoon Watch

November 19, 2009 – 7:57 pm PT by Brian

Some of you may not be familiar with Mister Cartoon, but you are probably familiar with his work. He is a famous tattoo artist that has done work for a lot of your favorite musicians. Here is his entire wikipage:

Mark Machado, better known as Mister Cartoon, is a Mexican American tattoo artist and graffiti artist based in Los Angeles, California.

Machado designed the logo for Cypress Hill and Italian rapper Fabri Fibra. He has tattooed the bodies of Dr. Dre, 50 Cent, Eminem, Method Man,Xzibit, Prodigy, Travis Barker, Scott Raynor, Justin Timberlake, and Beyoncé Knowles.[1] In addition to tattoos, Machado’s work has been used by Nike, Toyota, T-Mobile, MetroPCS and in Grand Theft Auto.[2][3] Machado appeared in the documentary Scarface: Origins of a Hip Hop Classic, and a film is being made about his life.[4] Machado is a contributor to Mass Appeal Magazine. Together with friend and frequent collaborator Estevan Oriol, he owns Joker Brand Clothing. He is affiliated with Soul Assassins.

As far as streetwear goes he is most famous for his collabs with Nike which can be seen in the picture above.

Cartoon and Casio had a party on Nov 12, 2009 to celebrate the release of their collab G Shock watch. I am not a fan of all his stuff (I may live in the hood but I’m no cholo) but I really like the looks of this watch and would sport it myself (and the fact that it is Dodger colors helps).

For more info on its release, keep reading:

Read the rest of this entry »

Chico Brenes DVS Shoe Release Party

November 19, 2009 – 7:28 pm PT by Mike

It’s important to support your local stores in your neighborhood. It’s important that they continue to have you support even after the big chains like McDonalds, Wal-Mart, and 99 RANCH MARKET invade your neighborhood. For years, CHA CHA Lounge was a hangout for the citizens of Echo Park, Silverlake and Los Feliz to come relax and have a drink. If you’re unaware of these cities, they are part of Los Angeles. I remember passing the bar as a kid and remember seeing members from MI VIDA LOCA loitering outside the building. I thought to myself, “When I grow up, I want to go there and chill. Especially if I’m sad and depressed”. Well my dream has become a reality. Many years later, the Cha Cha lounge is still there despite the bigger and louder drinking venues infiltrating surrounding areas. Even though I’m not as depressed or sad as I thought I might be, the Cha Cha Lounge is always there for me to depend on when I need a $2 Tecate.

Unfortunately for me, more and more of the HOMIES are either staying home or growing older. And newer faces are frequenting Cha Cha every week. But I guess it’s not so sad because anyone who hangs out there knows that Thursday nights are skater nights. On any given week, you will see the likes of Mike Carroll, Brandon Biebel, Jeron Wilson, Rick Howard, and basically the entire Girl/Chocolate teams hanging out.

Tonight, DVS and LRG are hosting a party for CHICO BRENES for the release of his new skate sneaker. In addition, DJ Ako and DJ Atiba will be spinning. Oh yeah, and Thursday nights is when they play the best music as well. Check it!

DJ Baron “Extremely Sorry” Back Story

November 19, 2009 – 7:21 pm PT by Me

Cinephiles such as myself always look for the DVD extras as a source of education and knowledge. There is plenty of back-story behind every film that makes the movie a hundred times more interesting. It’s the extras on a DVD that make it worth the $24 you worked so hard for.

Well here’s an opportunity to get the inside scoop behind the highly anticipated FLIP video “Extremely Sorry”. Fuel TV’s Adam Sullivan has put together a pretty good interview with the man behind the ultra unique soundtrack with mix master DJ Baron to get some behind the scenes info. Check it out over at FUEL.

H-Street Is Back From The Dead!

November 19, 2009 – 7:05 pm PT by Mike

Bobby Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster, and the eleventh World Chess Champion. He is a household name in the chess world and is probably the most notable chess player thanks to the film classic SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER. And if you haven’t seen that film, rent it. It will make you wish you dropped out of school to forego any type of regular childhood to be labeled a grandmaster. Bobby was considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. But he soon denounced the United States and made some pretty anti-Semitic comments, which kept him out of his home country for the rest of his life. For more than a decade, nobody would hear from Bobby Fischer again. But there was some unfinished business to take care of. In 1992, a rematch with Boris Spassky was set up to crown the real king of chess. Dat matchup was da bomb yo!!! The big question was, “How would Bobby fare after being away for so long?”

Coming back from the dead is not an easy thing to achieve. We’re not talking about zombies and GHOSTS here, but rather people like Bobby Fischer who take a long needed hiatus from work, being forgotten about, then making an impact once again as if they never left. I’m always down for a good discussion about ghosts and zombies. But that’s left for the ghost blogs.

H-STREET is one of those entities rising from the dead. H Street is about to embark on a Bobby Fischer type venture. Who knows where they have been for the past decade or so? But if you’re OLD SCHOOL like me, you know that they were up there during the 90’s barrage of sick skate teams. They were the SAMUEL L. JACKSON of skate teams. They welcomed anyone and their mother to join the team. So what happened to them over the years? Well by way of teams like Plan B and Creature, H Street is definitely back. Ron Allen, Eddie Elguera, Art Godoy, David Hackett and Allysha Bergado make up the rejuvenated team and we all hope that they are here to stay.

For their first project, I say they bring back the PAT CHANNITA bright red skate shoe.

Lakai Team Signing Hosted By Sun Diego

November 18, 2009 – 7:31 pm PT by Mike

There’s no team I follow as closely as the Lakai team.  Although I do have my favorite skate companies such as Nike SB, Foundation, Toy Machine, and GRAND PRIX, Lakai has something that the rest of the teams don’t:  SPIKE JONZE.  Girl has Spike Jonze but they’re currently not as active as Lakai.  But when Lakai put out the WTWTR skate sneaker, my head nearly blew off.  Those had to be about the sickest shoes to come out of a shoe company in a long time.  They were even cooler than the limited edition Michael Jackson LA GEARS.

So that begs the question, “What happened with shoe companies coming out with something special?”  Are they just so jaded by the fact that the NIKE dominated market, with fugly shoes no less, have no room or budget to put out a real limited edition sneaker that people will be talking about for years to come?  I don’t know but I remember the days when we kids were excited about what was coming out.  And these shoes had more BUCKLES than you can count.  And SPIKES that would make DANIEL DiCRISCIO proud.  I miss those days of real sneakers.

Anyway if you have the time, and I know you do, take a trip down to Escondido to meet the best skate team in the world.  Lakai along with Mike Mo, Marc Johnson, Brandon Biebel, Rick Howard, Mike Carroll, Rob Welsh, Jeff Lenoce, and Vincent Alvarez, will be on hand to shake your hand and sign your FACE.  And anyone who purchases a pair of Lakai Sneakers will get themselves a free Lakai t-shirt.

Tony Hawk’s RIDE Featured In The WSJ

November 18, 2009 – 7:10 pm PT by Mike

Ordinarily I would tell you to stay away from anything affiliated with News Corp., also known as Fox News, because of their one sided stance on any topic ranging from guns to hip hop music. Basically they’re a bunch of lying bastards using corporate media to push the objective of Rupert Murdoch and right wing politics. They’re crazy. Sean Hannity? Nutjob. Bill O’Reilly? Cuckoo. Many of their guests as well have no credibility and it’s mind boggling as to why these hosts continue to invite them on for commentary. Doesn’t the entire world know that KARL ROVE was one of the scumbags responsible for outing the CIA agent? And when will Fox report that ANN COULTER is half man? But once in a while, they will put out some made of pure gold.

GLEN BECK (pictured above) is one of those examples. While most men like to show off their machismo with big trucks and hot women, Glen knows how to show his more compassionate and sensitive side. He’s not afraid to show the world what a real man looks like. And I believe that if more guys were like Glen, this world would be a brighter place. And perhaps a lot more scared.

Taking time out of his busy career flying around like a hawk saving communities from skateboardinglessness, Hawk Man-X himself spoke with the Wall Street Journal’s own skateboarding correspondent about his new video game Ride, his sons, and the Tony Hawk Foundation. Real Fox News reporting though would have gotten a story on Tony Hawk’s relationship to Osama bin Laden by doing a nose manuel through the halls of the WHITE HOUSE. Check out the interview over at the WALL STREET JOURNAL.

Lat34 Interviews Dai Yoshihara

November 18, 2009 – 7:10 am PT by Brian

Mike and I get invited to a lot of different events as members of “the press”, they are usually pretty awesome and we get to hang out and talk to different folks and try to set up interviews for your reading enjoyment.

At one of these events we got to meet Dai Yoshihara, Dai is a world famous dirfter and an all around nice guy. We spoke and setup an interveiw and this is the fruits of that conversation.

What’s your Name?

Daijiro Yoshihara

Where did you grow up?

Tokyo Japan

How did you get into Drifting?

Started on Mountain road in Japan. I was one of street drift racer.

What car do you drive and got any info on the setup?

Currently I drive Nissan S13 240SX powered by Chevy LS2 V8 Engine.

Do you or have you done any other action sports such as skateboarding or BMX?

I do surfing and snowboarding.   Also I have tried BMX when I was young.

What is it like being Japanese and to see a very “Japanese” sport such as drifting, become so huge is the USA ?

It’s very cool!  Drifting is started as a sport in Japan. But I’m sure people have been drifting around the cars anywhere in the world.  So now I hope it will  a professional sports like in the U.S in internationally.

The writers (Mike and I) here at Lat34 are big fans of the Japanese comedian “Razor Ramon HG” are you familiar with his work? If so what do you think about him?

LOL! How you guys know him? That’s so funny.  He was kinda popular a few years ago but now he’s gone…

How would you recommend that someone get into the sport of drifting as a driver?

It’s an awesome sport and very fun to do!  But  it’s not that cheap, just like any other motorsports. You should spend money in the range that you can pay. Then you can enjoy it for a long time.

I’ve read that you live in both Southern California and Tokyo Japan, have you ever gone to Yoyogi Park near Harajuku station and tried to dance battle the rockabilly dancers?

Wow you guys seem like knowing a lot of Japanese culture! Yea, I’ve been there many times but never tried to dance with those people…

Who are your sponsors?

Falken Tire, Discout Tire, KW Suspension, SPARCO,  GT Channel.com,

What music do you listen to; to get pumped while driving?

J-POP!

And finally have you ever thought about wearing short biker shorts and a mesh tank top while practice driving to help with air circulation?

LOL! It would be nice but I don’t think it’s safe!

Any shout outs you would like to give?

Drift or Dai!!

Foundation Team Live From The Road Tour

November 18, 2009 – 1:21 am PT by Mike

I love the FLIP team especially because some of my favorite skaters of all time came from that team or are still part of that team. Tom Penny and Geoff Rowley are some of my all time favorites because I could relate to them. They are about the same height as I am and around the same body figure. I have been able to put on a little more MUSCLE over the years but as a kid, I felt that if they could jump down 14 stair handrails, I could at least attempt and eat crap down 14 stair handrails. I looked to guys like them for inspiration to hone the little skills I had.

Just as I did, I know there are thousands of kids who love the flip team and for the reasons I followed them closely, there are hundreds more that make them so special. That’s why when they hit the road for their east coast tour, you kiddies need to let them know what’s up because they should be paying a little more respect to you guys. It’s bad enough that nobody ever goes out to see you guys. But when they do, they give some half-ass tour that hardly anybody can make. Some of these kids must drive hundreds of miles just to get to the closest skate shop their demoing.

But I guess that it must be understood that time is money and it’s hard especially after a recession, for our favorite skate teams to make every city and every town. But that’s why it’s time to get creative. And that’s exactly what the FOUNDATION TEAM are doing as they tour the east cost.

The Foundation team is Live From The Road! Email in your questions, secret spots, love, phone number, gossip, hate or anything to keep them going while out on the road in North Carolina. Sierra Fellers, Angel Ramierz, Gareth Stehr, David Reyes, Abdias Rivera & Nick Merlino all hope to cross paths with some of you while they are Live From The Road.

So you see how that works? Instead of the teams going to these exact locations, you can just catch Foundation somewhere in the middle. Plus you’re helping them out with territories they are not familiar with. Another great idea from a sick team.

Win The New Fall Out Boy CD Along With A Snowboard

November 18, 2009 – 12:44 am PT by Mike

There’s so much to love about Fall Out Boy. Now just to make sure you’re not getting mixed up here, I’m talking about the original Fall Out Boy and not the fictional cartoon character created on the decades long hit television show THE SIMPSONS. Fall Out Boy, the band, have entertained us for many years and in more ways than one. In what was thought to be the twilight of EMO music, came a band that not only looks Emo, but also attributes a different type of flare and flavor on top of their Emoistic style. And as the entire music scene knows, style is everything. What other band can get away with twirling in circles on day, and then take photos of themselves naked the next day just to be seen by the WORLD on TMZ? What other band can pull off dating one of the SIMPSONS girls and not get a migraine in the process? And what other band has a style so cool, that the chick from John & KATE Plus 8 would want to steal their hairstyle? In essence, the world has never experienced a band like them before that embody sight, sound, touch, smell, and I guess you can include taste. As you can see, I AM the ultimate Fall Out Boy fan and I deserve to have everything by and with them. I’m even buying box seats for Chicago, which that dude Pete Wenz’s wife is starring in due to her termination on Melrose Place. And if that doesn’t speak about my loyalty, I don’t know what does.

The above example is what I will be turning in for a chance to win the new Fall Out Boy CD and a brand new Ride Snowboard. If you want a chance to compete with me in the contest, go to the TWCONTEST website and submit your answer as to why you deserve the CD and Ride Snowboard in 250 words or less.

Chat with Supergirl Jam Snowboard Stars - Thursday, Nov. 19th

November 17, 2009 – 10:12 am PT by Brian

I remember when chatting on AOL was all the rage. You would go into these huge chat rooms and talk about all sorts of random stuff. There were rooms such as “Sonic Youth Fans Only” and “Punk/Ska”.

The “Punk/Ska” room was my favorite room; nothing but a bunch of 14 year old dudes calling each other “poseurs” and talking about who was more “punk”, Tim Armstrong or Glenn Danzig. It was really great to see our nations youth embroiled in such verbal combat. The one good thing about the “Punk/Ska” is I learned about a lot of great bands such as Backside, Anti-Flag, and The Dropkick Murphys from other folks in that chat room. Good times Good times….

The folks over at BFD.com are doing a chat room on their site with Super Girl Jam Snowboarders, Laurie Currier and  Chanelle Sladics. Along with the gift of gab with these ladies the first 10 participants get free Mt. High Lift Tickets. Keep reading more more info:

Calling all ‘actionistas’ and snowboarding fanatics! Here’s your chance to chat with two-time - 2008 and 2009 - Supergirl Snowboard Rail Jam
Champion Laurie Currier and X Games snowboarding medallist and Supergirl Jam Ambassador Chanelle Sladics.
On Thursday, November 19, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT Laurie and Chanelle will be online at www.bfd.com giving you all the news from
the slopes and about this year’s snowboarding season. As stars of the Supergirl Jam Snowboard Rail Jam contest, they can be seen in action when
the 2009 Supergirl Jam airs on FUEL TV on Monday, Nov. 30th at 8:00 p.m. ET. They’re here to represent and promote the females in action sports.
Be one of the first 10 participants who asks a question which is answered and receive a FREE one-day lift ticket to Southern California’s Mt.
High Resort!
Mark your calendars - Thursday, November 19th at 8:00 p.m. East coast/5:00 p.m. West coast. Be there!