Nestled in Northern California is a little college town with a lot of flavor. Home to Sierra Nevada Brewery, the largest Costco in the world, Synthesis, and for 70 happy years, the best ice cream ever. Chico’s favorite ice cream and candy parlor, Shubert’s, is making big waves as one of Good Morning America’s four finalists for “The Best Scoop in America”. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of licking a cone-full of Chico Mint, vote for Shubert’s right the heck now!

Other finalists are Moomer’s Ice Cream in Traverse City, Michigan, Jaxson’s Ice Cream Parlor in Dania, Florida, and Ron’s Gourmet Ice Cream in Hyde Park, Massachusettes. All lame names, all not as good.

A new study by the always reliable Shuttleworth Research Center found that the majority of male roommates ages 18-24 got wasted off their asses the previous evening. I do believe the majority of this research was conducted in Chico, CA.

I caught an amazing show in Chico last night. Three Portland bands played Cafe Coda. There were no local support acts, so the show wasn’t very well attended, but this didn’t stop Nick Jaina, Weinland and Norfolk & Western from putting their hearts into it and digging into their strings, horns, drums and woodwinds. Nick Jaina, playing as a seven-piece, stole the show….for me, my girlfriend, and three or four other people who were in there not working or playing in the band. Then Weinland tore it up as well.

Weinland had stayed at my house last time they were through Chico and shot a bit of video. I’m not much for sports, but drinking games? Solid. Here my room mate Paul Valadon explains to touring band Weinland (nee John Weinland) the rules of Putt-Putt Drink-Drink.

Be sure to check out http://www.myspace.com/johnweinland, as they will be on tour for the next seven weeks.

Ah, Spring! Blossoms! Bikinis! AND BLOCK PARTIES!!! Here is the lineup for Seattle’s Capitol Hill Block Party 2008:

Friday July 25
Vampire Weekend
Les Savy Fav
Girl Talk
USE
The Dodos
Jay Reatard
Akimbo
Pwrfl Power
Past Lives
Black Eyes And Neckties
Champagne Champagne
Plus many more!!!

Saturday July 26
Surprise Guest!!
The Hold Steady
Chromeo
Kimya Dawson
Darker My Love
The Builders & The Butchers
The Hands
Velella Velella
The Physics
Man Plus
Little Party And Bad Business
Plus many more!!!

Special presale tickets went on sale yesterday (sorry we’re late!) and the password is BLOCKPARTY. Get a 2-day discounted pass here.

Denver Nuggets All-Star Carmelo Anthony was arrested yesterday morning on charges of drunk driving after weaving in traffic and failing to pass a field sobriety test.

The two-time All-Star, 23, failed a series of field sobriety tests and was taken to a Denver Police Department lockup where he consented to a blood test and posed for the [above] mug shot. The Smoking Gun

Carmelo was later released to a “sober responsible party,” and has a court dater set for May 14th. News of this incident shouldn’t come as any surprise. Anthony’s past is littered with controversy. In 2004 he was cited for marijuana possession, although his friend, James Cunningham, signed an affidavit assuming responsibility for the incident and in 2006 he took part in the infamous Knicks-Nuggets Brawl at Madison Square Garden.

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Though this stellar example of a YouTube video wasn’t filmed in Synthesis’ hometown of Chico, it might as well have been. Only difference is, out here we call them Jager Blasters, but everything else is basically spot on.