Arts DEVO

There is a basketball god Arts DEVO loves NBA basketball more than most of life’s distractions, and the Kings are his favorite team. But with a seemingly airtight offer from Seattle investors on the table, and team owners who had written off the capital city, I had honestly given up hope that they would be playing any more games in Sacramento. But Monday, an NBA relocation committee decided that Seattle shouldn’t be allowed to steal the Kings to replace the Sonics that were stolen and moved to Oklahoma City five years ago. (And it’s expected that a formal vote on May 19 by all 30 NBA team owners will support the decicion.) Thank you for electing a former NBA player as mayor, Sacramento! Bless you, Kevin Johnson!

And, there was other awesome—and ultimately way more significant—NBA news on Monday as well: Washington Wizards center Jason Collins came out as the first openly gay professional male athlete on a major American sports team. It takes guts to be the first, and Collins’ courage will likely inspire more athletes to take the leap out. If we get to the point where pro athletes are modeling tolerance and acceptance, then maybe the politicians and voting public will be inspired to follow suit.

April sunshine brings … May sunshine! Maybe it’s the hot winds whipping around tree limbs and STOP signs outside my office window, but I’ve got a lot of fun local news flying across my desk that needs to be neatly stacked for sharing:

• New album: This becomes a weekly thing during Chico’s fertile springs. Here is the latest local recording to sprout: French Reform’s (killer!) debut EP, + - +, is available at frenchreform.bandcamp.com right now!

• Friday night with Inspire: The artsy kids from Inspire School start the evening of May 3 with the Inspire Student Art Gallery reception at Beatniks (6-8 p.m.), and close the night with a five-band all-high-school live bill at Café Coda (8 p.m.) featuring Light Project, Absolute Greatness, Fill The Void, Descent, Humor and Wit, and Red Bullet.

• Your monthly Chai: Chico Chai now has a tasting room (1919 Park Ave.), and will be welcoming visitors the first Sunday of every month to come taste, learn and buy tins, quarts or gallons of chai to take home. First tasting: Sunday, May 5, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

• Return of the gangster, again: Coolio is coming to Chico? Yes, the man behind “Gangster’s Paradise” is landing at Lost on Main Wednesday, May 8, and tickets are only $10!

• Circle May 11 in red: Make it an epic Chico Saturday: Pick up your locally made art, crafts and clothing at Chikoko’s annual Spring Bizarre Bazaar at the Chico Women’s Club, then head over to the 1078 Gallery for the Music for Music fest, featuring an eclectic lineup of some of Chico’s best acts—The Railflowers, Lish Bills, Bogg, Pat Hull, and more—playing inside and outside.

• And circle May 25 in blood! That sound of crashing mountains you hear is Kinski rumbling in the distance as they make their way back to Chico to play at Café Coda with West by Swan and San Diego’s Tropical Popsicle.