Maz to Miami One of the club scene's most popular DJs, Joe Maz, is leaving us for greener (and much warmer) pastures. Maz, a regular DJ at Aqua and Elixir, has landed a residency at a big club in Miami. He leaves in a week. Elixir will host Maz's going-away party on Tuesday night, featuring more than 20 of his DJ peers. Jado Hark, the owner of Aqua and Elixir, said this about losing his music man: "We're so happy for him. We want to see Joe grow. And he's done as much as he possibly can in this city." I.W. says: Joe, don't forget about our frostbitten butts when you're catching a tan on those Miami beaches.
TOM HORGEN
A guitarist 'on the front edge of cool' Bruce Allen, guitarist of the hugely popular Twin Cities rock band the Suburbs, was remembered Monday as a ladies man, a gentle man and a funny man. Allen, 54, died Dec. 7 of organ failure after enduring years of heart problems. A letter was read from New York musician Steve Almaas, Bruce's friend since boyhood and a member of the Suicide Commandos. According to Almaas, a classmate once said: "Bruce, you were always on the front edge of cool." Commandos guitarist Chris Osgood, Allen's bandmate in the X-Boys, read an e-mail from Bruce's daughter, Kricket Lane, who works at a New York art museum. A couple hundred mourners heard from X-Boys singer Casey Macpherson and Suburbs drummer Hugo Klaers, who remembered Bruce's desire to "play one more encore -- always." Suburbs pianist Chan Poling and Osgood played a slow, jazzy, instrumental treatment of the Burbs' classic "Love Is the Law," which filled the church with beauty, grace and tears. Then the inimitable Curtiss A did the Beatles' "In My Life" on solo acoustic guitar, the perfect blend of prettiness and rawness. Always the quipster, Curtiss A said he is contemplating a movie called "The Funeral Singer." Others talked about the musical sendoff they'll hold Feb. 13 at First Avenue. 'Burbs frontman Beej Chaney -- who lives in California now -- will be there, said Klaers.
JON BREAM
Reviving "Gospel"? When the Steeles announced that their 25th anniversary holiday show this year would be their last for a while, specu-lation ran rampant: Were they breaking up? No. J.D. Steele explained the situation during their farewell-for-now Christmas show Saturday at the Fitzgerald. The Steeles are aiming for a return engagement in "Gospel at Colonus," the musical that helped launch their Twin Cities career in 1983 at the Guthrie Theater. Various Steele siblings have toured in "Colonus" -- from Broadway to Athens. Now they want to bring "Colonus" back to the Twin Cities. "Call the Ordway and say, 'Do the deal' on 'Gospel at Colonus,'" Steele urged his captive Christmas crowd. Ah, that J.D., part preacher, part pitchman.
JON BREAM
Romantica quickie When local country-rock quartet Romantica was struggling to get out of its label deal with the nearly dormant 2024 Records earlier this year, the members hatched an idea to fulfill its contract: "Let's make a quick record, not spend a lot of time on it, but still do it with integrity," frontman Ben Kyle recalled. The band followed through in March during South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, spending an entire day holed up in pals Grand Champeen's studio, making up an album on the spot using a notebook of Kyle's lyrics. There was only one problem with the results. "We wound up being pretty excited about what we had," Kyle said. Thus, instead of turning in the songs to 2024, Romantica is self-releasing its Texas record with a party at the Cedar Cultural Center on Sunday (7:30 p.m., $10-$12). This is not the full-blown, carefully crafted album the band has been working on for almost a year now -- look for that maybe in the spring -- but it's indeed a keeper, whimsically titled "Control Alt-Country Delete" and full of 10 laid-back, off-the-cuff, twang-laden tracks, a few of which have become live staples, such as "Blue Heart" and "How to Feel." The band has since paid a lump sum to settle with 2024, by the way. "Delete," indeed.
CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER
