Jim got his first guitar when he was 7 (an acoustic with action so high it cut his fingers). In high school and college, Jim played folk music on his guitar (CSNY, James Taylor), and performed in musical comedies. After college, Jim crossed paths with Alex Vesselinovitch, who saw him in a musical and asked Jim to do the vocals for a band that evolved into Mea Culpa, a Chicago cover band. With Mea Culpa, Jim performed at venues from the Glenview House to Grant Park during the 1990s. Jim recently finished a CD of original songs, distributed by his own Mystical label (and on amazon.com), and played in clubs including the resurrected (Biddy) Mulligan’s under names such as Collectively Unconscious and the Jim O’Connell All-Star Band.

Began playing guitar at age 11 (Beatles, right?). On to bands & rock'n tunes in High School with bands Damien, Ambivalence, and others on stage for school dances and parties in the Burlington, VT area. Continued on to form Bacchanalia, and later, The Frank Band, playing at frat parties and ski lodges. In those wild days of ‘79 Paul moved to Chicago and joined  The Slammer Band, then Sidekix playing Chicago nightclubs. Most recently gigging and recording with The Fabulous Beyondos .  Influences include Eric Clapton, BB King, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Santana, Jimmy Hendrix, Alvin Lee, Joe Walsh, and others. To this day playing guitar is a passion that’s still exciting. Playing with Toast is where the Rock-n-roll hat is currently hung, and loving it!

Howie has been a mainstay on the music circuit for 25 years, starting with bands back in 1979 in Canada. For 15 of those years, Howie played with Hansen Records recording Artists, Adam and Kris, and Coral Records top twenty hit singles recording artist, Richard Samuels at clubs in Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Maui, San Diego, and Manhattan Beach, California. Following a move to Chicago in 1993, Howie continued his musical pursuits playing with the Greg Walters Band where club stops included Biddy Mulligan’s, US Beer, North Beach, Mickey Finns, Chasers, The Glenview House, Whiskey River, Burton Place, CJ Arthur’s, and XRT’s Friends of the Park, Buckingham Fountain Concert. Howie now focuses his efforts on the band, Toast.

Dateline 1964: Ed Sullivan and the Beatles inspire me to play guitar at age 9...not alone here. It was a delightful National solid body resonator.....God how I wish I still had that one. 5 years of classical, jazz and pop lessons and Brian joins first high school band but too many guitar players but no bass players......enter the 3 string junk ball bass. .....Hey I like this thing.......sounds really devastating. Plays just like a guitar but Sooooooooo Looooooooooow. 10 years of party and wedding bands and the school of hard knocks is over: Now I play for fun and profit.  Brian was also a member of The Fabulous Beyondos, and Father D. & The Disciples of Soul. Brian has been spotted on stages as remote as Oregon with his wide nework of musician friends.