Tom Maslowski

     Colonel Chloroform started in 2006 as a way for me to legitimize my start as a guitar teacher. I am primarily a bassist, and at the time I was beginning to give lessons. It was brought to my attention that I could get more students playing guitar. Well, I didn't wanna be a faker so I started writing some songs. The first one I came up with is now called Major Tom's Funk. I got ahold of one of my favorite drummers to play with.... Doneco Nudi. I've know that dude since I the 6th grade. He's been in so many great bands that inspired our music community such as FarOutOfMe and MilkPlow. I was really grateful to play with this guy. I was beyond excited when Phil Lazzari came on board. This guy's tone and melody compositions are like none other. I could be on a different planet nine dimensions away and still know Phil's guitar sound. Phil began enchanting the world with his music back in the 90's With his Band Gowhead. He and Bret Figura went on to play music in a ton of different bands such as The Stone City Stragglers and The Real Gone. Jim Allen is an alien. I don't know how else to say it. He's another guy with a signature bass tone. The first time I saw Jim play was inn A band called Displacement Of Anger at a TV studio in Barrington Illinois. Bands were playing shows while being televised on a local cable access channel. Jim was a major force in Chicago band MilkPlow. He is a song writing machine. As I type this in October 2020, Jim and Phil came up with thirty new song ideas during the spring season while all of us were on quarantine lockdown from the COVID-19 Corona virus. We kept ourselves connected via virtual multitrack apps on our phones. I had to run to keep up with them. I've learned a great deal about being a guitarist playing in a band with these great people. We hope you enjoy our music.

     There is something so special about the musical abilities of John Condron. He was traveling the world with a choir at a very early age. He formed a band called Poets and Slaves out of Philly, and began recording and touring the United States. They ended up in Joliet along there travels stopping at a place called Chicago Street Bar & Grill. He found a place to crash in in the building above the bar. He ended up staying. His band ended up leaving. John began working at the bar as he was starting a new project, John Condron and The Benefit. He helped build what is now Third City Sound on the third floor. John would later go on to own the bar with Michael Trizna, and that's where our paths had crossed. Chicago Street Pub is a mecca, a safe haven, a Dark tower if you will. It is a nexus where the area's musicians came together. So many bands have come out of that bar. It's one of the most special places in the universe. Doneco Nudi and I were the rhythm section for the house band during their monthly open mic. Keyboardist and frontman Kevin Krauss was the leader of that whole thing. Don and I would be on stage the entire night backing up different singer/songwriters. John happened to catch one of those nights when we all met. John was famous at the time for "Thirty Seconds Of Any Song" when Don first caught wind of Condron. We all chatted and decided to start playing together. John had just released his first acoustic solo album "If Any Or At All". I began learning the album to be played on upright bass. We had Mr. Pat Otto with us and mandolin back then. In 2014 we went into Third City Sound to film a video of our full band rendition of John's "Walking In Place". Zorn Orlich is a great friend of John's, and he graciously agreed to handle the filming and editing. William Phillip Aldridge was the engineer. Pat drifted away to leave a little room for Ellis Wright on sax. This guy has become such a valuable member of our community let alone any band that he's in. Ellis is basically in every band out of Joliet hahaha! Together we went back in to Third City Sound to record "Dead Tree" as John Condron and The Old Gang Orchestra. We can't wait to create and share more music with you. And believe me, there's more coming....

     I started playing with Alex Hoffer immediately upon meeting him at the ever famous Chicago Street Pub in 2014. That was a crazy year for music. So many bands were coming together out of that place at that time. Right after The Old Gang Orchestra got off stage at Joliet music festival, Hopstring Fest, we headed to where Alex was playing to join him for an impromptu set. He didn't even know we were coming. Drummer Doneco Nudi, mandolinist Pat Otto, and myself on bass walked on in and asked if we could play per recommendation of a good mutual friend of ours. I've recorded two different albums with Alex. One of them is still available on line if you tap the button below. I've played on large stages opening for large acts with. We even got on Windy City Live for a song! Alex is a great person as well as a song writer. He's always been a solid and honest band leader. I've enjoyed playing music with this dude over the years. I look forward to creating new music with Alex and company in the future.