Biography
Chicago punk-pop outfit Allister originated in 1995 when longtime schoolmates Tim Rogner and Johnny Hamada, who had previously played together in a cover group assembled for a talent show, decided to start a new project. The lineup grew into a trio the next year once Hamada encountered bassist Eric "Skippy" Mueller at the University of Illinois, and the band played its debut concert under the name Phineas Gage in early 1997. Soon afterward they adopted the name Allister, drawn from a figure on the kids’ series You Can't Do That on Television, which also inspired the title of their 1998 Drive-Thru 7", You Can't Do That on Vinyl. By mid-1998 Scott Murphy had joined on bass while Mueller shifted to second guitar. Their first full-length, Dead Ends and Girlfriends, appeared on Drive-Thru in 1999 after being tracked for just $700. The record’s hook-filled tunes and playful sensibility, evident in choices such as covering the Fraggle Rock theme, steadily expanded their audience. Following the departures of Hamada and Mueller, Rogner switched to guitar and brought in his brother Chris, with Dave Rossi taking over behind the kit. The resulting album Last Stop Suburbia surfaced in 2002 and was promoted through dates alongside Less Than Jake, the Starting Line, and Sum 41, eventually moving more than 80,000 copies. Subsequent personnel shifts saw Chris replaced by ex-Showoff guitarist Kyle Lewis and Mike Leverence installed on drums. Work on the next record commenced in 2003 yet stretched out because of relentless road commitments. The quartet resurfaced in fall 2005 with the somewhat moodier Before the Blackout, again on Drive-Thru. After additional touring that included a Japan visit in fall 2006, the group declared an indefinite hiatus in March 2007 to allow Rogner time at home with his expanding family. Lewis and Murphy subsequently launched the Get Go.
Albums
