Representative Albums: "Dead Ends and Girlfriends," "Before the Blackout," "Last Stop Suburbia"
Biography
Chicago punk-pop combo Allister was formed in 1995 by vocalist/drummer Tim Rogner and guitarist Johnny Hamada, longtime classmates who first teamed in a cover band organized to play their school talent show. The duo expanded to a trio the following year after Hamada met bassist Eric "Skippy" Mueller at the University of Illinois, and in early 1997 the group played their first live date under their original name, Phineas Gage. They eventually rechristened themselves Allister after a character on the children's program You Can't Do That on Television; accordingly, the band's 1998 Drive-Thru label debut 7" was entitled You Can't Do That on Vinyl. In mid-1998, Mueller assumed second guitar duties following the addition of bassist Scott Murphy. The full-length Dead Ends and Girlfriends followed a year later from Drive-Thru, recorded for a mere $700. Allister's catchy songs and jokester attitude (album cover song choices included the Fraggle Rock theme song) helped build the guys a pretty respectable following. Hamada and Mueller later made their exits, so Rogner not only moved over to guitar, but also added in his brother Chris to fill the vacancies. New drummer Dave Rossi further jumped into the Allister fray. Last Stop Suburbia arrived in 2002, and the album was supported on shows with acts like Less Than Jake, the Starting Line, and Sum 41. The record went on to sell over 80,000 copies. Lineup changes followed post-Suburbia; ex-Showoff guitarist Kyle Lewis joined in place of a departed Chris, and Mike Leverence stepped up to the drumkit. Writing for Allister's next album began in 2003, but was drawn-out due to the band's constant touring. The quartet eventually returned in the fall of 2005 with their third Drive-Thru full-length, the slightly darker Before the Blackout. Following more rounds of touring, including a fall 2006 trip to Japan, Allister announced in March 2007 that they would be going on an indefinite hiatus, so Rogner could be home with his growing family. Lewis and Murphy went on to form the Get Go. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Allister was formed in Chicago, Illinois under their original name Phineas Gage by high school (James B. Conant H.S.) classmates John Hamada (vocals/guitar) and Tim Rogner (vocals/drums) with Eric "Skippy" Mueller (bass) in 1996. The following year, they changed their name to Allister, paying homage to Alasdair Gillis from the Canadian TV show You Can't Do That on Television. Upon being submitted a short demo tape, Drive-Thru Records decided to put out their debut release: a 7 inch vinyl record containing four songs, titled You Can't Do that on Vinyl (1998). Before the end of the year, Allister added another guitarist to the band, so Mueller took over guitar duties while Scott Murphy joined on bass.
In 1999, Drive-Thru Records released the band's full-length CD Dead Ends and Girlfriends with that very line-up. The catchy 32-minute album, which was recorded with a production budget of a mere $700, featured playful yet promising pop punk tunes, along with covers of the Fraggle Rocktheme song and the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It that Way". Within the following years, Mueller quit Allister. Hamada eventually quit as well, after tracking some songs for the group's follow-up record. Rogner replaced Mueller on the rhythm guitar, while Rogner's younger brother Chris filled Hamada's shoes on lead guitar and David Rossi joined on drums.
With the aid of producer Chris Fudurich, the band recorded their second full-length album Last Stop Suburbia in 2002, showcasing a certain degree of growth in the songwriting of Rogner and Murphy. The album featured several fan-favorites, such as "Radio Player", "Overrated" and "Somewhere on Fullerton" (an ode to the legendary Chicago punk venue, Fireside Bowl), though the band had to part ways with both Rossi and Chris Rogner, who would concentrate on his own band August Premier. The band added Kyle Lewis (guitar) — formerly of Showoff, Now She's Gone and The Fold — and Mike Leverence (drums); formerly of PARR5, the following year. Last Stop Suburbia reached #9 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart.[1]
In 2004, Allister toured the world (including Europe and Japan) and scored a small guest appearance on the big screen in the film Sleepover, before releasing their third album Before the Blackout (2005) and supporting it by co-headlining the "Before the Blackout, after the Breakup Tour" with Fenix*TX.
The group released a cover EP titled Guilty Pleasures only in Japan in late 2006, which was supported by a simultaneous Japanese tour. Before the departure, Rogner learned that he was becoming a father and decided to take a job where he was more available to his family. Allister decided to go on hiatus following another Japanese tour throughout March 2007 — for which former Allister member Chris Rogner took his brother's place — and a farewell show in Chicago. Murphy and Lewis joined the band The Get Go, though Murphy recently left the band.
In 2008, Scott Murphy recorded his solo EP entitled Guilty Pleasures II as a continuation of the band's past work. The album contains a number of Japanese and English cover-songs. The very popular song "Voyage", by Japanese megastar Ayumi Hamasaki was also included. Murphy released another follow-up EP, Guilty Pleasures 3, on December 3, 2008. Guilty Pleasures 3 was certified Gold by RIAJ for shipment of 100,000 copies.[2]
