The band was formed in 1995 under the name Phineas Gage by high school classmates Tim Rogner and John "Johnny" Hamada. Eric "Skippy" Mueller later joined the band in 1996. In 1996, the band changed their name to Allister, to pay tribute to Alasdair Gillis from the Canadian TV show "You Can't Do That on Television". The band released their debut studio album, "Dead Ends and Girlfriends" in 1999 through Drive-Thru Records.