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Blacklite District

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Blacklite District
Blacklite District in 2024
Blacklite District in 2024
Background information
OriginSpearfish, South Dakota, United States
GenresRock
Years active
  • 2002–2014
  • 2016-present
Labels
Members
  • Kyle Phiffer
  • Justin Sundlin
  • Clinton Cunanan
Past members
  • Nick "Roman" James
  • Todd May
  • Brandon Schmidt
  • Kjay Culver
  • Toby Calhoon
  • Chauncey Kochel
  • Matt O'Rourke
  • Graham Spillman
Websiteblacklitedistrict.net

Blacklite District is an American rock band formed in Spearfish, South Dakota in 2002 by vocalist Kyle Phiffer. The band also comprises of guitarist Justin Sundlin and bassist Clinton Cunanan. The band has four songs which have reached Top 40 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart .[1]

Career

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Formation & This is Where it Ends (2002-2013)

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Blacklite District was formed in 2002 by childhood friends Kyle Phiffer and Nick "Roman" James. The two would often switch out members and change the parts they played until settling on James singing and Phiffer playing guitar. In 2011 Blacklite District recruited bassist Chauncey Kochel & drummer Matt O'Rourke. The same year the band met with producer Stephen Short, who produced the "This Is Where It Ends" demo EP at the Sonic Ranch in 2011.

Worldwide Controversy (2012-2014)

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In 2012, they were discovered by Creed manager Jeff Hanson who signed them with Silent Majority Group. Hanson referred the band to former Creed bassist Brett Hestla, who produced their debut album, and drummer Graham Spillman. They released the Singles "Take Me To The Grave" in 2012, followed by With Me Now on July 10, 2013. They released the EP "With Me Now" on October 13, 2013, which featured the first five songs from their debut album. They went on tour with the bands Saving Abel and Art of Dying. They released their debut album "Worldwide Controversy" the following year.[2] Their first charting single, "With Me Now", peaked at #34 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in 2013.[3] Pfeiffer considers the release of "With Me Now" and “Take Me to the Grave” a "turning point" for the band.[4]

To Whom It May Concern (2015-2016)

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The band got into some legal trouble with the band causing them to cancel their tour and Phiffer to start the side project "Paradise Over" They released their second album "To Whom It May Concern" on October 7, 2016. Pfeiffer shifted to vocals and James switched to guitar and bass. The album leaned more towards hip hop and pop. Both "The Struggle" and "Broken Souls" received significant radio play across America.

On October 10, 2016, Rock Rage Radio interviewed Pfeiffer.[5] In the interview, Pfeiffer discussed the band's newly released album 'To Whom it May Concern' and the song 'The Struggle', saying that the meaning of it is about him losing his mother to a drug overdose when he was a little kid. He also discussed Nightcore versions of the band's songs, crediting them as significantly boosting the band's visibility. He emphasizes the band's commitment to authenticity and their global reach.

Instant Gratification (2017)

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In 2017, Blacklite District released their third album, titled "Instant Gratification". Their single "Cold as Ice" reached #35 on Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay in January 2018. The band collaborated with Minecraft animator Rainimator to produce animated music videos for their songs. The music video for Cold as Ice has over 78 million views on YouTube.

Through the Ages (2018)

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The song "Hard Pill to Swallow" was released by the band on October 10, 2018, as the lead single for their forth album "Through the Ages", stating that the song ushered in a "new era" for Blacklite District. The 10-song album featured very little guitar work. The band also began working with DZFX Media for their live-action music videos.[3]

Souled Out (2019)

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The band released "Never Came Around" on March 22, 2019, followed by "Me Against the World"[6][3] on September 6, 2019, as the lead singles for their fifth album, titled Souled Out. The latter was featured on Sirius XM Octane.

You're Welcome (2020)

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In early 2020, Blacklite District announced that Pfeiffer and James would be going their separate ways. On July 17, 2020, the band released "You're Welcome". The single "Falling" peaked No. 34 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock charts. It was accompanied by a Minecraft-themed music video which peaked at #3 trending on YouTube.[7][2][8]

1990 (2021)

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Pfeiffer checked into drug rehab on January 6, 2021. While in rehab he continued to write songs. On December 31, 2021, Blacklite District released the album "1990", produced by Brett Hestla "Gotta Get Outta Here" was released on October 1 as the lead single. The song spent 16 weeks in the top-40 of the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart and garnered over 10 million combined streams.

Blacklite District - XL & You're Welcome - XL (2022-2023)

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In mid 2022, the band announced that drummer Graham Spillman would be returning to record drums on the five bonus tracks of "1990 - XL". In November of the same year and January of the next, Pfeiffer and Spillman collaborated with long-time producer Brett Hestla and new guitarist Justin Sundlin to record remakes of old tracks, dubbed "XL" tracks. The band released "Blacklite District - XL" on June 9, 2023, and "You're Welcome - XL" on December 8, 2023.

You Can Do Better (2024-present)

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In late 2023, Blacklite District began recording their eighth album in a studio jointly owned by them and the band Judd Hoos. The album is the first to feature new bassist Clinton Cunanan. The album was released on May 3, 2024.

Chart History

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Billboard US charting[9]

  • "With Me Now" (2014) - No. 34 Mainstream Rock Songs
  • "Cold As Ice" (2018) - No. 35 Mainstream Rock Songs
  • "Falling" (2020) - No. 33 Mainstream Rock Songs
  • "Gotta Get Outta Here" (2022) - No. 31 Mainstream Rock Songs

Memebers

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Discography

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Studio albums

  • Worldwide Controversy (2014)
  • To Whom It May Concern (2016)
  • Instant Gratification (2017)
  • Through the Ages (2018)
  • Souled Out (2019)
  • You're Welcome (2020)
  • 1990 (2021)
  • You Can Do Better (2024)

References

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  1. ^ "Chart History: Blacklite District". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Monger, James Christopher. "Biography: Blacklite District". AllMusic. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Rutherford, Kevin (October 10, 2018). "Blacklite District Begin 'New Era' With 'Hard Pill to Swallow': Song & Video Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  4. ^ "INTERVIEW – KYLE PFEIFFER OF BLACKLITE DISTRICT". Cryptic Rock. January 16, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  5. ^ Blacklite District (2016-10-10). Rock Rage Radio Interviews Kyle Pfeiffer. Retrieved 2024-05-25 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ Johnson, Jasmine (July 21, 2020). "A Look at Blacklite District's Debut Album, 'You're Welcome'". Respect. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  7. ^ Thompson, Nathan (October 29, 2020). "Spearfish rocker's single reaches Billboard Top 40 list". Rapid City Journal. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  8. ^ Joseph, Blake (November 12, 2020). "Blacklite District's music surges on multiple platforms". KOTA-TV. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  9. ^ "Blacklite District | Biography, Music & News". Billboard.
  10. ^ District, Blacklite. "Blacklite District Website". Blacklite District. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
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