Blacklite District
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Blacklite District | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Spearfish, South Dakota, USA |
| Genres | Rock, Alternative, Electronic, Pop |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Labels | Silent Majority Group, Warner Music Group |
| Website | www.bldmusic.com |
Blacklite District (also referred to as bLd) is an electronic hard rock duo hailing from Spearfish, South Dakota, formed in 2002 by vocalists Kyle Pfeiffer and Roman James. In 2014, the group scored two consecutive No. 1 singles on SiriusXM Octane, landed Top 40 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart, sold over 90,000 units, and toured the country with acts such as Saving Abel, Art of Dying, Jackyl, Royal Bliss and Nonpoint as well as many others. Blacklite District's major label debut, "Worldwide Controversy", was released on April 22, 2014, after leaking to piracy sites on April 21.
Blacklite District released it's sophomore album To Whom It May Concern on October 7, 2016, featuring the hit singles "The Struggle" and "We Are The Danger".
History
The roots of Blacklite District go back to 2002 when vocalists Kyle Pfeiffer and Roman James began jamming together at the ages of 12 and 11 respectively. After writing and recording many demos, and playing live in the Black Hills area for many years, they were discovered by Grammy Award-winning producer Stephen Short, in early 2011. After signing a production deal, Short took the band to Sonic Ranch Studios in May 2011 to record their seven-track debut release, This Is Where It Ends', which was released on November 11 of that year.
In September 2011, bLd released their debut single, "I'm Still Right Here", to hometown station KDDX (X-ROCK 101.1 and 103.5) in five states in the Midwest, where it received airplay during late 2011 and early 2012. The group followed the release of the single with a debut concert at the Whisky A Go-Go on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California on October 28.
In early 2012, bLd relocated from the Black Hills of South Dakota to Los Angeles, to start a West Coast tour, and continue promotion on the This Is Where It Ends release. On April 15, bLd was featured as a performer at the 40th Anniversary Party at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in Hollywood. In May, the band finalized their video plans to shoot "Left Behind", which would serve as the band's second single. The single/video was released on August 28 to much online success.[citation needed]
In September 2012, bLd announced on their Facebook and Twitter pages that they had signed with Creed and Paramore manager Jeff Hanson (music executive), and would relocate to Orlando, Florida to release a new album for Silent Majority Group and Warner Music Group. It was also announced that the new album will be produced by Brett Hestla, producer of bands Framing Hanley, Tantric, and Dark New Day.
On 12-12-12, the band posted a new sample of music, which ended up being the single "With Me Now". The same day, it was announced that the advance single, "Take Me To The Grave", would be debuting on SiriusXM.
On December 19, "Take Me To The Grave" debuted on SiriusXM Octane. Three days later, the single hit #13 on Octane's "Big Uns" countdown, marking the first time Blacklite District has entered national radio charts. The song was released to iTunes on January 2, 2013. On January 3, it was announced that "Take Me To The Grave" hit #1 on SiriusXM Octane's Playlist. On January 19, the song peaked at #7 on the Big 'Uns Countdown. For the week ending January 25, the song shot onto the US Active Rock charts at #82, marking Blacklite District's debut on Mainstream Charts. On March 7, the band released "I Gambled and I Won" as the third track from the upcoming album.
On April 4, it was announced that Blacklite District would be joining Saving Abel and Art of Dying on a spring tour, marking bLd's first major tour.
"With Me Now", was released as a single to radio September 2013, to much commercial success. The song spent 5 weeks at #1 on SiriusXM Octane, and hit #15 on the US Rock Singles Sales chart by RadioContraband.com, and reached #32 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart. The single has sold over 90,000 copies, been streamed over a million times on Spotify, and has 1.8 million views on YouTube.
In August 2014, BLD cancelled their summer headlining tour. It was later revealed on Facebook that the band cited legal problems with their record label.
In May 2016, Blacklite District released "We Are The Danger" as an advanced track from their second album, To Whom It May Concern, which will be released worldwide on October 7, 2016.
On August 23, "The Struggle" was release to radio and To Whom It May Concern went for pre-order at digital retailers. Revolver Magazine premiered the music video for "The Struggle" on August 25. The band also announced a 41 date tour called "The Struggle Is Real Tour", which is kicking off on September 15 in Hutchingson, KS.
Blacklite District released To Whom It May Concern on October 7, 2016, and debuted at #53 on Amazon Music's Top 100 Electronic Albums chart, and took in 1,000,000 streams combined through platforms like YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music. Lead single "The Struggle" landed at #53 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart, and is expected to break the Top 40 by the end of the year.
Discography
Albums
| Title | Release date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide Controversy | April 20, 2014 | Silent Majority Group |
| To Whom It May Concern | October 7, 2016 | AK19 Entertainment |
Singles
| Year | Title | Billboard Mainstream Rock | Under The Radar |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | "Take Me To The Grave" | #80 | - |
| 2014 | "With Me Now" | #32 | #12 |
| 2016 | "We Are The Danger" | #99 | - |
| 2016 | "The Struggle" | #36 | #19 |
Members
- Kyle Pfeiffer - lead vocals, producer, guitar, keyboards, programming (2002–present)
- Roman James - lead vocals, guitar, bass (2002–present)
- Chauncey Kochel - artwork (2002–present)
Former Members
- Graham Spillman - drums, vocals (2011-2013)
- Chris Mardini - touring drummer (2013-2014)
Milestones
- Two No. 1 singles on SiriusXM Octane ("Take Me To The Grave" & "With Me Now") - 2013 & 2014
- Top 40 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart - "With Me Now" (Feb. 2014)
- Top 20 on RadioContraband's Under The Radar Chart - "With Me Now" (#12) [March 2014]
- 100,000+ digital download sales
- Several national tours and high-profile concerts and festival appearances with top rock acts like Seether, Halestorm, and All That Remains
- "We Are The Danger" music video release iwas premiered with major support on Vevo - April 2016
- Top 100 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart - "We Are The Danger" (June 2016)
- "The Struggle" music video was premiered with a full digital media campaign with Revolver Magazine - August 2016
- Top 40 on RadioContraband's Under The Radar Chart - "The Struggle" (#36) [09.20.16]
- The "Nightcore" version of "With Me Now" hits 1,000,000 streams - August 2016
- The "Nightcore" version of "The Struggle" hits 750,000 streams in its first month - October 2016
- Top 40 Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart - "The Struggle" (Nov. 2016)
- Second album To Whom It May Concern debuts at #53 on Amazon's Top 100 Albums Chart - October 7, 2016
- "Broken Souls" Single Top 5 Most Added at Billboard Mainstream Rock Indicator - (November 19, 2016)