Tag: D-Tension

Review: D-Tension – Tales from the Pub

While you were busy doom scrolling, Lowell, Massachusetts rapper / DJ / MC / radio show host / actor / mack / all-around cool dude D-Tension taught himself how to play a guitar and made a rock record – Tales from the Pub. It’s an album entirely played and sung by him and made up of songs based on his life both as a teenager and as a grown man dealing with everything from existential ennui to calling out a possible murderer.

“No Name Song” is instantly relatable to everyone, as it’s about not being able to remember someone’s name within thirty seconds of meeting them. D’s guitar work is loud, sizzling, and echoes his frustration as he tries to remember the name of a hot girl. “Charlie” is the song about the aforementioned suspected murderer – a rich guy who seems above the law while women associated with him have been found in a local river. D, for one, isn’t standing for it any longer (“And when you see Charlie, tell him that I’m on my way. And when you see Charlie, tell him that I know where he lives.”).

D has mentioned in interviews how fellow east-coasters The Smithereens were an inspiration for some of the tracks on the album, and I can hear some of Pat DiNizio‘s vocal influence on “Alone.” “MAGAHAT” is a fun punk track about D discovering a girl he likes is a Trump supporter. Getting back to The Smithereens, Jim Babjak‘s guitar influence comes out on “Other Side of the Road” and in one of D’s best solos on the record.

“Ghost Me” covers one of D’s favorite songwriting subjects – girls who did him wrong. In this track, he professes that he still cares for a gal who ditched him and is willing to meet her again even after she’s been gone for ten years. His guitar work gets psychedelic on “Woodrose,” much to my delight. Crank that reverb!

“Tell me, how we gonna get that magic back?” D asks on “I Love You Anyway,” in which he ponders how to reignite the spark in his relationship but is willing to stick it out through the tough times. “(They Were) In Love” brings in some doo-wop for good measure for a funny song about how weird love is in modern times…yet it’s really as weird as it’s always been.

The White Stripes are another influence D-Tension has mentioned for Tales from the Pub, and that can be heard on “I Give In” with its jangly guitar riffs and simple, raw drum beats. The closer, “The Airport Song,” is one D wrote when we was fifteen-years-old. It’s a fun track about how the airport is a great place to meet girls from all over the world and all different sizes, shapes, races, and religions. It’s easy to picture a teenaged D-Tension standing wide-eyed in Boston airport as gorgeous women keep passing him.

It’s a fun look into D-Tension’s brain, and you can tell he had fun making this record. I’m sure he has more tales to tell, and I can’t wait to hear them.

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to D-Tension.]

D-Tension seeks justice with his new single, “Charlie.”

D-Tension is an award winning musician/vocalist/producer from Lowell, MA. He first made a name for himself as a hip hop artist, touring North America and Europe regularly for two decades. However, like most sample based hip hop producers, D’s love of music was not limited to hip hop. Always a multi instrumentalist, D began to write and record rock and roll songs and took a greater interest in playing the guitar. This passion lead to two “Secret Rock and Roll Projects” that featured D’s songs with collaborations with a team of musicians including guitarists Frank Pino (Watham/Andrew WK) and Craig Silverman (Agnostic Front) and drummer Brian Viglione (Dresden Dolls/Violent Femmes). The Secret Project featured the 2021 single “Kenmore Square,” an ode to the glory days of the Boston rock scene. The song was well received and the video was viewed 125,000 times on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram.

Always up for a challenge, D-Tension is poised to release his first all-solo rock record, Tales from the Pub. D wrote and performed the record in its entirety and the record is set for a spring 2023 release on Boston record label Red On Red Records. His first single, released independently in January 2023  “The No Name Song” was featured on radio, blogs and newspapers nationwide. The first single with Red On Red, “Charlie” manages to be upbeat and catchy despite its dark subject matter; the mysterious deaths of three Lowell women who all happened to disappear while dating the same guy. Known for his use of humor, the song is a bit of a departure for D but showcases his ability to be a multidimensional artist. 

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to D-Tension.]

D-Tension tries to remember with whom he’s speaking on “The No Name Song.”

D-Tension releases the first single, “The No Name Song,” from the upcoming (April 2023) album Tales From The Pub. The album is the one thing D-Tension has yet to do: make a 100% solo album. No guests, no features, no help. D just locked himself in his home studio (his wife’s closet) and wrote, performed and produced an album of fresh new material. D plays guitar, bass, drums and drum programming, keys and sings every note on this record. When the album was done D wasn’t sure what to call it. Then mixing engineer Nick Zampiello of New Alliance East commented “these songs sound like tales from the pub”. That’s because they are. The album is about people watching and bar-life experiences.  

“The No Name Song” is about a universal dilemma: That feeling when you meet someone but can’t remember their name ten seconds after they just told you what it was. How friendships and relationships never happened because you can’t remember their name. The song is also a secret easter egg / ode to songs that mention names. 

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to D-Tension.]

Review: D-Tension – Secret Rock & Roll Project

“So, what did you do during the pandemic?” is a question that’s already a popular conversation starter among those lucky enough to have lived through it. Some us studied French, wrote comic books, and decluttered multiple rooms in their house. Others started new fitness regimes, made babies, read books, built a new bathroom, or didn’t do a damn thing.

Boston area MC, producer, and DJ D-Tension taught himself to play guitar and recorded a rock record, Secret Rock & Roll Project. D-Tension emerged from the pandemic 200 pounds lighter, thanks to his sheer will and new diet, and channeled his love of the late Eddie Van Halen by picking up an axe and, again through his Green Lantern-like will, taught himself how to play.

The result is a fun record that covers gentrification, partying, aging, sex, drugs, and, of course, rock and roll. Opener “Kenmore Square” has D-T musing about how his neighborhood has changed to the point where he no longer recognizes it. He can no longer visit Planet Records or score a ticket to a Red Sox game for twenty bucks. He can’t see Gang Green or Pixies there anymore because a damn high-rise fancy hotel was built on top of it. Gentrification and the unforgiving hand of Father Time have changed all of that. He, like all of us, wants to blame it on Amazon and other big corporations, but he also admits that he, like all of us, are to blame, really. His solo is also a blast, letting us know that all that pandemic guitar practice has paid off.

“Know No Know,” with its thick bass and organ stabs, is a fun track about trying to play the subtle long game with a potential lover. “That’s Alright” has a country flavor to it, which is a smile-inducing surprise and a song of love and being happy to be with someone during times of isolation and boredom (pretty much most of 2020, really). “It Ain’t All About You” is a scorching rocker with punk speed and attitude in which D-T calls out a former lover who wasn’t around for him when he was at his lowest.

“The Night We Regret” is a simple, witty ballad with D-T singing about an old flame that might actually be late night drunken ramblings left on a voicemail. “Fast One” has a beat that D-T could’ve used on any hip hop album, but he boosts it with sizzling guitar to turn it into a wicked rock track. “Away” could’ve been a Smithereens track in another life with its lyrics of lost love and cool bass line.

“Joanna Strikes Back” has a bit of a Devo sound to it and tells a great story of a former punk girl turned Average Jane who tears it up for one night in full punk regalia and debauchery. D-T play spaghetti westerns guitars and surf on “Idata del Gaucho,” which is a stunning piece. The closer is a heartfelt ballad, “Cry,” with piano chords that are angry one moment, sad the next.

We should all so be lucky (and strong-willed) to emerge from a health crisis and isolation with art this good, and with a new skill we can grow in forever. We should also be happy that D-Tension chose not to keep this project secret.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 30 Albums of 2018: #’s 15 – 11

We’re halfway there!

#15: MIEN – (self-tited) – This psychedelic supergroup (featuring members of the Black Angels, Elephant Stone, the Earlies, and the Horrors) had a fine debut indeed with this record that dabbles in some of the darker sides of psychedelia.

#14: Slaves – Acts of Fear and Love – How can two lads make so much punk noise?  Easy, they’re powered by anger, satire, ferocious beats, and shredding guitar.  These cats are probably the Next Big Thing, but I doubt they give a damn about that.

#13: Hprizm – Magnetic Memory – This rap record has more layers than an onion, wicked beats, philosophy, and calls for the disenfranchised of all colors, sexes, and creeds to band together.

#12: D-Tension – The Violence of Zen – Fierce hip-hop.  That’s the best way I can describe this solid record from Boston MC D-Tension.  He’s one of the wittiest rhymers out there and deserves to be heard more across the world.

#11: Caroline Rose – Loner – This pop-punk record is full of witty lyrics, sex, and snark.  Rose is like a ninja – jumping out of the shadows to wallop you and then retreating back into the rock and roll shadows to plan her next attack.

We’re into the top 10 next!

Keep your mind open.

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D-Tension: The Violence of Zen

Boston-based MC and hip hop producer D-Tension is back with another album of killer beats, wicked lyrics, and righteous indignation.

The album starts with “Fresh,” which itself starts with a sample of someone saying, “Beats are the worst.  Nobody likes beats.”  D-Tension then proceeds to slice and dice through jaw-dropping beats provided by DJ Emoh Betta.  D-Tension is “Fresh like Febreeze” when he enters a room, and immediately gets your attention with his skills.  “Godly” brings rhymes from indie rappers Diamond D and A.G.  Diamond talks of being godly on the mic and D-Tension warns other MC’s of faking it (“This hip hop shit’s much more than a hobby.”).  A.G. proclaims he was “resurrected between Third and Cypress,” name checking other hip hop gods out of respect.

“What Happen to That” (featuring Akrobatik on guest vocals) is a groovy track with D-Tension reminiscing about “when bad meant good” and when you could still hook up to free electricity at the basketball court and throw your own party there.  He admits it wasn’t all great times, however, and how things are much different now.  “Landlord Song” is a great example of D-Tension’s humor as he blasts his landlord for renting him a place with broken air conditioning, plumbing leaks, and gouging him on rent.

“Do You Comprehend” is a sizzler with guest vocalists Pace Won and M Dot.  The looped baritone sax is great, as are the rhymes – such as Pace Won thinking his life is so screwed up he should just chuck hip hop and go play for the Lions or Rams.  “Deal with the Devil” isn’t another song about D-Tension’s lease with his landlord, but rather about how D-Tension takes down inferior MC’s.

“Young Love” is a song about “the ones who got away” and D-Tension’s crushes as far back as fourth grade and being the only Puerto Rican in the small Indiana town where he attended middle school.  It’s all true.  Full disclosure: I was there.  D-Tension and I were pals in middle school.  He was the funniest guy I knew then, and he’s still among the funniest people I know now.

“Scandalize” has D-Tension name checking Bruno Sammartino and Devo in the same verse, so that alone makes the track outstanding.  “Roaches,” with its jazz lounge groove, is, believe it or not, a song about the gentrification of his old neighborhood and D-Tension being baffled at how the hipsters, artists, and new landlords eliminated the pests that plagued him and his friends all their lives.  “Talk White” slams racism, economic inequality, and educational disparity with D-Tension’s slick mic work.

The Rolling Stones loop on “Piss You Off” alone is worth the purchase price of this record as D-Tension admits being “king of the prank” and how much he enjoys ribbing others.  The album ends with “Rosebud,” an ode to D-Tension’s first love – a blue Schwinn bike.

Zen is a path of simplicity.  “Every day life is the path,” as Zen master Nan-Sen once said.  Yet we shouldn’t forget that some Zen masters carried a big stick to crack us across the back to shatter our illusions and bring us back into the moment.  D-Tension acknowledges his past, but doesn’t stay mired there.  He’s too busy making rent money and embracing the now.  The Violence of Zen is his stick waking us from our open-eyed slumber.

Keep your mind open.

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