“Unkind Rain”

Sometimes words aren’t needed.

I grew up mostly listening to instrumental music. My parents (mainly my mom because my dad kinda disappeared early on) always had classical and jazz playing in our house. We went to live performances when my mom could afford it. I even took piano lessons.

I didn’t practice much, but enough to instill profound respect for people who actually became good at it.

I remain a sucker for music played by people who deeply understand what they are doing. It was natural, then, that when I discovered rock, I gravitated to groups that were great on their instruments. As much as I love great vocalists, my heart still belongs to the musicians who can make an instrument cry, moan, soar or simply tell a story, no words needed.

D-Drive does all that stuff. They know how to write. They play with emotion — but without the histrionics and grimaces affected by a lot of other musicians, including many who are not nearly as good. The feelings all come out in their playing. And they are technical wizards on their instruments, giving them a deep musical vocabulary.

Before guitarists Seiji and Yuki started D-Drive, they were “senpai” and “kohai” — master and student. He is a long-time professional guitar instructor, as well as a guitar brand ambassador. She was his star pupil. By 2009, she was so good that he suggested forming a band together.

They posted one of their early compositions on YouTube and on the strength of that, recruited a drummer and a bassist to complete the lineup. Their original bassist left in 2018, and they recruited Toshiyuki Sugimori (“Toshi”), a veteran of several heavy metal groups, to take his place.

D-Drive’s current lineup:

• Seiji, lead guitar

• Yuki, lead guitar

• Toshi, bass

• Chiiko, drums

Seiji and Yuki have an almost telepathic connection, helped, of course, by the fact that he coached her for so long. It enables them to play fiery, intricate duets, anticipate each other’s moves, and play off each other effortlessly.

The rhythm section, Chiiko and Toshi, provide a rock-solid foundation with plenty of flair. The entire group has jazz and fusion influences, which come through in their performances.

Yuki has emerged as an incandescent talent, and as she has grown, she has taken on a more aggressive musical approach. Her lead lines flirt with dissonance and odd time signatures. She also uses more overdrive and distortion than Seiji does, giving her a grittier, dirtier sound. It nicely complements his clean, bell-like tone. Oh, and she has the most beautiful custom gear I think I’ve ever seen.

“Unkind Rain”

D-Drive, like many of us, worked remotely during the pandemic. They recorded and posted several studio sessions. This is one of my favorites — it’s a moody, atmospheric jazz-inflected piece full of emotional ups and downs. For guitar history nerds, there are echoes of Neal Schon and Robin Trower.

Yuki had been taking on more of the group’s writing, and this was the first piece for which she took sole writing credits. Listen for the stark contrast in tone between the two guitars during the coda.

I’ll be doing more on D-Drive.