Do you remember the days of Drivers Ed? I do, the driving part of Drivers Ed is permanently etched in my memory. Yep, I was the lucky one that got to ride around with the girl that didn’t know how to drive. Honestly, she could of killed us all… or even worse. Now in those days, you could get a restricted drivers license in Kansas at 14, so one of our freshmen classes was a Drivers Ed class. Most of us would spend time with one of the instructors in the classroom while 3 of us would be out with another instructor doing the driving part. The streets of Greensburg were not safe when my group went out. Mostly because of one girl that I’d gone to kindergarten with… and I was afraid at times I would die with at the tender age of 14. One time, we were driving south on Main when “the” stoplight (and I say “the” stoplight here because anyone who has ever been to Greensburg, or really the greater Kiowa County area knows that there is only one stoplight in Greensburg and Kiowa County, so when you say “the” stoplight, everyone knows that it’s at the corner of Main and the Highway) turned from green to yellow. Well, our fearless driver slammed on the brakes and stopped right in the middle of the intersection. Semi’s were already getting revved up to plow into us and she’s just sitting there wondering what to do while the instructor is yelling at her to get us the H E double hockey sticks out of there. Me, I’m in the backseat doing my homework, I figured ignorance was bliss so I would just do my homework, and if we were about to die, I didn’t want to know about it. See, that was how I coped, some may have prayed, some may have just taken an “F” by not participating, I decided to play dumb. (Not hard to do in my case) Of course there was the time that she made it hard to ignore her driving. Over by the courthouse, there is an intersection where there are big dips on both sides. You basically have to slow down to 15 mph, but not our favorite Drivers Ed driver. She took the intersection at about 50 mph, bottoming out on both sides and catching some good air at the same time. Bo and Luke Duke would have been proud, but the Duke boys weren’t our Drivers Ed instructors. We were close to the cop shop so I suggested just taking her in there and see what they would do with her, but the instructor was so hysterical I doubt that he heard me. My biggest problem was keeping my hands at 10 and 2. See, at 14 I’d already been driving for 7 or 8 years, and I’d had my restricted license for about 7 months, so I was used to driving and my hands were usually at 12 and the other was resting on the window. I’m actually one of those people the likes to hang is arm out the window and play with the air currents and my hand. I also had a problem with keeping a tight grip on the steering wheel; I usually just rest my hand on the wheel. But if the song Memories and Rust is any indication, the Lost Immigrants have no problem keeping their hands at 10 and 2 and keeping a tight grip on the steering wheel. My Driver Ed instructor would be so happy with them, as long as they don’t stop in the middle of an intersection on a yellow light.
So I'll take this wheel
at 10 and 2 and grip with all my might
And on the dash a picture of you and I'll drive you out of my life
I'll take you to the end with me and leave you in the dust
I'll drive you out until I'm free in this old heart… of memories and rust
This is one of the songs on the debut CD from a band called Lost Immigrants. Another song on here that I like is called Evangeline. It’s a great song about a guy who wonders if the girl he wants chose him or another guy. I was in a situation similar to this once, but her name wasn’t Evangeline. But still, I can relate to the song.
Evangeline, don't take
me for a fool
You know I'm savvy, I can play it cool
Now it's about time that we cut to the chase
Did I win your heart, or did I land in second place?
The sound of these guys is somewhat different than some of the other new Texas artists coming out, but that’s not a bad thing, it’s just different. At times you feel a sense of a band that could be played on mainstream country radio, and at other times would fit in with many of the other Texas and Americana artists that we all love to listen to. I guess I would call them a hybrid of Nashville sound and an Austin sound. But another song I like is called the Dixie Queen. This CD also has a “radio cut” and regular version of the title track. Personally, I would have just kept the regular track, but I can understand what they are doing.
So, what have we learned today:
- Sometimes your life is in danger when you ride in the Drivers Ed car
- There’s a new band with a new sound on the music scene
- And my Drivers Ed instructor probably had a nervous breakdown
I’ll give this CD 3 and a half out of 5 wrecked Drivers Ed cars.