Hailing from New Orleans, where Latin and Caribbean music have a long and glorious history of interaction with R&B, blues and jazz, the Iguanas was formed in 1989 by guitarist/accordionist Rod Hodges and Joe Cabral, who alternates between saxophone and a traditional Mexican stringed instrument known as the bajo sexto. The two also share lead vocal duties. Within a few years, the current longtime lineup that includes bassist Rene Coman and drummer Doug Garrison was assembled. The Iguanas emerged as one of the most popular bands in one of the world’s most musical cities. Their sound has been described as combining Chicano rock, R&B, Conjunto and various Latin styles into a deep groove.
The song "Boom, Boom, Boom", from their now out of print 1994 album Nuevo Boogaloo, was featured in the Homicide: Life on the Street episode "The Documentary".[1] Nuevo Boogaloo hit #34 on the US Billboard Heatseekers chart in 1994.[2] The group also appeared in Robert Mugge's documentary, "New Orleans: Music in Exile", in which they talked about how Hurricane Katrina affected them.[3]