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 sexton. The two also share lead vocal duties. Within a few years, the current lineup was assembled (bassist René Coman, and drummer Doug Garrison) and the band emerged as one of the most popular bands in one of the world’s most musical cities.

It’s been a tumultuous 5 years since The Iguanas released the eclectically classic Plastic Silver 9-Volt Heart back in 2003. Hurricane Katrina scattered the band to the four winds and displaced them from New Orleans, a city that is as much the band’s creative muse as its physical home. But in the intervening years the city and the band have regrouped, stepping back onto the cultural landscape refreshed, re-energized and newly dedicated to spreading their gospel of heartfelt, hand-crafted music to the world.

The pan-cultural rhythms of New Orleans’ musical heritage course through the heart of The Iguanas and their music. Latin shuffles, gritty funk, dark cinematic jazz and Basin Street horns all join hands to create world music in the true sense of the term. New Orleans is the singularity of the universe that is American Music and The Iguanas are some of its most skilled ambassadors.

Recorded over several months in Nashville and New Orleans with trusted producer Justin Niebank and following the band’s repatriation of New Orleans, If You Should Ever Fall on Hard Times is not a literal account of the band’s experiences during the aftermath of the disaster, but more an interpretive testament to the emotional collage that uncertainty can bring.

“We hung on to the band for dear life. The band itself was a part of the city that we could still preserve. The music, like the food and the vibe of New Orleans was like some small flame we could carefully protect and nurture as we fanned out into the wilderness. Those seminal elements, the second-line, the mambo…the way we feel the beat. All of that was in us. It went with us across the country.” RENE COMAN, The Iguanas