Good times roll
Music helps Iguanas escape hurricane's path

BY BILL CRAIG
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Sep 15, 2005

Since 1989, the Iguanas have been knocking out an infectious bilingual blend of rock, rhythm and blues and jazz accented with shots of Latin and Caribbean rhythms.

The band has six outstanding albums and a reputation for let-the-good-times-roll live events. But for the foreseeable future, the most significant entry on the Iguanas fact sheet is that band members Joe Cabral, Rene Coman, Doug Garrison, Rod Hodges and Derek Huston call New Orleans home.

The good news is that the five musicians and their families are just fine. The band was in the middle of a tour in the northeast when the threat of Katrina became real.

"We were concerned and kept our eyes glued on the television in between gigs," Cabral said by phone en route from Grand Rapids, Mich., to Cleveland. "On Monday, we were supposed to fly home to New Orleans, but that's when it was hitting so everyone flew to different places."

The band's family members were able to evacuate New Orleans and are safe and sound, having settled in several different cities. The condition of their homes is less certain. Coman, for instance, might have dodged Katrina's many bullets.

"Rene was able to get back in and fetch his dog and check on his place. It looks like it's good."

While Cabral has not been able to return to his house, he knows that he might not be as fortunate.
"We have satellite images on a couple of Web sites," he said. "I looked at my place, and the shopping center a block and half from me is under water. I'm sure I've got some water, but I don't know exactly the extent, and we can't go in for a while."

September's full schedule of shows has provided a bit of relief to the hurricane-induced nightmare.

"When we have shows, we can focus on the music and that's pretty helpful," Cabral said. "That's normal. It's a regular activity not like figuring out which friend we're going to stay with on which night or looking for an apartment or trying to pay your bills. But when we're on stage, we know what to do, we know how it's going to go, and we're prepared for it."

Another source of support is the Iguana fan base.

"It's nice to have support," he said. "There's a lot of love out there, and people have been sending it our way. That helps a lot. People are genuinely concerned and ask us how we're doing. People have offered assistance in various ways. It's heartwarming."

The Iguanas are in town tonight to headline this week's Swingin' on the Tracks event at the Science Museum of Virginia, which has been turned into a fundraiser for the American Red Cross. No strangers to central Virginia, Cabral counts Richmond as one of the towns that launched the band's career.

"Richmond has been a great place for us. That was one of our first cities that we came to and had a lot of support. Years ago, we played at the Flood Zone. Now we're playing from the flood zone."

For fans who are wondering how to help the band, Cabral does have one immediate need.

"I could use some socks."