Rod Hodges began playing guitar in San Francisco Bay Area blues and rock bands at age 14. While playing in a blues band in Colorado, he rediscovered the conjunto music that was part of his mother's Mexican heritage, and inspired by master accordionist Flaco Jiménez, took up the accordion as well. It was in Colorado that he first crossed paths with saxophonist Joe Cabral, who was raised in Nebraska on his father's Mexican band before discovering Chicago blues and New Orleans R&B in college.
Hodges and Cabral both eventually moved to New Orleans separately, and in 1989 formed The Iguanas with bassist Rene Coman. Hodges took the role of lead vocalist, lyricist, and the band's main songwriter, penning songs including "Angel" and "Nine Volt Heart." The band's self-titled 1993 debut, recorded for Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville label, blended New Orleans funk, Latin music, and Mexican polka; their 1994 follow-up, Nuevo Boogaloo, brought drummer Doug Garrison into the fold and included "Boom, Boom, Boom," later featured on Homicide: Life on the Street. Their song "Para Donde Vas," from the debut album, appeared on the soundtrack to the 1996 film Phenomenon.
The Iguanas weathered Hurricane Katrina in exile in Austin, Texas, before returning to New Orleans to rebuild. Hodges has performed once alongside Bruce Springsteen, and the band continues to headline festivals worldwide while remaining a fixture of the New Orleans club scene, staking their own claim on what counts as American roots music.
