VUDU IGUANA
Interviewed by: Kristin

Where did your name originate and what does it mean to you?

Esteban (drummer) came up with the name. He has a very long and complicated explanation of what the name means, so I have taken the liberty of shortening the explanation to, “it sounds cool.” Ha! Ha! I don’t think he’ll mind since he is vacationing in Austria at the moment.

Who is in your group and what do they play?

I am Ron Galan. I play the guitars; acoustic, electric, and leads. I am also the singer. Esteban Clavijo is our drummer. Andi Krettek was the bass player. However, she moved to Austria a couple of months ago to pursue her dream of marriage and kids. So, at the moment, we are looking for a bass player.

Is your music exclusively in Spanish or do you have English songs too?

We have one English song that was written for a producer in Los Angeles. At the last minute his artist flaked on the project. So, we will be putting it out some time in the future on our own CD.

How would you describe your music in your own words?

Atmospheric, passionate, moving, warm, rocking and meaningful, to us at least.

Have you been on tour yet?

No. However, we did some shows in Mexico. The pictures can be seen on Rocksinfrontera.com. They were celebrating their fifth anniversary in Guadalajara, and they invited us to play.

Where is your main fan base?
Our main fan base is in Los Angeles. However, we are constantly trying to penetrate other markets.

Do you have fans outside of the USA?

Yes. We have fans in Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Austria, Australia, and I believe we have a few listeners in Brazil.

How long have you been in the music industry?

Wow! Let’s see. If that entails having a CD and promoting it with interviews, gigs, flyers, stickers and all of that, then we have been in this game since February of 2004. That’s when we began recording our current CD, Relatos de la Vida. Translated: Narrations of Life.

Do you write all of your own music?

Yes. Esteban and I are the songwriters.

Do you perform anywhere on a regular basis?

Yes. For a good couple of months we were the house band at a place called Zocalo in Alhambra, CA. Then one of the adjacent clubs complained to the City of Alhambra that there shouldn’t be music at the Zocalo, which was mainly a restaurant and not a club. So, the city shut the place down. Unfortunately, the other clubs were unhappy that we were taking customers away from them. Isn’t that what healthy competition is all about? We can now be found playing at various clubs around the LA area.

Are there any artists who you would love to work with in the future?

I think Esteban would say that he would want to work with Rata Blanca. If given the opportunity I would want to work with Pharrell. He has done recordings with Snoop Doggy Dog and Gwen Stefani to name a couple. It would interesting to see what we could come up with for Spanish Rock / Pop with Hip-Hop grooves.

What do you feel your biggest success has been since you started in the music business?

I think our greatest success has been penetrating the saturated Los Angeles market in a very short time. We began recording our CD last year. It wasn’t until this past February 2005 that we began doing gigs to promote our CD. In a very short time we have gotten the recognition of many key players in the LA scene. This interview with you guys, Indie Street Latino, is a result of our success in penetrating the market. It is safe to say that we have had similar accomplishments, if not more, in these few months than other bands have had in 10 years or more. So, we are very proud of that.

Out of all of your songs, Which one is your favorite? Why?

Wow! This is like asking which one of my daughters I love more. Ha! Each song means something. So, I love them all the same. I think Esteban feels the same way.

Is there any new albums, demos, videos or anything else scheduled to be released in 2005?

No. We have worked very hard this past year and a half +. We are taking a well-deserved break, and we hope to come back into action in 2006.

Discography:

Relatos de la Vida

What is your official website?

www.vuduiguana.com and www.myspace.com/vuduiguana

Shout outs

We’d like to give a shout out to Rocksinfrontera.com, El Calabozo Radio, Monico Productions, and of course our fans, family and friends and everyone else that has been a part of this amazing ride. We love you all!!!