Thursday: Lizards at the Bird.

Do not be confused, do not be deceived, do not be misled: Arts Fest really starts on Thursday night when the Iguanas take the stage at Thunderbird.

Naysayers (and TRAF PR flacs) would have you believe that the first main stage show features headliners The Black Keys on Friday. But the Chicano rock group, Iguanas are an act worthy of "Dollar Bank"-main-stage-like-love.

They first came to my consciousness on WYEP's 3-disc compilation, Live and Direct Vol. 5 with the simmering single "first kiss is free". It's a simple, redundant song both musically and lyrically, but something about the live sax intonation and the shuffling brushes really does it for me. Beyond that, they've pretty much flown under my radar.

That is, until I just realized that their rendition of "Boom, Boom, Boom" was the soundtrack to one of my favorite scenes of my favorite show ever; Homicide: Life on the Street.



90's Cop dramas aside, this "veteran New Orleans band is known for its prime elements -- roots-rock, New Orleans R&B, and Latin and Caribbean rhythms." Their most recent album, "If You Should Ever Fall on Hard Times" won Offbeat Magazine's "Best Roots Rock Album" for 2008.

With more than 2 decades of banding under their belts, they are an ideal pick to tune up your ears at the "first of 11 nights of TRAF 2009".