Heiruspecs
Sunday, August 10, 2008 @ 7p
Mayo Park
Heiruspecs (pronounced high-roo-spex) is a live rap/hip hop band based in St. Paul, Minnesota, (specifically the Midway neighborhood) that has ushered live hip-hop into a new arena. Lead rapper Felix, aka Chris Wilbourn co-founded the group with bassist Twinkie Jiggles, aka Sean McPherson while enrolled in Central High School’s recording program, which teaches the rudiments of studio engineering, producing and recording. Felix and McPherson say the class gave them the time and space to discover themselves as artists and eventually form a partnership.
Heiruspecs has steadily broken down preconceived notions of live hip-hop by refusing to regurgitate the same old sounds you’ve heard before, and knock you upside the head with their impressive array of funk, soul and hard-hitting beats. Most hip hop groups consist of rappers backed by DJs or turntablists. In Heiruspecs, live musicians on bass, drums, beatbox and keyboards provide the backdrop for the emcees. It's allowed the group to get in the door of clubs that don't normally feature rap music, and has reassured audience members unfamiliar with the role of a DJ. Felix says having live musical backing lets Heiruspecs be more spontaneous with the crowd. Heiruspecs cast a net that encompasses everything from The Roots and DJ Shadow to Run-D.M.C. and Digable Planets. “We’re influenced by sampler-based production, old-school rhyming and real life,” says lead MC Felix. “But we do everything live, nothing is sampled and we like to keep it song-oriented, to give equal space to the lyrics and the music.”
The Twin Cities are home to one of the most thriving hip hop scenes in the country. It's a scene that arose on its own, independent of the mainstream rap world which emanates from the coasts. The Twin Cities is a very nurturing scene,” Twinkie says. “There’s a lot of clubs, a lot of musicians, and a lot of open minds here. It’s allowed us to be ourselves while also being able to develop our live act and take it out of town to the rest of the country.”
The band has toured much of the continental US sharing the stage with the Black Eyed Peas, Jurassic 5, The White Stripes, Cake, Ja Rule, Typical Cats, Anti-Pop Consortium. In their down time, Heiruspecs has been tapped to perform as the backing band for such acts as Atmosphere, Oddjobs, Aesop Rock, Sage Francis and others, allowing the band to cement themselves as one of the premiere live hip-hop bands in the nation.
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