Heiruspecs () is a live
hip hop
Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
band based in the
Midway neighborhood of
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...
. Their name is a deliberate misspelling of the word ''
haruspex
In the Ancient Roman religion, religion of ancient Rome, a haruspex was a person trained to practise a form of divination called haruspicy, the inspection of the entrails of Animal sacrifice, sacrificed animals, especially the livers of sacrifi ...
'', which is a Roman term for a person trained to practice
divination
Divination () is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic ritual or practice. Using various methods throughout history, diviners ascertain their interpretations of how a should proceed by reading signs, ...
from the inspection of entrails.
The band's first releases ''Live from the Studio'', and ''
Antidisestablishmetabolism
''Antidisestablishmetabolism'' is the first album released by the hip hop group Heiruspecs. It was released in 2000, under Interlock Records.Harris, Keith (August 2, 2000)"Funk Is Instrumental"'' City Pges'' Some tracks were recorded live.Walsh ...
'' are out-of-print, though a compilation featuring songs from them was released as ''
10 Years Strong'' in December 2007. Their self-titled album
''Heiruspecs'' was released on December 13, 2008. On April 22, 2014 the band released ''
Night Falls
''Night Falls'' is the seventh studio album released by American hip-hop group Heiruspecs
Heiruspecs () is a live Hip hop music, hip hop band based in the Hamline-Midway, Saint Paul, Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Their name ...
''.
In contrast to many contemporary hip hop groups that use
sampling and
turntable
A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding phys ...
s, Heiruspecs emphasize a raw, live sound celebrating their roots, and local music scene, and are more known for their live performances than records. They do shows with Minnesota-local hip hop label
Rhymesayers Entertainment
Rhymesayers Entertainment (sometimes abbreviated RSE) is an American independent hip-hop record label based in Minneapolis.
History
Rhymesayers Entertainment was co-founded in 1995 by Sean Daley (Slug), Anthony Davis (Ant), Musab Saad ( Sab th ...
, and the group's style has been compared to the live hip hop band
The Roots
The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...
. They have a very upbeat sound and at one point were typically on tour for at least half of the year.
[Harris, Keith (August 2, 2000)]
"Funk Is Instrumental"
''City Pages
''City Pages'' was an alternative newspaper serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It featured news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and music criticism, available free every Wednesday. It ceased publication in 2020 due to a ...
'' The band has since stayed closer to the Twin Cities and band members have picked up day jobs.
History
Heiruspecs formed in 1997 when the members were attending
St. Paul Central High School. They met while taking a studio recording arts program there. Sean (Twinkie Jiggles) would play bass while four or five drummers would rotate in and out of freestyle sessions, and Felix would rhyme throughout the whole process. Early Heiruspecs music contained trombone and saxophone, but these were absent on ''Small Steps'' and ''A Tiger Dancing''. In 2004 Heiruspecs was named the best live artist in the Twin Cities by ''
City Pages
''City Pages'' was an alternative newspaper serving the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. It featured news, film, theatre and restaurant reviews and music criticism, available free every Wednesday. It ceased publication in 2020 due to a ...
''. Reviewing ''A Tiger Dancing'' for ''
CMJ New Music Monthly
CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...
'', Owen Strock wrote that "Heiruspecs are smart enough to keep James Brown's advice close to heart—they always make it funky."
In commemoration of 10 years of St. Paul pride and good Hip Hop music, St. Paul Mayor
Chris Coleman declared December 22 Heiruspecs Day in Saint Paul, Minnesota.
Heiruspecs took an unofficial hiatus after their tour van was totaled in 2005.
''Heiruspecs'' was released in 2008 at a point when the band began touring less.
In summer 2010, the band was in the studio working on a new album.
On December 23, 2022, the group released a new album, ''Pretty Random But What Happened To the Heiruspecs''.
Many of the band's concerts since 2010 have benefited charities including those in honor of
Philando Castile
On July 6, 2016, Philando Castile, a 32-year-old African American man, was fatally shot during a traffic stop by police officer Jeronimo Yanez of the St. Anthony police department in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area.
About 9 p.m. ...
and for students at
Saint Paul Central
Saint Paul Central High School is the oldest continuously operating high school in the state of Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1866 in downtown Saint Paul, Central has educated many leaders in business, government, literature, arts, scienc ...
.
Members and former members
Current
*Felix (Chris Wilbourn) - Vocals
*Muad'dib (Jon Harrison) - Vocals, Beat Box
*Twinkie Jiggles (Sean McPherson) - Bass
*dVRG (DeVon Gray) - Keyboards
*Peter Leggett - Drums
*Josh Peterson - Guitar
Former
*Martin Devaney - Saxophone
*Bryan Alvarez - Trombone
*Alex Oftelie - Drums
*Al McIntosh - Trumpet
*Steve McPherson - Guitar
*Kevin Hunt - Drums
*Conor Meehan - Drums
*Tasha Baron - Keyboards
*Alex Danovitch - Keys
*Joshua Herbst - Drums
*Brett Bullion - Drums
*Noah Paster - Percussion, 808 pad
*Tim Glenn - Drums
Discography
Studio albums
*''Live from the Studio''
*''
Antidisestablishmetabolism
''Antidisestablishmetabolism'' is the first album released by the hip hop group Heiruspecs. It was released in 2000, under Interlock Records.Harris, Keith (August 2, 2000)"Funk Is Instrumental"'' City Pges'' Some tracks were recorded live.Walsh ...
'' (2000)
*''
Small Steps'' (2002)
*''
A Tiger Dancing
''A Tiger Dancing'' is the third album by the hip-hop group Heiruspecs. It was released on September 28, 2004.
The song "5ves" appeared on the ''Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle'' soundtrack.
Reception
Reviewing ''A Tiger Dancing'' for ''CMJ ...
'' (2004)
*''
Heiruspecs
Heiruspecs () is a live Hip hop music, hip hop band based in the Hamline-Midway, Saint Paul, Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Their name is a deliberate misspelling of the word ''haruspex'', which is a Roman term for a person train ...
'' (2008)
*''
Night Falls
''Night Falls'' is the seventh studio album released by American hip-hop group Heiruspecs
Heiruspecs () is a live Hip hop music, hip hop band based in the Hamline-Midway, Saint Paul, Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Their name ...
'' (2014)
*''Pretty Random But What Happened To the Heiruspecs'' (2022)
*''Four Were Wolves Forever Young'' (2023)
EPs
* Theskyisfalling (2016)
Compilation albums
*''10 Years Strong'' (2007)
*''20/20'' (2017)
References
Sources
*
*
{{Authority control
American hip-hop groups
Musical groups from Saint Paul, Minnesota
Midwest hip-hop groups
Alternative hip-hop groups