 “We
started out playing in high school in St. Paul to a crowd of
hip hop kids, thug kids, nerd kids and honor students,”
Heiruspecs bassist Twinkie Jiggles says. “Eventually,
the school paper wrote about us and said we were the best band
out of Central High since Mint Condition. Then we played our
first gig in Minneapolis when I was 15 and my dad showed up
and smelled weed.”
Not many bands lock into their sound in high school or manage
to hang together for seven years, but Heiruspecs has and now
the young 20-somethings are seasoned vets. With more than 100,000
revolutions on the band’s odometer from a touring schedule
that keeps them on the road 150 days a year, 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. And the band doesn’t
cop samples to get to where they want to take you, instead opting
to deliver it all live, all original. All
this has culminated in the band’s latest, A Tiger Dancing
(Razor & Tie) set for release September 28, 2004. With
lead MC Felix’s fast-lane but steady and assured handle
on the mic and the powerful rhythmic backing of the band,
Heiruspecs has brought live hip hop into a new arena. From
the countdown of a daily routine that makes up “5ves”
to the mid-song break between old-school and new school in
the title track, the soul strains of “Heartsprings,”
and the frantic anthem of “Fist,” 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.”
“When we
started touring, a lot of people seemed surprised there are
bands who play this kind of music live,” Felix adds.
“They’re even more puzzled when we tell them we’re
from St. Paul, because no one has ever heard of St. Paul.
Ever. That’s why we tell most people we’re from
Minneapolis.”
As part of the
burgeoning Midwestern hip hop scene, Heiruspecs first made
inroads with their self-released 2002 album, Small Steps,
which earned them critical praise in national and regional
outlets (“Exceptional ... the rhythm that rocks the
spot” - URB), and set them off on their never-ending
touring schedule. 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.
“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.”
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