Heiruspecs () is a live hip hop band based in the Midway neighborhood of

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

. Their name is a deliberate misspelling of the word ''

haruspex In the religion of ancient Rome, a haruspex (plural haruspices; also called aruspex) was a person trained to practise a form of divination called haruspicy (''haruspicina''), the inspection of the entrails (''exta''—hence also extispicy ( ...

'', which is a Roman term for a person trained to practice

divination Divination (from Latin ''divinare'', 'to foresee, to foretell, to predict, to prophesy') is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic, standardized process or ritual. Used in various forms throughout histor ...

from the inspection of entrails. The band's first releases ''Live from the Studio'', and '' Antidisestablishmetabolism'' 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 Heiruspecs () is a live hip hop band based in the Midway neighborhood of Saint Paul, Minnesota. Their name is a deliberate misspelling of the word ''haruspex'', which is a Roman term for a person trained to practice divination from the inspect ...

," was released on December 13, 2008. On April 22, 2014 the band released " Night Falls." In contrast to many contemporary hip hop groups that use sampling and

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

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 band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...

. They have a very upbeat sound and are 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 ...

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 ''

''. 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. The most recent Heiruspecs recording, "

," was released on December 13, 2008. In summer 2010, the band was in the studio working on a new album. On December 23, 2022 the group released a new ablumn, Pretty Random but What Happened to the Heiruspecs.

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'' (2000) *'' Small Steps'' (2002) *'' A Tiger Dancing'' (2004) *''

'' (2008) *'' Night Falls'' (2014)

EPs

* Theskyisfalling (2016)

Compilation albums

*''10 Years Strong'' (2007) *''20/20'' (2017)

References

Sources

* * {{Authority control American hip hop groups Musical groups from Minnesota Midwest hip hop groups Alternative hip hop groups