Heiruspecs CD Release Show at First Avenue on 12/13/08
By: Donette Ambrosy
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| Heiruspecs - Photo by Alexa Jones |
This being my first experience whatsoever with Heiruspecs (I know, what rock have I been living under?), I had no particular expectation beyond the hearsay of "they put on a great show." I found this to be a gross understatement. In a wide variety of ways, Heiruspecs' performance goes well beyond the minimum attributes for putting on a great hip-hop show.
The music, of course, was fantastic. For the first several songs, I'd not yet found my sightline, but based on what I could hear, I was immediately impressed with what I thought to be excellent choices and execution of samples. It was a moment of delighted awe when I finally was able to see that the group was creating all of their sound live and in the flesh. This group seems to possess borderline superhuman skills creating these "live samples," per se, largely owed to the masterful stylings of dVRG, who wields the keyboard the way a turntablist wields decks. By layering on the groovy beats of bassist Twinkie Jiggles, the smooth, undulating vocals of Felix, and rock-tinged guitar and drums, the group accomplishes something special, if not exceedingly rare, in the realm of hip hop.
Featured guests got the crowd increasingly revved up as the set progressed. I was particularly impressed with how a female presence onstage completed the dynamic of the group. Maria Isa joined the band for "Lenses," a dancey number with a vaguely 80's bent. And Dessa Darling (of Doomtree fame) lent the band her smooth-as-French-silk-pie voice on the hopeful "Change is Coming."
Beyond the musical technicalities, the group projects an inescapable positive vibe that I find to be largely absent in rap. Whether or not one agrees with their specific messages, their very method of knowledge-dropping is the effective woo factor. The powerful calm of both Felix's vocal style and his body language are without any hint of preaching or self-righteousness; rather, it is as though he is laying down each rhyme with certainty, but a degree of neutrality, as though accompanied by an olive branch. It is individual listener's choice whether to pick it up, and what to do with it.
The same applies to the whole group; they come off as genuinely nice guys, with a real, vested interest in the well-being of their devotees. Felix continually checked in with the audience throughout the evening, making a point of specifically asking how the drinking-age fans were doing on the crowded upper deck. He seemed genuinely concerned about whether everyone was feeling good and having a great time. From where I was standing, I could see nothing to the contrary.
The show's energy infected me; I left feeling as though someone had slipped a dose of Holiday Cheer into my drink. But then, that could also be attributed to the presence of multiple blinking, light-up Santa hats in the crowd - the downstairs crowd, of course. I have half a mind to believe that some of those fresh-faced youngsters still believe in Santa Claus. Without a doubt, they believe in Heiruspecs.
Location Info:
First Avenue
Artist Info: Heiruspecs
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