Wilbourn explained that the Twin Cities, much like the rest of the Midwest, is a burgeoning hip-hop center. But unlike other places like St. Louis and Chicago, there are still a large number of groups that are "off the radar."
"If you follow mainstream, the Midwest is all about Nelly or Chingy," Wilbourn said. "St. Paul and Minneapolis have a very diverse hip-hop scene."
After touring seriously for about two years, the band recently released its first record-label album, A Tiger Dancing. With the addition of the new material, the band will be mixing up the show's content to include both newer and old tracks.
Wilbourn said he was happy with the band's success thus far because he enjoys what he is doing.
He said he considers opportunities to play backup for such acts as Atmosphere, Sage Francis and others, as a bonus.
"I would love to be able to draw an Atmosphere-sized crowd but I'm perfectly happy to play for whoever likes us," he said. "And even if that's eight people I'm happy to put a smile on their faces."
Wilbourn credited the inspiration for his lyrics to everyday "life things."
Musically, the band absorbs styles from a wide array of sources.
"Our bass player listens to hip-hop and rock," Wilburn said. "The keyboardist listens to classical and also R&B, and he even composed a cello piece for our last album."
Sean McPherson, aka Twinkie Jiggles, is the band's bassist and represents the bands' eclectic tastes and influences.
I spent most of my youth writing fiction," McPherson said. "I came into hip-hop because it is such a word-oriented art."
But after testing hip-hop as a lyricist, McPherson said he gravitated toward the bass, which he has been playing for eight years.
"Originally, the reason I wanted to play a string instrument was from the grunge bands like Pearl Jam and Nirvana," McPherson said. "For me it was about going where my strengths are. You have to go where other people want you to go to be a part of great music."
Usually the bands' sets are all originals, with set songs that are structured similarly every night it plays.
"Since a lot is not improvised, the magic of it is trying to duplicate it," McPherson said. "We try and be honest with the energy that we're bringing to it and breathe more life into it than a sample would."
Zeno's general manager Dave Staab said Heiruspecs is the only live hip-hop show that Zeno's has hosted and the component of musicianship was the main attraction.
"It's a rare opportunity to see a live hip-hop instrumentation band in such a small setting," Staab said.
Staab said the ambiance of the small bar is altered to allow more people up front and close to the action.
"You wouldn't get 100 people bobbin' back and forth to an alt-rock band," he said.
Another attraction of the band is the content of their music, Staab added.
"They have an agenda that runs between just having a good party and some socially conscious," he said. "It's the best of both worlds."
