Heiruspecs go back to school

Here's how young and St. Paul-oriented the Heiruspecs were when they first crossed the river to play gigs in Minneapolis: Promo fliers for their gigs included bus route info.

More than a decade later, the Twin Cities' best-known live hip-hop group -- veterans at ages 25 to 30 -- are returning to the musically rich high school where they formed, St. Paul Central, to play a concert to raise funds for an arts scholarship in their name.

The quintet will perform Thursday night in the school's auditorium with a wide array of guests to benefit the Central High School Foundation.

Bassist and bandleader Sean McPherson said the event is intended as a thank-you to the school, but the group also hopes to trumpet the importance of music and arts programs in secondary education during these budget-crunching times.

"I walked out of that high school with more skills and knowledge than I see in a lot of kids who are coming into music college today," boasted McPherson, who teaches by day at McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul.

All five of the current Heiruspecs members attended Central, as did other full-time musicians including members of Mint Condition, Martin Devaney, Mayda and Lucy Michelle. McPherson remembers why he picked the school for his sophomore year.

"I was touring the school and overheard [music teacher] Red Freeberg quizzing a student after a performance," he recalled. "He was asking all the things I think every teacher should ask -- questions about promotion and organizing and all the things that go into being a musician besides playing music."

It was in Freeberg's advanced recording class where McPherson befriended rapper Chris (Felix) Wilbourn, which was the spark for Heiruspecs in the late 1990s.

At the time, hip-hop was still far from being widely accepted among educators as a viable form of music. McNally Smith reportedly became the first music college in the nation to offer a hip-hop degree program last year.

Still a teacher at Central -- not to be confused with Prince's alma mater, Minneapolis Central High, which closed in 1983 -- Freeberg said he had no qualms about letting McPherson, Wilbourn and others pursue their own sounds.

"There are two schools of thought in music education," Freeberg said, "and I always prefer the school where you let the kids follow their own interests as much as possible, because they're likely to be more dedicated to it in the long run."

He added, "That obviously proved true in [Heiruspecs'] case. I've been very impressed by how these guys pursued this and worked hard to create their own base."

Heiruspecs also want to make this scholarship fundraiser an annual event.

"We want this to get bigger every year," McPherson said, "and hopefully really be a meaningful, lasting way for us to give back."