MeloDious Reps a New Generation of Bay Area Jazz at Noise Pop

On a sunny Monday afternoon at the Dempseys’ home in East Oakland, the two eldest daughters, Micaiah, 21, and Memphis, 17, positioned themselves at their instruments, finalizing their setlist for their upcoming SFJAZZ show for the annual Noise Pop festival.

“We play music at all hours of the day,” Micaiah said. “If we’re feeling it at 4 in the morning, we’re up at 4 in the morning, playing.”

Micaiah, Memphis and their brother, Matthias, make up the jazz-fusion trio MeloDious. The siblings first began learning their instruments in early childhood, with Micaiah on piano, Matthias on bass and Memphis on drums. Nearly nine years ago, they decided they wanted to reach more listeners than just their parents, youngest sister and music therapy cat, Olivia. So MeloDious was born. After years of writing, recording and finalizing their music, the family band made it official in 2023 with their debut album, Is It the Way: Volume I.

Micaiah recently returned from touring in New York and Los Angeles with Oakland-raised R&B singer Elujay. Shortly after, she and Memphis began rehearsals for their March 2 Noise Pop show with guitarist Tyler Murphy and bassist Jonathan Herrera. (Matthias is currently on a break from music and focusing on his internship with the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington D.C.)

“It’s nice to be recognized and respected as musicians, at this point. To be like ‘Hey, we want you guys to come play and close out Noise Pop for us,’” Michiah said. “We had the music, we were stoked.”

Like many people, the Dempsey siblings found their way to music through church, where the approach differed from the structure required to master jazz. “In church music, you never have to count,” Memphis said. “You always know where you are in some way because there’s lyrics. And it’s playing instrumental music for the first time, I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I actually have to count and know where I am.’”

Micaiah, Memphis and Matthias come from a musical family. Their grandfather was Tony Newsom, a member of the soul group Ebony Jam Band; he was an early influence of the siblings, along with greats like Stevie Wonder, Natalie Cole and Michael and Janet Jackson. Jazz came into their lives through the Oaktown Jazz Workshops, a nonprofit that’s been nurturing young instrumentalists for three decades.

“MeloDious is extremely young and up-and-coming,” said Justin Esposito, the content, social media and marketing strategist of SFJAZZ. “This is one of our earliest efforts to bring and help cultivate new artists within our SFJAZZ audiences.”

MeloDious first gained traction with covers of songs like Anita Baker’s “Love Rapture” on Instagram in 2021. The band’s debut album, Is It the Way: Volume I, was their first time recording original music. Across its eight uplifting tracks, they sing about love and the newfound independence of young adulthood. Since its release, the album has reached over 43,000 people worldwide and opened doors for the group. Last year, they headlined the storied Oakland jazz club Yoshi’s — a big feat for a band with only one member old enough to drink.

Working with siblings can be a joyous experience, but there are also challenges. To become MeloDious, Micaiah, Memphis and Matthias had to turn their family bond into a working relationship. They consider themselves independent artists who just happen to comprise a group.

When choosing where they would land as a band, they looked at the instruments they played in their childhood. Memphis was initially interested in the piano, but when Micaiah declared it hers, she turned her eyes to the drums and other instruments like the bass, guitar, piano and a little flute. At a rehearsal for their Noise Pop show, Memphis played the bass (typically her brother’s instrument) to help her sister hear all the elements of the music with one band member missing.

Preparing for their March 2 performance, they practiced a medley of funky covers of familiar songs, such as “Fantasy” by Earth, Wind & Fire and “The Way” by Jill Scott, mixed in with their original music.

“We are excited to play our first larger set of the year, and explore new, intimate and advanced repertoire for the first time to jazz lovers,” Micaiah said. “And of course, we are beyond elated to interact with new and existing members of our ever-growing MeloDious family.”

MeloDious performs at SFJAZZ on March 2 for Noise Pop. Tickets and details here.