MeloDious: Music of esperanza spalding

About

The supercharged Oakland-based band of siblings has become one of the most buzzed-about bands in the Bay Area. They make an eagerly awaited return following their wildly popular Noise Pop Festival performance in 2025 with this Hotplate performance celebrating the music of bassist, vocalist, composer, and musical powerhouse esperanza spalding. Formed in 2016 by keyboardist Micaiah Dempsey , bassist Matthias Dempsey , and drummer Memphis Dempsey , the group grew from childhood choir singing, family jam sessions, and a lineage that includes their grandfather’s Ebony Jam Band. Their name—spelled to reflect each member’s initials—captures the close chemistry at the center of their music. Blending gospel, jazz, R&B, and soul, MeloDious delivers expressive harmonies, inventive arrangements, and musicianship far beyond its years. The band’s rise has been marked by meaningful milestones including sharing stages with artists including Tony! Toni! Toné! and Fantastic Negrito, performing at major Bay Area events , and the release of their beguiling debut Is It the Way: Volume I in 2023. Their upcoming tribute performance honoring bassist, vocalist, and visionary esperanza spalding is especially fitting. Like spalding, MeloDious embraces virtuosity without sacrificing feeling, using powerful rhythms, sumptuous harmonies, and fearless genre movement to tell human stories.