When she was 4 years old, Santa Claus brought Molly Rose Hendricksen a plastic toy drum set for Christmas. When she was 9, she asked for a real drum set for her birthday.
Vacaville born and raised, Molly Rose has now made it all the way to the small screen. The professional drummer will be starring in “Banded: The Musician Competition,” set to air May 13 on AXS TV.
Once she received her real drum set, Molly Rose was determined to learn the rudiments of drumming.
“She would sit for hours at her First Acts drum set in front of a portable DVD player, wearing her dad’s military headset learning the rudiments,” said Althea Taschioglou Hendricksen, Molly Rose’s mother and “momager”. “It was amazing to watch her learn. She had no other guidance at that point, but a lot of dedication.”
When her parents realized that drumming was not a phase for Molly Rose, they put her in drumming lessons with Dave Jardin. She was also guided by the Vacaville Unified School District’s Brian Simpson and John Woods.
By 7th grade at Vaca Peña Middle School, Molly Rose was drumming in the worship band at her church and was in the symphonic and jazz bands at school.
Once she began attending Vacaville High, she joined the Drumline for all four years, in addition to multiple band classes.
At 16, Molly Rose had the privilege of sitting in with Vacaville’s own Whiskey and Honey at the Dixon May Fair.
In high school, she began taking lessons with Michael Santorini, who brought her drumming to the next level.
She performed with the Madison Hudson Band for five years and had the opportunity to sit in with Vacaville’s Terry Sheets at the Vacaville CreekWalk.
“Her biggest turning point came in 2016 when she entered an international online drumming competition for female drummers called “Hit Like a Girl,” said Althea. “Molly Rose submitted a 90-second video of her drumming at a rally in the Vacaville High gym. I did not know she even submitted the video. She ended up earning second runner up, was featured in Drum Magazine and obtained several endorsements.”
Once graduating from Vaca High, Molly Rose began attending the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Drum Performance in 2022. Due to her love of country music, Molly Rose decided to take a leap of faith and moved to Nashville, Tenn. after graduation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Molly Rose built up a following on social media such as TikTok and Instagram. Her TikTok has 312,000 followers. She also wrote and produced two songs. “These Days” was written for her mother, while “Red Headed Angel” was written for a friend from Vacaville who passed away.
“It has been an amazing and crazy ride,” said Althea. “One we never planned or dreamed would happen. Her dad was her personal “roadie” and I was her “momager.” We would drive hundreds of miles a week, sometimes getting home at 3 a.m. She could have three gigs a week, was learning new songs, plus she played golf, had Drumline and her homework.
“To think that she has played at the Iowa State Fair, opened for Brad Paisley and Chris Lane amazes me. Molly’s dedication to learning and honing her skills has always been a priority to her. We are extremely proud of her and what she has done in her short 23 years.”
Although leaving California was difficult for Molly Rose, she is thriving there.
She didn’t even have to seek out “Banded,” show officials contacted her through social media and asked her to participate. At first, Molly thought it was a scam, but thankfully she was wrong.
“I had only been living in Nashville for maybe a month before I started filming “Banded,” said Molly Rose. “I got a call from them two days after I moved to Nashville. They asked me if I could move to Mount Juliet within the week. We lived in this crazy mansion on the lake. It was insane. We were all randomly put into bands. I’m a country player but I was put into a pop-punk band. We were then paired with award-winning songwriters. Each week we were given a topic and had to write a song about it, then perform it in front of judges.”
“Banded” is an all-new original music competition. It is an innovative series that showcases up-and-coming artists who can play, write and sing. 25 contestants will be placed into five new multi-genre bands. It aims to give viewers an inside look into the real artistry of creating music. In the finale episode, a band will be announced as the winners with the possibility of a recording contract. The judges’ panel includes Mark Schulman, DJ Swivel and Diarra Sylla. Mötley Crüe’s Vince Neil will serve as a guest judge.
“I still can’t believe my daughter will be on reality TV,” said Althea. “We are beyond proud and excited to see how this chapter unfolds.”
“My band won a song of the week and got to perform at the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony,” said Molly Rose. “That was crazy. Vince Neil was there in addition to other famous people. It was really crazy that we were playing it because no one knew who we were. That was definitely the coolest thing.”
Molly Rose is still keeping busy despite filming for “Banded” being complete. She just got off tour with Kailee Morgue and Maggie Lindemann. She is currently playing in Downtown Nashville on Broadway, keeping up on social media and giving drum lessons.
“Vacaville is where my career started,” said Molly Rose. “I had so many amazing drum teachers in Vacaville. Throughout middle school and high school I had amazing teachers in amazing music programs. It encouraged me to actually follow my dreams. I knew I could pursue something that was bigger than myself.”
Without the support of her parents Althea and Terry, Molly Rose says she would not be where she is today.
Terry plays the trumpet, harmonica and sings, while Althea plays the guitar and sings. Music has been and will be a constant in Molly Rose’s life.
The town she grew up in and the people that raised her have gotten her to the small screen. More success is surely on the horizon for Molly Rose.
Follow Molly Rose on social media by visiting https://www.facebook.com/MollyRoseDrums, https://www.instagram.com/mollyrosedrums/, https://www.tiktok.com/@countrydrummergirl and https://www.youtube.com/@mollyrosedrums.
To learn more about “Banded: The Musician Competition,” visit https://bandedtv.com.
