Vacaville drummer to star in new TV contest

When she was 4 years old, Santa brought Molly Rose Hendricksen a plastic battery for Christmas. When she was 9 years old, she asked for a real drum set for her birthday.

Born and raised in Vacaville, Molly Rose has now made it all the way to the small screen. The professional drummer will perform in “Banded: The Musician Competition,” which airs May 13 on AXS TV.

Once she received her real drums, Molly Rose was determined to learn the basics of drumming.

“She would sit for hours in front of her First Acts drum set in front of a portable DVD player, wearing her father’s military helmet, learning the basics,” said Althea Taschioglou Hendricksen, Molly Rose’s mother and “momage”. “It was amazing to watch her learn. She had no other advice at that time, but a lot of dedication.

When her parents realized drumming wasn’t a phase for Molly Rose, they put her in a drumming class with Dave Jardin. She was also guided by Brian Simpson and John Woods of the Vacaville Unified School District.

In 7th grade at Vaca Peña Middle School, Molly Rose drummed in her church worship band and was part of the school symphony and jazz bands.

Once she started attending Vacaville High, she joined the Drumline for all four years, in addition to several band classes.

At 16, Molly Rose had the privilege of sitting down with Vacaville’s Whiskey and Honey at the Dixon May Fair.

In high school, she started taking lessons with Michael Santorini, who took her to the next level.

She performed with the Madison Hudson Band for five years and had the opportunity to sit with Terry Sheets of Vacaville 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,'” Althea said. drums at a rally in the gymnasium at Vacaville High. I didn’t know she even submitted the video. It ended up placing second, being featured in Drum Magazine, and getting multiple accolades.

After 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, Tennessee after graduation.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Molly Rose has built a following on social media such as TikTok and Instagram. His TikTok has 312,000 followers. She also wrote and produced two songs. “These Days” was written for his mother, while “Red Headed Angel” was written for a deceased Vacaville friend.

“It was an amazing, crazy ride,” Althea said. “One we never anticipated or dreamed of would happen. His dad was his personal ‘roadie’ and I was his ‘mom’. We were riding hundreds of miles a week, sometimes coming home at 3 a.m. She could have three concerts a week, learned new songs, plus she played golf, had Drumline and her homework.

“To think that she performed at the Iowa State Fair, opening for Brad Paisley and Chris Lane, amazes me. Molly’s dedication to learning and honing her skills has always been a priority for her. We are extremely proud of her and what she has accomplished in her short 23 years.

Although leaving California was difficult for Molly Rose, she is thriving there.

She didn’t even have to search for “Banded,” the show’s executives contacted her via social media and asked her to participate. At first Molly thought it was a scam, but luckily she was wrong.

“I had only been living in Nashville for maybe a month before I started filming ‘Banded,’ Molly Rose said. “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 crazy. We were all randomly put into groups. I’m a country player but I was put in a pop-punk band. We were then matched with award-winning songwriters. Every week we were given a topic and we had to write a song about it and then perform it in front of judges. »

“Banded” is a brand new original music competition. This is an innovative series that features up-and-coming artists who can perform, write, and sing. 25 contestants will be placed in five new multi-gender groups. It aims to give viewers a glimpse into the real art of music creation. In the final episode, one group will be announced as the winner with the possibility of a recording contract. The jury includes Mark Schulman, DJ Swivel and Diarra Sylla. Vince Neil of Mötley Crüe will serve as guest judge.

“I still can’t believe my daughter will be on reality TV,” Althea said. “We are beyond proud and excited to see how this chapter is unfolding.”

“My band won song of the week and got to perform at the Songwriters Hall of Fame awards ceremony,” Molly Rose said. “It was crazy. Vince Neil was there in addition to other famous people. It was really crazy that we were playing there because nobody knew who we were. It was definitely the coolest thing.

Molly Rose is always busy despite the fact that filming for “Banded” has wrapped. She just finished a tour with Kailee Morgue and Maggie Lindemann. She currently plays downtown Nashville on Broadway, follows social media and gives drum lessons.

“Vacaville is where my career started,” Molly Rose said. “I had so many amazing drum teachers in Vacaville. Throughout middle and high school, I had amazing teachers in amazing music programs. It encouraged me to pursue my dreams. I knew that I could pursue something that was bigger than me.

Without the support of her parents Althea and Terry, Molly Rose says she wouldn’t be where she is today.

Terry plays trumpet, harmonica and sings, while Althea plays guitar and sings. Music has been and will be a constant in Molly Rose’s life.

The city she grew up in and the people who raised her brought 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.

For more on “Banded: The Musician Competition”, visit https://bandedtv.com.